As the regular Fall Sports season comes to an end, a review of the incredible work our athletes and teams have put in over the past three months is certainly deserved. 

Before the school year even began, our Cooper Dragons were hard at work getting ready for the season ahead. Camps, practices, workshops, and scrimmages were all well under way by August 18th. 

Our Upper School teams were more than ready to take on their August competition. Despite a first-game loss against TWCA on 8/30, Varsity Football bounced back the next week, defeating Cypress Christian 38-14 at the first home game of the season. “We knew we were a better team than how we played,” said junior Jonathan Trenholme, an offensive lineman.”We lost because we hadn’t found our groove. We went into the next week knowing we had to do better because we knew who we were.” Although they faced difficulties early on in their season against FBCHA and TWCA, Varsity Volleyball secured a win over St. John XXIII on 8/23, as well as Pantego Christian Academy and TWCA at the Houston Open tournament on 8/26-8/27. Varsity Cross Country competed at Friday Night Lights on 8/28, with the girls team placing 2nd and the boys 10th. 

September only brought more success for our Dragon athletes. Varsity Football had a clean sweep entering conference play, with wins against St. Marks, Greenhill, Oakridge, and Cistercian. The Homecoming game on 9/18 against Oakridge School was particularly remarkable, as the Dragons triumphed over the Owls 60-3.Volleyball also had a successful run, finishing 5-1 at the end of the month, standing 3-1 for conference play. Cross Country hosted the Cooper Dragon Invitational on 9/3, with the girls and boys teams finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The team also competed at the Dog Pound Invitational, with girls and boys teams finishing 4th and 3rd.

With the days growing cooler and championship play inching closer, the Dragons took October by storm. Football defeated FWCD and Houston Christian, and had a spectacular performance against Trinity Valley at the last home game of the season. Despite tough losses to St. John’s and Concordia, Volleyball bounced back, defeating St. Stephen’s and St. Andrews 3-1 in back-to-back games on 10/14 and 10/15. Early in the month, Varsity Cross Country traveled to the University of Arkansas for the Chili Pepper Festival, where the girls team placed 26th and the boys 43rd, out of hundreds of runners from dozens of high schools across the nation. The team also competed at the St. John’s Maverick Ramble, with the girls and boys teams placing 2nd and 6th. 

Our Middle School Teams have had great success as well. MS Green Volleyball played out a strong finish at the HJPC Tournament, placing 3rd in the conference with an 8-3 record. “We laid an egg in the first set, but we came back. Going into the third set they fought and fought so hard,” MS Volleyball Coach Nicole Hedden said. MS Football also made it to the playoffs, and became HJPC Division 2 Champions after defeating AOS 32-8.

However, winning games and placing in meets is only half the fun of the Fall Sports season. The Cooper Athletic Association (CAA) and Dragon Booster Club have been hard at work all season to promote a supportive community for our athletes that every student can be involved in. CAA was a new addition to Upper School Clubs this year. Outreach included athletic updates at assemblies, and game night themes like “Top Gun” and “Country Night,” complete with free swag. On October 6th, DBC hosted a Middle School Spirit night, with a green out day, activities on the quad, and record attendance at Middle School volleyball and football games.

Lower Schoolers also took part in the Friday night fun. On Lower School Night, our youngest dragons took to the field with Varsity Cheerleaders to line the sides of the spirit tunnel and cheer on the football team. Throughout the season, game day poster-making and face painting gave Lower Schoolers the opportunity to show off their Cooper Spirit!

Looking ahead, the Fall Season is far from finished. October 27th marks the annual Dig Pink volleyball game, an event hosted by the volleyball program that honors those affected by breast cancer and raises money for research and support. “This year, we’re splitting donations between the Side Out Foundation, which supports research and treatment for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and Canopy Cancer Support Center, which is a local organization that has programs to support physical, mental, and social needs of those affected by cancer,” said senior Rivers Kolesar, Dig Pink chief coordinator. Already, students have supported the cause by purchasing Dig Pink T-shirts and frequenting MOD Pizza during a profit share for the cause on 10/18. “It’s really cool to see the whole volleyball community come together. We work with the middle school, and growing up you get to be involved in different stages. The event is really well-loved by the school. Everything comes together and the whole community gets involved, from little kindergartners to my senior year calculus teacher.” 

Then, in early November, Upper School teams will head to the SPC Championships, and spend the weekend competing for the top spot in conference play.

Overall, our fall athletes have brought a monumental start to the school year. Their dedication has not only been reflected in their successes on the field, on the court, and on the racecourse, but in the Cooper community at large. Our fall athletes have so much to be proud of as the season comes to a close, and so much to look forward to as we enter championship play and the many years of fall season successes to come. Congratulations to all our athletes and coaches for their incredible efforts this season, and good luck to those heading into SPC. As always, go Dragons!