John Cooper Sports: Dragon Cross Country Teams Compete in First 5K of Season

THE WOODLANDS, TX --THE JOHN COOPER SCHOOL Results from the week of September 23.

Dragon Cross Country Teams Compete in First 5K of Season

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

9/28 at McNeil Invitational, Old Settlers Park, Round Rock, TX

Saturday’s meet was full of talent from some of the top 6A and 5A public schools in Texas. Cooper’s Varsity teams ran in 6A High School Division. Due to the past storms and school closings, this was Cooper’s first 5K race of the season, and their first race in nearly a month.

Girls’ Team • 10th place out of 63 teams

“In a field of 498 runners, the team competed really well today. We were happy with the fight in this team and had some girls step up under some tough conditions,” said Coach George Dohner. Freshmen Megan Day and Chloe Smith finished in 41st and 42nd place to lead the Cooper runners. Followed by junior Katie Drake who succumbed to an asthma attack, midrace. “We are proud of Katie’s effort, who battled through the heat and dust to finish in 77th place,” Dohner said. Madison Breaux and Abby Mendenhall rounded off the scoring for Cooper.

Megan Day (41st) 21:06.5

Chloe Smith (42) 21:06.7

Katie Drake (77) - 21:26

Madison Breaux (107) - 21:46

Abby Mendenhall (112) - 21:47

Keira Van der Linden – 22:43

Amber Navarra – 22:57

Boys’ Team • 13th place out of 53 teams

Will McDermott finished in 5th place with a personal best 16:39 in his first 5K race of the year. Sophomore Vishnu Swaminathan, a newcomer to the sport, ran an impressive 17:28 in his first 5K race ever. Senior Cadan Hanson ran a courageous race after getting clipped by another runner and losing a shoe in the first half mile. Despite the pain of the rough terrain, he ran two and a half miles with one shoe and a sock. Although his left foot took a beating, it didn’t stop him from giving his all and finishing in 67th place. “Cadan is one of the toughest kids out there,” Assistant Coach Matt Bohan said. “There is no quit in this kid. He literally leaves it all on the course every time he races and nothing is going to stop him from finishing a race.” Zach Winton and Carson Hanson also ran well recording personal bests to finish out Cooper’s scoring. “We are proud of all the boys in their first 5K of the year,” Coach Dohner said. “This was a tough course in tough conditions and the team ran really well. We have a talented team and may surprise a few people this season.”


Will McDermott (5th) 16:39

Vishnu Swaminathan (45) 17:28

Cadan Hanson (67) 17:46

Zach Winston (111) 18:08

Carson Hanson (150) 18:28

Alex Everson 18:46

Nathan Seamans 18:51

Next up for Dragon Cross Country:
Oct. 12 at St. John’s Ramble Invitational, Spring Creek Park, Tomball, TX
Oct. 26 at SPC South Zone Championship, St. Andrew’s Episcopal

VARSITY FOOTBALL

9/27 vs. Cistercian* • 17-14 LOSS

The Dragons lost 17-14 this past Friday to go 3-2 on the season. The defense gave up 280 total yards on 79 plays while the offense passed the ball for 260 yards on 51 plays.

Coach Erik DeHaven: I am very proud of our football team and the heart they showed us Friday night. Our young men fight for one another and that effort is going to give us opportunities to win games. We will continue to focus on improving us one play at a time.

Players of the Week:

Team MVP: Jake Peterson • 22 Tackles, 5 Tackles for a loss, 1 Sack

Offensive MVP: Jaxson Pierce • 3 catches / 70 yards

Defensive MVP: Blake Pitts • 10 Tackles / 3 Tackles for a loss

Special Team MVP: Matthew Taylor • Tremoundous effort all night

Scout Team Offense: Cole Austin

Scout Team Defense: Connor Dove

Next up for Dragon Football:

Oct. 4 at Arlington Oakridge*, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Casady*, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs Trinity Valley*, 7 p.m. • SENIOR NIGHT

Nov. 1 at Austin Saints*, 7 p.m.

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

2-0 in conference play

Dragon Volleyball is gearing up for this week’s DIG PINK event on Wednesday to raise funds to support breast cancer research.

Next up for Dragon Volleyball:
Oct. 2 vs. Duchesne Academy, 5:30 p.m. DIG PINK
Oct. 8 at Episcopal High School*, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 17 vs. Kinkaid*, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Awty International*, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 at Houston Christian*, 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 29 at St. John’s*, 5:30 p.m.

UPCOMING VARSITY SPORTS ACTION AT HOME:
Wednesday, October 2

5:30 p.m. Varsity Volleyball vs. Duchesne • DIG PINK

Thursday, October 17

5:30 p.m. Varsity Volleyball vs. Kinkaid*

Friday, October 18

7 p.m. Varsity Football vs. Trinity Valley* • SENIOR NIGHT

*Conference game

Photos