The John Cooper School celebrates its Athletics Signing Day in style

THE WOODLANDS, TX – With the pomp and circumstance that would match any professional sports draft day, The John Cooper School’s Athletics Department pulled out all the stops for its annual Athletics Signing Day, a ceremony for the Class of 2022 to recognize six senior athletes who will be competing at the college level this fall. The event took place at the campus’ Dunlap Gymnasium.

Cooper students, parents, faculty, coaches, and teammates joined Athletic Director John Hoye to honor the student athletes who will compete in football, basketball, soccer and track & field.

“These athletes have all worked hard while at Cooper and we join them in celebrating their successes,” Hoye said. “We wish them all the very best and look forward to following their college athletic careers.”

The signing students were flanked by parents and other family members as they were introduced by Hoye one by one, who regaled the crowd with tidbits of trivia of the future alma maters of the athletes. After their introductions, each athlete unboxed an official university ring, then signed their letters of intent before posing for photos. Prior to the ceremony, several teachers were called up to receive recognition and thanks for working with their athletes to balance their scholastic and sports responsibilities.

William Bisso will represent Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado on the football field. According to Hoye, the diplomas given out there are in sterling silver, and it counts Houston’s own luminary George R. Brown as an alum.

Also signing to play football are James Masciola for Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania (James’ father and grandfather were also both ball players); Gamble Reed, Colby College, Waterville Maine; Owen Woodside, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma (whose alumni include Neil Armstrong and Garth Brooks); Will Young, will represent Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas on the soccer field and on the track and field team. Michael Kubera will play basketball for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. In fact, Kubera was absent from the ceremony, having previously signed his intent on another day, as he was already up at MIT for freshman orientation.

These six athletes join three Dragons from the Class of 2022, who signed earlier at a signing day in November. They are Tillie Claggett, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., golf; Blake Pitts, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, N.J., baseball; and Laura Weatherford, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, La., volleyball.