John Cooper Sports: The Wait Is Over For Dragon Fans!

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Wait Is Over For Dragon Fans! Football and Cross country Teams Start Fall Competition, Volleyball Complete at Tournament. Results from the week August 22, 2022.

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
8/23 at St. John XXIII • 3-0 L
8/26-27 at Houston Open

DAY ONE
vs. Pantego Christian Academy • 2-0 W
vs. Episcopal • 2-1 L
vs. Rosehill Christian • 2-0 L

DAY TWO
vs. The Woodlands Christian Academy • 2-0 W
vs. Fort Bend Christian Homeschool Athletics • 2-0 L

Next up for Dragon Volleyball:
August 29 at Incarnate Word, 5:30 p.m.
August 30 vs. Rosehill Christian, 5:30 p.m.

VARSITY FOOTBALL
8/26 at Woodlands Christian • 10-7 L

Coach Erik DeHaven: “Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.” –Albert Payson Terhune

The John Cooper Dragons came up short in their opening game of the 2022 football season falling to TWCA 10-7. The Dragons came out fast but failed to connect on numerous early scoring opportunities and went into the half down 7-0. The Dragons regrouped at the half but still found themselves down 10-0 going into the fourth quarter. They then got on the board early in the 4th quarter with a short touchdown run by sophomore standout Dean Calhoun. The Dragon defense played well all night long, keeping the game close while dealing with short fields all night. Senior LB Alex Rovirosa led the team in tackles and senior DL Joe Bisso and senior DL Alan Kuvshinikov held down the trenches working against a big and disciplined TWCA O-line. Senior LB Carson Berger was a star in the middle of the field, finally stamping his mark on the game with a massive solo tackle on the one to finish a goal line stand by the Dragons. Senior and four-year starter Kielar

Sullivan did his best to keep the Dragon offense breathing as they just couldn’t seem to find their rhythm on this fine August Friday evening. In the end, the Dragons were not able to make the comeback complete but will learn and move on to next week’s matchup with the back-to-back TAPPS 3A State Champion in Cypress Christian; kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Pugh Field on the campus of The John Cooper School.

Next up for Dragon Football:
September 2 vs. Cypress Christian, 7 p.m. (1st home game)
September 9 vs. St. Marks*, 7 p.m.

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

8/26 at Friday Night Lights

Coach George Dohner: The Cooper cross country teams lined up against some of the top programs in the state this weekend, kicking off their season at the prestigious 'Friday Night Lights' in The Woodlands. 'We were very fortunate to compete against such top-quality runners,' head coach George Dohner said. 'And I was very proud of our kids' efforts. We had a good summer of training, and it was great to see Cooper in action.'

The Cooper Boys were led by junior Grey Mendenhall. Grey finished in 33rd overall with a 4K time of 13:35; a nearly 25-second improvement from last year’s time at this meet. He was followed by Aditya Pakal in 50th, recording a time of 18:04. Finishing off the scoring for Cooper was Ryan Taylor (68), Nathan Seamans (76) and Walter Day (87).

'The boys did a great job in the meet's top division,' Dohner said. 'And I can’t say enough about Grey Mendenhall and his leadership. We are expecting great things from him this season.'

The girls competed in Division B and took home second place honors. Cooper was led by senior Megan Day who finished 2nd overall with a 4K time of 16:50. She was followed by sophomores Milla Signorelli and Alexis Seymour in 7th and 8th place. Chloe Smith (14th) and Tahira King (19th) rounded out the scoring for Cooper to finish just nine points behind the 1st place Woodlands High School team.

“The girls did a tremendous job competing tonight,” Dohner said. “This is a unique group of girls who feed off each other in practice. Our senior leadership is phenomenal, and this was a great meet to get the girls’ season rolling!”

Next up for Cooper XC will be next Saturday, September 2, as they host the annual Cooper Dragon Invitational at Burroughs Park. Races begin at 8:05 am.

Girls Varsity -2nd Place - Division B

Megan Day (2nd) 16:50

Milla Signorelli (7th) 17:34

Alexis Seymour (8th) 17:36

Chloe Smith (14th) 17:45

Tahira King (19th) 18:07

Boys Varsity - 10th Place - Division A

Grey Mendenhall (33rd) 13:35

Aditya Pakal (50th) 14:03

Ryan Taylor (68th) 14:21

Nathan Seamans (76th) 14:30

Walter Day (87th) 14:53


Next up for Dragon Cross Country
September 3 hosting Cooper Invitational, 8 a.m. at Burroughs Park

Photos