John Cooper Sports: As Dragon Volleyball Continues, Football Finishes Preseason, Cross Country Team Prepares to Run

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Results from the week of August 14

As Dragon Volleyball Continues, Football Finishes Preseason, Cross Country Team Prepares to Run

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

8/15 vs.Frassati Catholic • 3-0 W
Coach Courtney Hunnicutt (formerly Eckenrode): The Dragons came out strong in front of a wonderful home crowd to take a 3-0 sweep over a talented Frassati Falcons team!

8/17 at Woodlands Christian • 3-0 L
Coach Courtney Hunnicutt: Cooper traveled down the road to Woodlands Christian and lost a close one to the Warriors. The Dragons battled hard but came up short in the match in front of a spirited TWCA crowd and a loud gym.

8/18-19 at CHSM Invitational Tournament • 4-2

Coach Courtney Hunnicutt: The Dragons bounced back on Friday and had a dominating 3-0 day! They beat Westbury Christian, St. Thomas, and DASCHE in order to advance to the Gold bracket on Saturday! On Saturday, the Dragons beat CHSM and then fell to a talented St. Agnes squad. Ultimately, a T-3rd place finish is where the Dragons landed and they are looking forward to next week’s Tuesday match against Second Baptist and another Friday/Saturday tournament weekend!

Go Dragons!

Next up for Dragon Volleyball:

August 22 vs. Second Baptist, 5:30 p.m.

August 25-26 at Houston Open

VARSITY FOOTBALL

8/17 scrimmage vs. Fort Bend Christian Academy

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.

The journey begins Friday for the back-to-back 3A SPC Champions as the Dragons welcome their across-the-street foe, the Warriors of Woodlands Christan Academy. Each team looks to stamp their ownership over the Woodlands football world and start on a winning note for the 2023 season.

The Dragons wrapped up their pre-season last week as they battled the Fort Bend Christian Academy Eagles, also a defending state champion from TAPPS 4A Division 1. The team looked more polished than the previous week and welcomed back junior RB Dean Calhoun who once again reminded fans of the difference maker he can be. Overall, the group that stood out the most was the Dragon defense. After not allowing a score the week before, the Dragons continued their bend-don’t-break mentality, wearing down and holding in check a very explosive and talented Eagle offense.

It's all for real this week as John Cooper begins the 2023 season; Team 13 is not Team 12 or 11, instead, they must define who Team 13 is, all on their own; for as they say, “in order to have what you really want, you must first be who you really are.”–Coach Daniel Lewis

Next up for Dragon Football:

August 25 vs. Woodlands Christian, 7 p.m.

September 1 at Cypress Christian, 7:30 p.m.

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

Coach George Dohner’s 2023 Season Preview:

Varsity Boys

The boys team had a great summer of training to prepare for the upcoming season. The team is a mixture of talented upperclassmen to go along with some outstanding young runners. I think by the end of year, we could be one of the top teams in the SPC.

Runners To Watch: Seniors Grey Mendenhall and Aditya Pakal will lead the boys this year. Other members who will play a key role in the success of the team will be senior Ryan Taylor, juniors Nathan Montes, Walter Day, Chris Trenholme, and sophomore Jacob Bailey.

Varsity Girls

The girls team had a productive summer of training and they are excited to show how much they have improved. By the end of the season, I expect them to be very competitive at the SPC Championship.

Runners To Watch: The girls are led by three talented juniors, Milla Signorelli, Alexis Seymor and Tahira King. Senior Ava Perugini, juniors Emma Locht, Elisa Ferber, and freshman Abby Zubay will provide the team with great depth.

Next up for Dragon Cross Country

August 25 at Friday Night Lights at Bear Branch Park, 4 p.m.

September 2 hosting Dragon Invitational at Burroughs Park, 8 a.m.