John Cooper Sports: Sep 15, 2025 - Sep 20, 2025

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Varsity Girls Volleyball:

The John Cooper School Dragons faced a competitive week at home, going 1–1 and improving their season record to 14–3.

• Tuesday, September 16 vs. Christian Homeschool Sports Ministry (CHSM): The Dragons secured a four-set victory.

  • Set scores: 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 25-13

• Thursday, September 18 vs. Ft. Bend Christian Homeschool Athletics (FBCHA): In a thrilling five-set matchup, John Cooper fell just short, losing 14-16 in the final set after a hard-fought contest.

  • Set scores: 25-15, 14-25, 15-25, 25-22, 14-16

Junior setter Harper Sansbury contributed 47 assists, 17 digs, and 4 aces over the two matches, while freshman outside hitter Riley Gottsman tallied 32 kills, 25 digs, and 11 aces.

Head Coach Rachel Stallman praised the team’s performance:
"We got better this week and competed hard. I’m proud of our girls."

Varsity Cross Country:
On Saturday, September 20, the Cooper Cross Country teams traveled to College Station for the Nike South Invitational, competing against some of Texas’ top programs.

• Girls’ Team: Finished 9th out of 32 teams, led by Raya Al-Aghbar, who placed 12th with a 5K time of 20:05. Other top finishers included Joy Liang (72nd, 21:39), Sophie Murphy (84th, 21:47), Gabrielle FitzSullivan (85th, 21:47), and Brielle Payette (94th, 21:54).

• Boys’ Team: Led by Jacob Bailey finishing 60th in 16:29, followed by Zach Jefferson (105th, 16:58), Julian Buberl in his first 5K (168th, 18:35), Alex Creel (240th, 19:12), Avery Bryson (246th, 19:15), and Rafael Angulo (247th, 19:15).

Coach George Dohner commended the athletes:
"I am extremely proud of the effort given by both teams, especially running against some of the best competition in the state."

Photos