Fall Teams Wrap Up Seasons At Championships, Basketball & Soccer Teams Open Season
Fall SPC and Winter results from the week of November 4
VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY Three Win All-SPC honors
11/9 at SPC Championships, Spring Creek Park, Tomball
Boys’ 8th • Girls 4th
Three Cooper Runners Received All-SPC Honors at the Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships. Junior Katie Drake and senior Madison Breaux finished in 14th and 17th place in the girls 5K race, while junior Will McDermott finished in seventh place in the Boys 5K race.
VARSITY FOOTBALL Dragons Are 3-A Runner Up Champions For Second Consecutive Year
11/9 vs. Fort Worth Country Day* • 41-0 LOSS
The Dragons lost 41-0 to go 7-3 on the season and become SPC runner-up for the second year in a row.
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL fourth place in SPC
Quarterfinals: 11/8 vs Hockaday* • 3-1 WIN
Semifinals: 11/8 vs Episcopal of Dallas* • 3-0 LOSS
For Third Place: 11/9 vs St. John’s * • 3-2 LOSS
4th place finish
VARSITY SWIMMING & DIVING
11/9 at Polar Bear Classic, CyFair Natatorium
Coach Sara Bany: While many of the Cooper swimmers were competing for their club teams over the weekend, a small group of girls swam in the Polar Bear Classic at the Cy-Fair ISD Natatorium. These swimmers had the opportunity to compete against many of the private schools from around the Houston area. The objective of this meet was to practice racing and these girls did.
There were several stand-out performances, but the two biggest highlights for me were freshman, Katie Kovin and sophomore, Victoria Davila. After only two weeks of practice, Kovin asked to swim the 500 freestyle, which is the longest race that high school swimming competes in. She raced strong and set up a good foundation for the season. Davila, after swimming the 200 freestyle, came back to swim the 100 freestyle and out-touched the person next to her by .03 of a second! Races and swim meets are such good practice for the kind of swimming that wins meets and I want to celebrate every little step.
Along with Davila and Kovin, Noelle Harris, Peyton Boone, and Ellie Wang swam in their second meet in as many weeks. They all improved their relay starts, their race strategies and continued to add events to their SPC line up in February.
Next week the whole team travels to Dallas for a pair of meets on Friday and Saturday.
Next up for Dragon Swimming & Diving:
Nov. 15 at North Texas TISCA (must qualify), LISD Westside Aquatic Center
Nov. 16. Carrollton-Farmers Branch non-TISCA, Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch Natatorium
Coach Matthew Wilson: It was a great week for the Dragons! We showed toughness and grit in our first win at home this season. Our group is hungry to learn and keep getting better. We look forward to two home games next week, on November 12 and November 15. Hope to see you all there!
Next up for Dragon Boys’ Basketball:
Nov. 12 vs. Legacy Prep, 7 p.m.
Nov. 15 vs. Lake Houston Conquerors, 7 p.m.
Aalyssa Rogers • 16 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists
Jorynn Ross • 17 points, 9 rebounds
Ajailah Ogiemwonyi • 15 points, 6 rebounds
Coach BJ Feuerhelm: It was nice to see the girls utilize what we have worked on in practice in a game setting. I thought we shared the ball well and offensively did some good things. We still have plenty to work on but overall, I was pleased with the energy of the team. I am glad to have the season under way!
Next up for Dragon Girls’ Basketball:
Nov. 12 vs. Legacy Prep, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 15-16 at Rosehill Christian Tournament
BOYS’ VARSITY SOCCER
11/8 at Concordia Lutheran • 3-2 WIN
Goals by Seb Plaza (2) and Dean Wright
Coach Bryan Sherman: The team played a good first game tonight. We played some nice soccer at times, but we still have a long way to go to reach our season goals. I am proud of the effort and we’ll be back at it Tuesday versus St. Thomas.
Next up for Dragon Boys’ Soccer:
Nov. 12 vs. St. Thomas High School, 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 at HCYA, Farm League Park, 7 p.m.
11/7 at Emery Weiner • 1-1 TIE
Meghan Cloninger scored from a PK.
Coach Amber Clevenger: I was very pleased by the way the team played as a whole. It is such a breath of fresh air to watch this group of freshmen play. The energy and passion from these freshmen is something I haven’t seen in a long time and it has sparked a new fire in this program!
I’m excited to see how things come together next week when all the fall athletes are back.
Next up for Dragon Girls’ Soccer:
Nov. 14 vs Duchesne, 6 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. Incarnate Word, 5 p.m.
Back
11/9 at SPC Championships, Spring Creek Park, Tomball
Boys’ 8th • Girls 4th
Three Cooper Runners Received All-SPC Honors at the Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships. Junior Katie Drake and senior Madison Breaux finished in 14th and 17th place in the girls 5K race, while junior Will McDermott finished in seventh place in the Boys 5K race.
Coach George Dohner:
The girls’ team started things off in beautiful conditions at Spring Creek Park in Tomball, TX. Cooper girls placed fourth amongst the 14 SPC Schools competing for the title. The Greenhill School of Dallas won top honors placing four of their five scoring runners in the Top 20. In comparison, Cooper placed four of their five scorers in the Top 25.
“The girls ran extremely well. The SPC has become a tough competitive conference, and I am really proud of the way our girls ran today,” Coach George Dohner said. “Specifically, junior Katie Drake has done a great job of leading this team. She sets the pace, both in practice and in meets and did a great job today of that very thing with a time of 20:03.” Senior Madison Breaux, who is a school record holder in two hurdling events, ran the best race of her career, with a 20:07 5K time. “Madison saved her best race for her last race and ran the most relaxed we’ve ever seen her run! I’m so happy for her to end her career with a great performance,” Dohner said. Cooper’s next five runners were two freshmen and three sophomores: Chloe Smith (23rd), Megan Day(35th), Rebecca Melin (35th), Abby Mendenhall (36th), and Amber Navarra (50th). “This was a great team performance today.” Cooper’s future definitely looks bright as they only lose one of their top 10 runners to graduation.
The girls’ team started things off in beautiful conditions at Spring Creek Park in Tomball, TX. Cooper girls placed fourth amongst the 14 SPC Schools competing for the title. The Greenhill School of Dallas won top honors placing four of their five scoring runners in the Top 20. In comparison, Cooper placed four of their five scorers in the Top 25.
“The girls ran extremely well. The SPC has become a tough competitive conference, and I am really proud of the way our girls ran today,” Coach George Dohner said. “Specifically, junior Katie Drake has done a great job of leading this team. She sets the pace, both in practice and in meets and did a great job today of that very thing with a time of 20:03.” Senior Madison Breaux, who is a school record holder in two hurdling events, ran the best race of her career, with a 20:07 5K time. “Madison saved her best race for her last race and ran the most relaxed we’ve ever seen her run! I’m so happy for her to end her career with a great performance,” Dohner said. Cooper’s next five runners were two freshmen and three sophomores: Chloe Smith (23rd), Megan Day(35th), Rebecca Melin (35th), Abby Mendenhall (36th), and Amber Navarra (50th). “This was a great team performance today.” Cooper’s future definitely looks bright as they only lose one of their top 10 runners to graduation.
The boys’ team had a difficult final race to end their season. Two of the Top 6 runners did not finish the race, due to injuries. One trying to overcome the flu earlier this week, and another with an asthma attack during the race.
“Just about anything that could have gone wrong today, did” Dohner said. “The boys just had a tough day. We were ready to run to our fitness today. These boys did everything that was asked of them to prepare for this race and were ranked in the Top 5 going into the race.” Cooper’s Will McDermott remained steady and strong running a great race and placed himself among the leaders in seventh place. Unfortunately for Cooper’s second runner, Cadan Hanson, his body just gave out. “Coming down the stretch, we thought Caden might not make it to the finish line. In Cadan’s true fashion, he left it all on the course and toughed it out.” Despite his trouble on the course, Hanson finished in an impressive 28th place. “Nothing was going to stop me from crossing that line,” said senior captain Hanson. “It just wasn’t my day!” This was the case for the Cooper boys’ team, as things just didn’t go their way. “We will not let this race define our season. This group of young men had a great season and accomplished many great things. They worked incredibly hard this season and were as dedicated as any team I have ever coached,” Dohner said.
“Just about anything that could have gone wrong today, did” Dohner said. “The boys just had a tough day. We were ready to run to our fitness today. These boys did everything that was asked of them to prepare for this race and were ranked in the Top 5 going into the race.” Cooper’s Will McDermott remained steady and strong running a great race and placed himself among the leaders in seventh place. Unfortunately for Cooper’s second runner, Cadan Hanson, his body just gave out. “Coming down the stretch, we thought Caden might not make it to the finish line. In Cadan’s true fashion, he left it all on the course and toughed it out.” Despite his trouble on the course, Hanson finished in an impressive 28th place. “Nothing was going to stop me from crossing that line,” said senior captain Hanson. “It just wasn’t my day!” This was the case for the Cooper boys’ team, as things just didn’t go their way. “We will not let this race define our season. This group of young men had a great season and accomplished many great things. They worked incredibly hard this season and were as dedicated as any team I have ever coached,” Dohner said.
GIRLS – 4th Place
Katie Drake – 14th – 20:03
Madison Breaux – 17th – 20:07
Chloe Smith – 23rd – 20:23
Megan Day – 25th – 20:28
Rebecca Melin – 35th – 21:04
Abby Mendenhall – 36th – 21:05
Amber Navarra – 50th – 21:46
Katie Drake – 14th – 20:03
Madison Breaux – 17th – 20:07
Chloe Smith – 23rd – 20:23
Megan Day – 25th – 20:28
Rebecca Melin – 35th – 21:04
Abby Mendenhall – 36th – 21:05
Amber Navarra – 50th – 21:46
BOYS – 8th place
Will McDermott – 7th - 16:24 (pr) (All-SPC)
Cadan Hanson – 28th - 17:21
Zac Winton – 33rd - 17:28 (pr)
Vishnu Swaminathan – 80th - 18:49
Nathan Seamans – 82nd - 18:50
Brian Mekelburg – 83rd - 18:50
Will McDermott – 7th - 16:24 (pr) (All-SPC)
Cadan Hanson – 28th - 17:21
Zac Winton – 33rd - 17:28 (pr)
Vishnu Swaminathan – 80th - 18:49
Nathan Seamans – 82nd - 18:50
Brian Mekelburg – 83rd - 18:50
VARSITY FOOTBALL Dragons Are 3-A Runner Up Champions For Second Consecutive Year
11/9 vs. Fort Worth Country Day* • 41-0 LOSS
The Dragons lost 41-0 to go 7-3 on the season and become SPC runner-up for the second year in a row.
Coach Erik DeHaven: Team 9 completed its mission both on and off the field. We fell short of winning an SPC championship but our seniors are the MVPs of this team. I can’t tell you how proud I am to coach a group of young men that fight for every yard and for each other. F.A.M.I.L.Y is more than a slogan or a team breakdown. It means to forget about me I love you. Love = Sacrifice and our boys, parents, and community made major sacrifices all year long to make this a special season. I will be forever grateful to this group of young men that bought into a new coaching staff and new way of conducting business. They are leaving a legacy and standard that will not be forgotten. Thank you for everything!
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL fourth place in SPC
Quarterfinals: 11/8 vs Hockaday* • 3-1 WIN
Semifinals: 11/8 vs Episcopal of Dallas* • 3-0 LOSS
For Third Place: 11/9 vs St. John’s * • 3-2 LOSS
4th place finish
Coach Ray Hedden: The team placed in fourth place at the SPC Championships. We started playing Hockaday where the team dropped the first set, only to come back and take the next three. They played great team volleyball to move on to the semifinals. The semis pitted us against the top team from the North, Episcopal of Dallas. We played some great volleyball and fought hard, but ended on the wrong side, losing three straight games. The next day was the third place match against defending SPC champs, St John’s. The team played hard, pushing the match to five sets but came up short losing the fifth set by two points.
I really wanted to take the time to talk about the big picture and not just the championships. We had some great moments and performances! First, thank you to the seniors who did a good job leading from the front! AC Adam and Hailey Huettel have been there all four years. I will miss them and know they will do great things. That said, the team is pretty young, we will bring back four of the six starters and a deep bench that with the right work in the off season can make another push next year. Sophomore Laura Weatherford set the season record in digs with 541 in a season–amazing defensive efforts this year as well as leading the team in passing! Another record to go down is from freshman Lauren Wolford who set a new assist record with 805 assists on the season. Lauren also had a team high 74 aces on the year. AJ Harrell led the team in kills and blocks with 295 kills and 58 Blocks. AJ was also third on the team in digs with 165 which is a special feat from a middle blocker. The team has a lot of youth who will contribute a lot next year and build on the success of this year. A school best of 32-6 on the season is a lot to proud of from these coaches. All SPC and All South will be out soon so I can’t wait to see the representation from this team!
I really wanted to take the time to talk about the big picture and not just the championships. We had some great moments and performances! First, thank you to the seniors who did a good job leading from the front! AC Adam and Hailey Huettel have been there all four years. I will miss them and know they will do great things. That said, the team is pretty young, we will bring back four of the six starters and a deep bench that with the right work in the off season can make another push next year. Sophomore Laura Weatherford set the season record in digs with 541 in a season–amazing defensive efforts this year as well as leading the team in passing! Another record to go down is from freshman Lauren Wolford who set a new assist record with 805 assists on the season. Lauren also had a team high 74 aces on the year. AJ Harrell led the team in kills and blocks with 295 kills and 58 Blocks. AJ was also third on the team in digs with 165 which is a special feat from a middle blocker. The team has a lot of youth who will contribute a lot next year and build on the success of this year. A school best of 32-6 on the season is a lot to proud of from these coaches. All SPC and All South will be out soon so I can’t wait to see the representation from this team!
DRAGON WINTER SPORTS
VARSITY SWIMMING & DIVING
11/9 at Polar Bear Classic, CyFair Natatorium
Coach Sara Bany: While many of the Cooper swimmers were competing for their club teams over the weekend, a small group of girls swam in the Polar Bear Classic at the Cy-Fair ISD Natatorium. These swimmers had the opportunity to compete against many of the private schools from around the Houston area. The objective of this meet was to practice racing and these girls did.
There were several stand-out performances, but the two biggest highlights for me were freshman, Katie Kovin and sophomore, Victoria Davila. After only two weeks of practice, Kovin asked to swim the 500 freestyle, which is the longest race that high school swimming competes in. She raced strong and set up a good foundation for the season. Davila, after swimming the 200 freestyle, came back to swim the 100 freestyle and out-touched the person next to her by .03 of a second! Races and swim meets are such good practice for the kind of swimming that wins meets and I want to celebrate every little step.
Along with Davila and Kovin, Noelle Harris, Peyton Boone, and Ellie Wang swam in their second meet in as many weeks. They all improved their relay starts, their race strategies and continued to add events to their SPC line up in February.
Next week the whole team travels to Dallas for a pair of meets on Friday and Saturday.
Next up for Dragon Swimming & Diving:
Nov. 15 at North Texas TISCA (must qualify), LISD Westside Aquatic Center
Nov. 16. Carrollton-Farmers Branch non-TISCA, Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch Natatorium
BOYS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL
11/7 vs Lutheran South • 58-52 WIN
Senior Antonio Evans led the Dragons with 30 points. The Dragons combined to complete nine 3-pointers in the win.
11/7 vs Lutheran South • 58-52 WIN
Senior Antonio Evans led the Dragons with 30 points. The Dragons combined to complete nine 3-pointers in the win.
Coach Matthew Wilson: It was a great week for the Dragons! We showed toughness and grit in our first win at home this season. Our group is hungry to learn and keep getting better. We look forward to two home games next week, on November 12 and November 15. Hope to see you all there!
Next up for Dragon Boys’ Basketball:
Nov. 12 vs. Legacy Prep, 7 p.m.
Nov. 15 vs. Lake Houston Conquerors, 7 p.m.
GIRLS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL
11/7 vs Lutheran South • 63-48 WIN
11/7 vs Lutheran South • 63-48 WIN
Aalyssa Rogers • 16 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists
Jorynn Ross • 17 points, 9 rebounds
Ajailah Ogiemwonyi • 15 points, 6 rebounds
Coach BJ Feuerhelm: It was nice to see the girls utilize what we have worked on in practice in a game setting. I thought we shared the ball well and offensively did some good things. We still have plenty to work on but overall, I was pleased with the energy of the team. I am glad to have the season under way!
Next up for Dragon Girls’ Basketball:
Nov. 12 vs. Legacy Prep, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 15-16 at Rosehill Christian Tournament
BOYS’ VARSITY SOCCER
11/8 at Concordia Lutheran • 3-2 WIN
Goals by Seb Plaza (2) and Dean Wright
Coach Bryan Sherman: The team played a good first game tonight. We played some nice soccer at times, but we still have a long way to go to reach our season goals. I am proud of the effort and we’ll be back at it Tuesday versus St. Thomas.
Next up for Dragon Boys’ Soccer:
Nov. 12 vs. St. Thomas High School, 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 at HCYA, Farm League Park, 7 p.m.
GIRLS’ VARSITY SOCCER
11/5 at Northland Christian • 3-1 WIN
Coach Amber Clevenger: It was nice to start the season off with a win.
11/5 at Northland Christian • 3-1 WIN
Coach Amber Clevenger: It was nice to start the season off with a win.
11/7 at Emery Weiner • 1-1 TIE
Meghan Cloninger scored from a PK.
Coach Amber Clevenger: I was very pleased by the way the team played as a whole. It is such a breath of fresh air to watch this group of freshmen play. The energy and passion from these freshmen is something I haven’t seen in a long time and it has sparked a new fire in this program!
I’m excited to see how things come together next week when all the fall athletes are back.
Next up for Dragon Girls’ Soccer:
Nov. 14 vs Duchesne, 6 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. Incarnate Word, 5 p.m.
UPCOMING VARSITY SPORTS ACTION AT HOME:
Tuesday, November 12
Girls’ Varsity Basketball vs. Legacy Prep, 5:30 p.m.
Boys’ Varsity Soccer vs. St. Thomas High School, 7 p.m.
Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs. Legacy Prep, 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 14
Girls’ Varsity Soccer vs. Duchesne, 6 p.m.
Friday, November 15
Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs. Lake Houston Conquerors, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, November 12
Girls’ Varsity Basketball vs. Legacy Prep, 5:30 p.m.
Boys’ Varsity Soccer vs. St. Thomas High School, 7 p.m.
Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs. Legacy Prep, 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 14
Girls’ Varsity Soccer vs. Duchesne, 6 p.m.
Friday, November 15
Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs. Lake Houston Conquerors, 7 p.m.
*Conference game
The John Cooper School
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
© 2019 The John Cooper School. All Rights Reserved.