Abilene ISD -

Abilene High and Cooper will return to the field Friday, trying to put last week's disappointing losses in the rearview mirror.

Abilene High will host longtime rival Midland Legacy at 7 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium. Cooper will be in Lubbock to take on Lubbock Coronado at 4 p.m. at PlainsCapital Park-Lowrey Field.

The Eagles (2-1) are playing a winless but competitive Midland Legacy squad (0-3) at Shotwell Stadium. Abilene High fans planning to attend the game can purchase tickets here. As a reminder, AISD has implemented a clear bag policy at Shotwell Stadium and the Shotwell Annex. Only clear bags will be allowed in with spectators to ensure the safety of all events at Shotwell and the Shotwell Annex.

Fans can find the live audio broadcast from AHS announcers Chuck Statler and Cody Coil here. The AISD Live video stream is available here.

The Rebels have had a challenging season so far, losing to Allen (61-0), Euless Trinity (63-45), and Lake Travis (41-20). They could also be without starting quarterback Jaden Rogers, who was injured last week against the Cavaliers, giving way to sophomore JP Reyes. Rogers’ status for Friday night’s game is unclear.

The Eagles trailed 35-16 at halftime last week before rallying to within 42-37 with 9:41 left in the game. After blocking a Permian field goal, the Eagles had one final chance to win. They moved from their 25-yard line to the Permian 13 before a holding penalty, and two incomplete passes ended the possession at the 17-yard line. Permian ran out the clock on the game after getting the ball inside its 20-yard line.

Junior quarterback Brayden Henry led the Eagles, carrying the ball 18 times for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The yardage total is a new AHS school record for rushing yards by a quarterback, eclipsing the old record of 223 yards set by Ronnell Sims on Dec. 19, 2009, in Abilene High’s 28-17 win over Katy in the Class 5A Division II state championship game.

Abilene High and Midland Legacy have played every year since 1961, except for 2008 and 2009, with the Rebels holding a 37-24 series edge. The Rebels have won five straight in the series, with Abilene High’s last win a 31-24 victory in 2018.

Cooper fans planning to attend the game in Lubbock can purchase tickets here. A clear bag policy is in effect for all visitors to PlainsCapital Park. The new policy regulates the size and type of bag allowed into the stadium for any event at the facility. Exceptions for medically necessary items will be made after proper inspection.

Cooper fans who cannot attend the game in Lubbock can listen to the Cougars’ audio feed here. Al Pickett and Rick Cason will call the action. Lubbock ISD TV will provide the video stream, available here and here.

Cooper  (0-3) suffered a heartbreaking 31-27 Homecoming loss to San Angelo Central at Shotwell Stadium. The Cougars took a 27-24 lead with 3:41 to play on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jaden Carrillo to Zaylon Johnson, only to see the Bobcats march back down the field to a game-winning 9-yard scoring pass from Christian English to Mason Van with 54 seconds left.

Cooper quarterback Austin Cummins – injured in the game against Abilene High – played against the Bobcats (9 of 11 passing for 88 yards and seven carries for 25 yards) but didn’t start. Cummins is expected to return to the starting lineup against the Mustangs on Friday afternoon.

Coronado is 1-2 on the season with a win over Wichita Falls Legacy (41-34) and back-to-back losses to Lubbock Cooper (45-17) and Wylie (41-12) going into Friday’s contest against Cooper. 

Friday afternoon’s game will be the 20th meeting between the Cougars and Mustangs, with Cooper holding a 13-6 edge in the all-time series. The teams have split the last two games, with Cooper winning 33-28 in 2022 and the Mustangs winning last year, 27-21.

Volleyball
Cooper and Abilene High both lost their matches Tuesday night. The Lady Coogs dropped a 3-0 decision at Frenship, and the Lady Eagles lost at Midland Christian, 3-0. Both teams are back in action Friday night near the start of District 4-5A play.

The Lady Coogs are 10-15 on the season and will carry a two-match losing streak into Brownwood, where they will take on the Lady Lions at 5 p.m. Friday. Cooper will then be on the court at Cougar Gym at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 24) to take on Odessa Permian in its last non-district match.

Cooper will begin District 4-5A play next Friday (Sept. 27) against Wylie at 5 p.m. at Bulldog Gym. The Lady Cougars will be home on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to host Abilene High at 6 p.m.

The Lady Eagles, meanwhile, are 11-18 on the season and carry a six-match losing streak going to Friday’s 5 p.m. match at Midland High. After the match at Midland High, the Lady Eagles are off until next Friday (Sept. 27), when they host Wichita Falls Memorial at 5 p.m. in the District 4-5A opener for both squads.

Team Tennis
District 4-5A play has started, and Abilene High and Cooper – as expected – are in the thick of the chase for the district championship.

With only five teams in the district and four district matches, each one is important, and Wylie has already clinched a spot in the state playoffs by getting off to a 2-0 start in league play with wins over Wichita Falls Legacy and Cooper. The Cougars’ 14-5 loss on Tuesday to the Bulldogs – ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 5A by the Texas Tennis Coaches’ Association – was Cooper’s first loss of the season, dropping the Coogs to 21-1 overall and 1-1 in district play.

Cooper will play three non-district matches in the next five days before closing the regular season with two district matches. The Cougars will be in Burkburnett and Iowa Park on Saturday to take on Burkburnett at 9 a.m. and Iowa Park at 2 p.m. before hosting San Angelo Central at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. The Cougars will close the regular season at Wichita Falls Legacy (Saturday, Sept. 28) and at Abilene High (Tuesday, Oct. 1).

The Eagles picked up their first district win last Saturday with an 18-1 victory over Wichita Falls Legacy in Wichita Falls. The 24th-ranked Eagles beat San Angelo Central, 11-8, Tuesday in San Angelo to improve to 21-1 overall. At 1-0 in district play, the Eagles are just behind Wylie for the District 4-5A lead.

Abilene High will play at Burkburnett – ranked No. 14 in Class 4A – at 2 p.m. and then at Wylie at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. The Eagles would take a giant step toward winning the district title with a win over Wylie, while the Bulldogs would clinch no worse than a share of the district title with a win over the Eagles. Abilene High will close the regular season against Wichita Falls Memorial (Saturday, Sept. 28) and Cooper (Tuesday, Oct. 1), with both matches scheduled for the Abilene High Tennis Courts.

Cross Country
The Abilene High girls – led by the 1-2 punch of seniors Mason Murray and Zoe Vann – led the Lady Eagles to the Abilene Cross Country Invitational team championship last Saturday at the Sherrod Residential Park course.   

On the boys’ side, Odessa High edged the Eagles for the boys’ team title with 68 points compared to 72 for Abilene High.

The Lady Eagles won the title with 27 points as their top five runners finished first (Murray, covering the 5-kilometer course in 19:43.0), second (Vann in 20:00.0), third (sophomore Remie Batten in 21:20.0), sixth (junior Emily Brumley in 21:39.0), and 14th (sophomore Aubrey Duran in 22:48.0). Amarillo High was a distant second in the girls’ team standings, finishing with 83 points.

The Cooper girls finished sixth overall and were led by sophomore Lila Murillo, who finished 12th with a time of 22:20.00, followed by senior Kayla Dillon in 15th in 22:57.00 and freshman Dannie Muco in 18th in 23:04.00.

In the boys’ race, AHS senior John Alcantar won the individual title, covering the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes. 10.53 seconds to easily outpace runner-up Kenny Pritchard from Jim Ned, who finished in 16:45.03. Abilene High junior Aldo Sanchez was fourth (17:35.72), followed by junior Cassidy Scott in sixth (17:47.41), sophomore Antonio Delagarza in 28th (19:01.02), and sophomore Reynaldo Salinas in 42nd (19:31.75).

The Cooper boys had just four runners in the field and didn’t have a team score, but the Cougars were led by senior Gabriel Reyna, who finished 17th in 18:33.12.

The Abilene High cross country teams will be back in action Saturday at the Koka One-McNeil Meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. The Eagles will run in the Phyllis Pappas Pacer next Thursday (Sept. 26) at Lucas Park in Wichita Falls, the District 4-5A championship meet site on Oct. 10.

Cooper’s teams will compete Friday in the Castleberry Invitational in Fort Worth before running in Wichita Falls next Thursday at the Pappas Pacer.