Abilene ISD -

Cooper and Wylie will renew acquaintances on the football field Friday night as the Cougars host the Bulldogs in the sixth South Town Showdown at Shotwell Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m., and the Cougars will try to snap a two-game losing streak to the Bulldogs and get their first District 2-5A Division II victory.

In Amarillo, the Abilene High Eagles take on Amarillo High in an important District 2-5A Division I contest at Dick Bivins Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m., with each team trying to improve to 2-0 in district play and take a big step toward securing a spot in the Class 5A state playoffs.

At Shotwell, Cooper – which leads the series against Wylie 3-2 – will try to beat the Bulldogs for the first time since 2021. More importantly, the Cougars are looking for their first district victory after opening district play last Friday with a 24-7 loss at Wichita Falls Memorial. After a demanding non-district schedule, the Cougars are 1-4 overall and will play Wylie (3-1 overall and 1-0 in district) and Lubbock Cooper (4-1 and 1-0) in their next two games.

Cooper had chances last Friday against Memorial but was held scoreless on three trips inside the Mavericks’ 20-yard line, one on an interception, one on a missed field goal, and another on a turnover on downs. Also, quarterback Austin Cummins had a deep ball for a touchdown go in and out of the hands of his intended receiver, and another pass into the end zone was just out of the reach of a diving receiver.

Cummins finished 17 of 32 with one interception for 139 yards, and Zavian Alexander caught nine passes for 86 yards. Peyton Ewing carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards, and Major De Los Santos had seven carries for 32 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run.

While Cooper found tough sledding in Wichita Falls, the Wylie Bulldogs had no such issues last Friday in a 49-19 district-opening win over Wichita Falls Legacy at Hugh Sandifer Stadium. The Bulldogs ran for 302 yards, led by 179 yards on 11 carries by Julius Laine, and limited the Leopards to just 99 yards on 45 carries. After a slow start, Wylie outscored Legacy 23-7 in the second quarter to take a 30-7 lead into halftime.

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 also listen to the Cougars’ audio feed here, with Jimmy Pogue and Rick Cason calling the action. AISD TV will provide the video stream, which is available here.

The Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak last Friday with a dominant 55-14 win over Amarillo Caprock in the first District 2-5A Division I game for both teams. Abilene High led 35-14 at halftime and never looked back, improving to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the district.

Junior quarterback Brayden Henry continued his torrid start to the season, rushing for 143 yards to become the all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks in Abilene High history with 1,951 yards, surpassing the old record of 1,882 yards set by Ronnell Sims (2009-10). He also scored two touchdowns in the game, which gave him 28 rushing touchdowns in his career, the most ever by an AHS quarterback.

His 143-yard rushing effort is the eighth 100-yard rushing game by an AHS quarterback, another record, and his 89-yard scoring run in the third quarter is the second-longest run by an Abilene High quarterback in program history, just behind a 93-yard touchdown run by Lloyd King against Lamesa on Nov. 7, 1947.

Abilene High had 515 yards of offense, while its defense played its best game of the season, holding Caprock to just 273 yards of total offense.

Amarillo High, meanwhile, is 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the district after a 50-42 win over Lubbock Monterey last week at Lowery Field in Lubbock. The Sandies trailed Monterey 29-19 at halftime but started the second half with 21 straight points to take control of the game.

Amarillo quarterback Jett Lopez completed 21 of 32 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, with Cooper Manning catching six passes for 129 yards. Jude Dunavin ran for 134 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries and caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Lopez.

The Eagles and Sandies feature the two most prolific offenses in the district.  Abilene High averages 47.2 points per game and has scored at least 37 points in all five games, including a season-high 60 in the season-opening win at San Angel Central. The Sandies, meanwhile, are averaging 40.0 ppg, and in three of their four games, both teams have scored at least 40 points, including a 48-45 win over San Angelo Central in Week 2.

Abilene High fans planning to attend the game in Amarillo can purchase tickets here. A reminder for fans that a clear bag policy is in effect at Dick Bivins Stadium. An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection. No outside food or drink and no pets are allowed inside the stadium.

Fans who can’t make it to Amarillo can listen to the live audio broadcast from AHS announcers Chuck Statler and Cody Coil and watch the game on Amarillo ISD TV.

Team Tennis
Abilene High and Cooper wrapped up the regular season Tuesday evening at the AHS Tennis Courts. The Eagles won a hard-fought match over the Cougars, 12-7, securing second place in District 4-5A. Wylie won the district title with a 4-0 league mark, followed by AHS at 3-1, Cooper at 2-2, and Wichita Falls Memorial at 1-3.

The Eagles (25-2) and Cougars (24-3) each put together terrific regular seasons, but the task in the playoffs gets more demanding immediately.

Cooper – unranked in the state but ranked No. 8 in the region by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association – will host Lubbock High at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the CHS Tennis Courts. The Westerners are ranked No. 16 in the state and No. 5 in the region.

Abilene High, meanwhile, is ranked No. 24 in the state and No. 7 in the region and will be in Lubbock on Tuesday to take on Lubbock Cooper. The Pirates are ranked No. 22 in the state and No. 6 in the region.

The other two teams out of District 3-5A will be determined on Saturday, which will determine playoff matchups for Wylie and Wichita Falls Memorial.

Volleyball
Abilene High got off to a fast start and never looked back Tuesday night at Cougar Gym, knocking off crosstown rival Cooper, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, and 25-20, to take the best-of-set match in four games.

The victory pushes Abilene High to 12-20 overall and 1-1 in District 4-5A play, while Cooper falls to 12-17 and 0-2.

Allie Bennett led AHS in the victory with 10 kills, followed by Olivia Weatherford with nine. Ava Breckenridge and Whitley Wright shared the setting duties with 17 and 15 assists, respectively. Defensively, Kinzley Cantu led Abilene High with 25 digs, while Bennett (16) and Breckenridge (12) also reached double figures.

Cooper was led offensively by Payton Ellis with 12 kills, Maeley Siglock with 10, and Amyah Walzer with nine. Cayelyn Nault had a team-high 23 assists, followed by Jaedah Titus with 16. Emma Ruiz led the Lady Cougars back-row defense with 21 digs, while Walzer collected 18 and Nault had 14. Siglock paced Cooper on the front row with four of her team’s nine blocks.

Cooper and Abilene High are both back on the floor Friday, with Cooper playing at Wichita Falls Memorial and AHS hosting Wichita Falls Legacy. Abilene High will play at Wylie (17-17 and 2-0 in the district) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, while Cooper enjoys a night off.

Cross Country
The Cooper boys’ and girls' teams wrapped up their regular season Thursday, with the girls tying Bridgeport for the team championship with 99 points.

Lila Murillo covered the 3200-meter course in 13 minutes, 52.31 seconds to finish seventh, followed by Dannie Muco in 10th (13:54.47) and Mizeri Ortiz in 17th (14:24.99).

Gabriel Reyna, who covered the 5000-meter course in 18:53.71 to finish 13th, led the Cooper boys, followed by Marcelo Bayubasire in 17th (19:18.41) and Jack Mathis in 18th (19:18.53).

The Abilene High boys’ and girls’ cross country teams will run Friday at the Brewer Invitational at Central Park in White Settlement in their final regular-season meets of the season.

The AHS and Cooper boys’ and girls’ teams will all compete next Thursday, Oct. 10, at the District 4-5A championship meet at Lucy Park in Wichita Falls.