Friday, October 30, 1998

Cougars face must-win against Odessa on the road

By JEFF WALKER

Staff Writer

ODESSA - With numerous playoff possibilities hinging on tonight's action, the Cooper Cougars face Odessa High at Ratliff Stadium in a crucial contest.

Cooper head coach Randy Allen said fans should not look at the Bronchos' 4-4 record (1-2 in District 4-5A) as an indication of the talent level OHS possesses.

"Their record is not indicative of how good they are because they didn't have (Rick) Leach," Allen said of Odessa's starting quarterback. "He didn't play in five ballgames and some of their losses have only been by a few points. They've had an up-and-down year but they're playing better now. Momentum-wise, they got some last week against Abilene High. They have to win to stay alive so they will play their hardest against us."

Odessa High opened the district season by nearly upsetting 10th-ranked Midland Lee. The Bronchos limited Lee to just 13 points and the Rebels needed a field goal with 37 seconds to play to avoid the upset, 13-10.

"We've got 10 guys back from last year's defense and there's no doubt they've played well," Odessa High head coach Randy Quisenberry said. "They have kept us in some ballgames and done a good job but that is our philosophy. We stress defense first and we think we can win with our defense. They've had that drilled into them mentally and that has carried on in their performance."

Cooper's defense hasn't been too shabby, either. While statistics don't show the Cougars to be as dominating as the Bronchos, Quisenberry said his team is aware of the improvement Cooper has shown on both sides of the ball as the season has progressed.

"We're going to have to score a lot of points," he said. "The Cooper offense is starting to jell, especially over the last two weeks, and they're starting to look like the old playoff team from years past. They played well against Permian and Lee and the defense has improved every game and looked real strong now. We're going to have to give the performance of our life to beat them."

Juan Gonzales leads the running game for the Bronchos. He's carried the ball 218 times for 865 yards thus far. He and the OHS offense have improved with the return of Leach, who has completed 52 of 109 passes for 779 yards.

"(Leach) has given us a shot of confidence," Quisenberry said. "He gives us leadership and the ability to throw the ball, which we kind of lost when he got injured. He's been a shot in the arm since he returned."

Cooper is coming off an impressive 21-14 victory over Midland Lee. The Rebels became the second state-ranked opponent Coper has beaten this season. Cooper knocked off North Mesquite when it was ranked eighth in the poll. Allen said his team can't be too high after last week's emotional victory.

"We stress the 24-hour rule and this is just another stage a team goes through in developing their ability to handle a win or a loss," Allen said. "If we're going to keep improving we're going to have to maintain our momentum, effort and focus each week because those are the teams that keep playing late in the season."

While facing a tough opposing defense again this week, Cooper will not change its offensive philosophy. Dowell Loggains will look to Adam Riddle, Mark Rau and Luke Harrison in the air, while also tucking the ball in and running when the team gives the option.

Carl Bloom will carry the running attack, while Kyle Wiskow has steadily been getting more carries as the season continues.

"We're just going to run our offense," Allen said. "We're going to try and be balanced and try to take advantage of the numbers. We'll give them several formations and see what they throw against them."

Jeff Walker can be reached at 676-6711 or sports@abinews.com.

Cooper (3-4, 2-1) vs. Odessa High (4-4, 1-2)

- When: 7 p.m.

- Where: Ratliff Stadium, Odessa

- Radio: KYYD 1340 AM

- Last week's scores: Cooper 21, Midland Lee 14; Odessa High 35, Abilene High 9

- Last year's score: Cooper 24, Odessa High 14

- Injuries: Cooper: LB Paul Mock (knee), out; LB Somdy Vorasane (knee), out; LB Coby Ford (knee), doubtful. Odessa: LB C.J. Aguirre (knee), out.

- Scouting Cooper: The Cougars' offense put two quick touchdowns on the board last week and added another late one to upset the state-ranked Midland Lee Rebels. Cooper's defense, meanwhile, which has been led by steady play from LB Vincent Paluscio, gave up a touchdown on the first possession, but held the Rebels in check the rest of the game. Cooper's defense will have to do the same tonight against an Odessa High team that will also try to use its defense to catapult it to victory. The Cougars' offense continues to be led by the Three Amigos - Mark Rau, Adam Riddle and Luke Harrison - who have combined to catch 66 passes and score 11 touchdowns. Running back Carl Bloom has slowly climbed the rushing leaders in District 4-5A, and is currently seventh with 501 yards. Bloom also average nearly five yards every time he carries the football.

- Scouting Odessa High: The Bronchos' defense, which returns 10 players from a year ago, ranks second in District 4-5A. They are yielding only 221 yards per contest and have given up just 479 yards through the air. After struggling through injuries during non-district action, OHS has welcomed the return of starting quarterback Rick Leach, who helped the Bronchos' offense put 35 points on the board last week against Abilene High. Running back Juan Gonzales is quickly approaching the 1,000-yard mark. He needs 135 yards in the next two ballgames to surpass that plateau.

What the coaches are saying

"We feel we could have won some ballgames that we lost. I'm pleased with the way we played last week (against Abilene High) but we've struggled with some injuries and let some victories get away. Hopefully, we're starting to jell right now."

-Odessa High head coach Randy Quisenberry

"The only thing that messed them up so far is a field goal with 37 seconds left against Midland Lee. If they would have beaten Lee they would be right on track with everyone else. They were upset by Midland High but played a real good game last week."

-Cooper head coach Randy Allen