Cougars look to rebuild quickly this season

COOPER HIGH SCHOOL

Andrea Wall
Reporter-News Staff Writer
August 24, 2003

Cooper High School is in what some may call a rebuilding year this season.
With big losses on offense and defense, the Cougars will have to look to their few returning starters to bring some much-needed experience.

Graduation left some big holes: Will Galusha (Rice), Brandon Diles (Tulsa), Mark Trevino (Abilene Christian University) and Kinny Spotwood are all gone.
Galusha was a utility player who started at the wide receiver and defensive back spots.

His ability to make plays and hard-nosed style of play will make him doubly hard to replace. Trevino, a kicker, was extremely consistent and had long range. Diles had a way of picking up extra yards after a tackle, and Spotwood’s aggressiveness was unmatched.

With a program that has made the playoffs 11 consecutive years, coach Randy Quisenberry and the players are trying to find a way to make this year another winning season.

“You’re going to lose big players every year that are going to have to be replaced,” said senior center Marshall Morris. “We are going to be a small team, but a fast one. I think this year will go a lot like last year.”

By last year, Morris means a District 3-5A championship, despite being picked near the bottom of the league. They also won a couple of playoff games and were at one time ranked in the top five of the state among Class 5A teams.

The Cougars have seemed to grow fond of being the underdogs because the pressure is not as great. When you lose, it’s no big deal because you were supposed to, but when you win, everybody’s excited because nobody expected that, the team is fond of pointing out.

Morris knows a little something about being an underdog. At 5-foot-10 and just 180 pounds, Morris isn’t exactly what you’d call an average-sized center. But, his stature doesn’t affect the senior’s play. He has confidence in his own ability and his teammates.

Helping out Morris on the offensive line are Dustin Washburn and Lance Pickett at guards and Justin Miller and Joey Fortunato at tackles.

Likely to start at quarterback this year is senior Brandon Caddell. Helping out Caddell downfield will be senior wide receivers Jon Michael Brown and Janson Carriker, both slated to start.

Carriker is one of the few returning defensive and offensive starters this season. When he’s not playing the receiver spot, he’ll be at defensive end. At 5-7, Carriker isn’t usually the biggest receiver on the field, but his speed gives him the ability to put distance between himself and corners.

All-district player Antoin Livingston will move from wide receiver to running back this year. The senior, however, violated team policy earlier this month and will suspended at least three weeks and possibly longer, Quisenberry said.

Defensively, the Cougars are returning all-district defensive back Desmond Jackson, who had 92 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions last season.

Also adding veteran experience to the defensive side will be linebacker Tank Henry and defensive end Cody Haile, who had 60 tackles and three sacks last year.

Newcomers helping out the defense this year will be Fortunato and Reid Reagan at defensive ends, Bobby Scott at tackle and Landon Hoefer at defensive back.

The secondary will be improved from last year, but the kicking game and the team’s depth and size are concerns, coaches said.

“All we need at this point is to gel,” Carriker said. “We’ve got the players and we’ve got the coaches. We just need to come together as a team.”

SCHEDULE

August
29 at Duncanville 7:30 p.m.
September
5 Grand Prairie 7:30 p.m.
12 Mesquite 7:30 p.m.
19 San Angelo 7:30 p.m.
26 at L. Coronado 7:30 p.m.
October
10 Midland* 7:30 p.m.
17 Od. Permian* 7:30 p.m.
24 at Midland Lee* 7:30 p.m.
31 Abilene High* 7:30 p.m.
November
7 at Odessa* 7:30 p.m.

* District Games

• School colors: red and blue
• District: 3-5A
• Last year’s record: 12-1 (5-0, first place)
• Last playoff appearance: 2002
• Last district championship: 2002
• Head coach: Randy Quisenberry
• Career record: 52-29
• Years at current school: 8th
• Assistant coaches: Travis Churchman, Jay Clark, Terry Couch, Danny Freeman, Pat Fulgim, Jon Harrison, Rodney Brown, Ron King, Mike Patterson, Rickey Wallace, Wesley Tetter
• Returning and/or probable starters: CB John Brown, 5-9, 152, Sr.; SB-CB Brian Tindall, 5-8, 159, Sr.; LB Quenton Brown, 5-8, 160, Jr.; SB-S Desmond Jackson, 6-0, 170, Sr.; WR Jon-Michael Brown, 5-10, 144, Sr.; RB Antoin Livingston, 5-9, 160, Sr.; QB Brandon Caddell, 6-0, 186, Sr.; LB Tank Henry, 5-8, 200, Sr.; WR-S Janson Carricker, 5-7, 150, Sr.; K Bryce Hagelstein, 5-9, 145, Sr.; DE Reid Reagan, 5-9, 155, Sr.; DE Cody Haile, 5-9, 175, Sr.; LB Willie Kershaw, 5-8, 177, Jr.; C Marshall Morris, 5-10, 177, Sr.; DT Bobby Scott, 6-2, 258, Sr.; LB Griffin Hess, 5-11, 200, Sr.; DT-OG Dustin Washburn, 6-1, 250, Jr.
• Position changes: LB-DE Haile, WR-RB Livingston, DT-OL Washburn
• Returning all-district players: WR Livingston (second team), DB Jackson (second team)
• Returning All-Big Country players: none
• Returning all-state players: none
• Top new players: OL-DE Fortunato, 6-2, 240, Jr.; DE Reagan, 5-9, 155, Jr.; DT Scott, 6-2, 258, Sr.; DB Hoefer, 6-0, 170, Jr.
• Transfers: none
• Team strengths: tradition, skill players, secondary
• Team weaknesses: depth, size, speed, kicking game