Friday, September 27, 1996

Cooper hoping to get back in spotlight with win

By LANCE FLEMING
Staff Writer

Most of the attention leading up to tonight's game between Abilene High and Cooper has focused squarely on the Eagles.

And why not?

For the first time in quite some time, there's good news to report concerning Eagle football.
Right now it's alive and well, thank you very much.

But on the other side of town is a group of coaches and players who have been there, done that.
For Cooper, tonight's game is just another in a long line of "Big Games" they've played in over the last five years. There have been showdowns with Odessa Permian, Midland Lee and San Angelo Central, as well as playoff games against the likes of Lubbock Monterey, Lewisville, Arlington High and Flower Mound Marcus.

And this is a program that just two seasons ago was ranked No. 1 in the state.

So excuse the Cougars if they feel the need to crack the Eagles on the head tonight and put themselves back in the spotlight.

"We're trying to treat this like a regular game, but obviously it's hard to do that," Cooper senior wide receiver Miles Durham said. "We haven't been in the spotlight as much this year, but Abilene High is 3-0 for the first time since 1985 and they've been doing great. I'm happy for them, but obviously we'd like to be the ones everybody is talking about Friday after the game and Saturday morning in the paper."

AHS head coach Steve Warren knows that his club might face a team tonight a little angry about being pushed into the background.

"I'm sure they'll use that as motivation ... I would," Warren said. "They're used to getting all the attention, and now we're getting some because of our start. But we've told the kids that we're 0-0 now and what we did in the preseason won't help us now."

Cooper head coach Randy Allen has reminded his club of that as well, telling them that their 2-1 start and struggles on offense don't matter now.

"It's how you show up at the showdown that counts," Allen said. "Our players have been through this before. The winning tradition helps in that when good things happen, you expect them to happen again."

But Durham doesn't think the Cougars have the so-called "big-game" advantage.

"There are a couple of us who have played in the big games, but a lot that haven't," he said. "Abilene High has a lot of players back that beat Central and almost beat us and Permian. I don't think there's a real big advantage there."

Warren, however, disagrees.

"I think Cooper might have the mental edge because they've been here before," he said. "They've gotten the attention, and they've played in the big games. It's a big challenge for our coaches to get our kids through the excitement of starting the game and just focusing on what we need to do to win."

The Eagles have done a good job of that so far. So good that they've started 3-0 and made them the favorite tonight in Durham's eyes.

"I don't see us being picked to win because they're 13th in the state and this is supposed to be their year," he said. "It's always a fight when we play them, and I don't think that'll change.

"But as far as knowing how to beat a team, well, we've won five in a row," Durham said. "But I don't think Abilene High has had the players or the coaching in that time that they've got this year. It's almost like a renewed enthusiasm over there. It'll be interesting."

Abilene High's Ahmad Brooks had 169 all-purpose yards last week, giving him 264 for the season. That's an average of 132 per game in the two games he's played on offense, good for third in district in individual total offense.

Brooks touched the ball 15 times in last week's 24-14 win over Cleburne, and that number should rise tonight against Cooper.

"We'll get it to him as many times as possible," Warren said. "He's a big part of our offense, and we know we have to get it to him to be successful."

District 4-5A play gets under way tonight with the three cross-town matchups in Abilene, Midland and Odessa. San Angelo Central plays at Lubbock Coronado before opening district next week by hosting Abilene High.

Right now the only dominant team in the league appears to be Midland Lee. Odessa Permian showed some vulnerability two weeks ago in a loss to No. 1 North Mesquite, Cooper has been up and down a little bit, Abilene High still has to prove itself against the big boys, Midland High hasn't played anybody, Odessa High is still trying to get organized and Central still can't stop anybody.
What does it all mean?

It should be an exciting race for the three playoff spots.

And now, on to this week's picks:
-- Odessa High vs. Odessa Permian: This will be a tough one on Permian head coach Randy Mayes, who will be coaching against his friend and former defensive coordinator Randy Quisenberry, now the head coach at OHS. That relationship will be the only thing that will keep the score down. ... Permian 34, Odessa High 7.

-- Midland High vs. Midland Lee: Midland High is 3-0 for the first time since 1988, but has built that mark against Frenship, El Paso Bel Air and Andrews. Running back Sammy Powell has a district-leading 533 yards and 11 touchdowns, but neither he nor his Bulldog teammates have faced a defense like Lee's. Welcome back to reality. ... Midland Lee 44, Midland High 10.

-- San Angelo Central at Lubbock Coronado: The Bobcats have the league's second-best offense (averaging 363.5 yards and 31.9 points per game), but the league's worst defense (allowing 328 yards per game). Coronado is 3-0, but hasn't really played anybody. Who wins? We'll give it Central just because of Gary Gaines. ... Central 23, Coronado 17.

-- Cooper vs. Abilene High: I've thought about this one all week, and I still don't know who's going to win. But I have to make a pick because that's what this is here for. Cooper's Dominic Rhodes is due for a big game, and this would be a great time for it as far as the Cougars are concerned. If he runs hard and gets loose, he'll make big plays. The same goes for Abilene High's Chuck Newman, who has been a real find at running back. The difference could be Abilene High's Ahmad Brooks.

He has the potential to go all the way every time he touches the ball. I see the game going back and forth for 48 minutes until we finally arrive at ... overtime. Remember, the overtime rule is now in effect for district games. And in the overtime, trailing 23-20, Brooks will make one final big play to make it ... Abilene High 26, Cooper 23 (OT).

-- Last week: 7 right, 0 wrong (1.000 percentage). Season: 16 right, 5 wrong (.762 percentage).