Cooper defense was up to the task

By LANCE FLEMING / Sports Writer

The Cooper Cougars might just have one game left to play this season, or they could have four. But one thing is certain: They won't face a better quarterback than the one they chased all over Shotwell Stadium Friday night.

El Paso Irvin's Edmund Stansbury threw for 382 yards and two scores in the Rockets' 42-21 loss to the Cougars in the area round of the playoffs. Stansbury, the 6-3, 220-pound senior, is considered to be the No. 1 quarterback prospect in Texas, and one of the best in the nation.

Stansbury, in fact, has lined up his five college visits to Syracuse in December and Notre Dame, Texas, UCLA and Florida in January.

None of the Cougars will argue the fact that Stansbury can play at that level.

Safety Melvin Barnes spent most of the night chasing Stansbury's receivers all over the field, and afterward he called Stansbury a "great, great quarterback."

"The toughest part was almost taking him down, and then he still completes the pass," Barnes said. "He can complete it anywhere. We knew he had to throw, and we just kept waiting for him to bust the big play."

The Rockets did connect on some big plays in the game with Stansbury completing eight passes of more than 20 yards, including completions of 65, 42, 30, 29 and 28 yards.

Stansbury had to throw, however, because the Rockets had no running game. The Cougars held the Rockets to minus-2 yards rushing on 22 carries in the game.

That meant that for most of the game the Cougars were able to pin their ears back and go after Stansbury. He was hit just about every time he dropped back to pass, and a few times it took more than a few seconds to pull himself off the turf.

The Cougars were able to use their size advantage against Irvin's smaller offensive line to get to Stansbury. Right defensive end Cory Aldridge was wrapped around Stansbury so much during the contest he almost looked like he was part of Stansbury's uniform.

"We couldn't get our running game working, and that left me wide open back there," Stansbury said. "That's the most pressure I've faced all season. Usually when I do get a lot of pressure I can use my athletic ability to get out of the pocket. But they had too much speed for us, and they were all over me."

However, Aldridge was impressed by Stansbury's stamina.

"I was having fun out there, but he kept coming back," Aldridge said. "He's a really strong guy, and running into him gets a little bit old. But me and (tackle) Roy Strahan and (tackle) Kevin Stevenson and (linebacker) Eric Gobert got some good shots on him. But he just wouldn't stop. He's a pretty resilient quarterback."

He also seemed to be a pretty humble guy. In the Irvin lockerroom after the game Stansbury was surrounded by teammates who were crying about the end of their season. But Stansbury simply stood and talked about the ballgame without emotion.

"I wish I had gotten more time in the pocket," Stansbury said. "But Cooper was just too big and strong for our people. I was running for my life most of the night. Cooper's a great team, and I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way."