The Cooper Pirates football team kicked off spring practice last week. The team is widely considered the favorite to repeat as district 4-5A champions, but that doesn’t mean the team is just going to coast into next season.
“Last year was disappointing, the way the year ended,” said Cooper Defensive Coordinator Kennan Kitchens. “We ultimately wanted to play deeper into December. But we’re approaching it the same way we always do. One day at a time and getting these kids to believe in each other and getting better at what they do and what their job is every single day.”
Last season the Pirates went 9-2 overall and 4-0 in district play. On offense they return virtually every major piece, like quarterback Jarrett Doege. On defense, they return an Oklahoma State commit in safety Ty Thomas. So the team knows they are being watched closely.
“Everyone wants to take out the top dog right now and we have that target on our back,” said junior offensive tackle Jade Maldonado. “That just more incentive for us to keep going.”
“I just think it just makes us put more work in,” said junior defensive tackle Lance Messick-Garcia. “Because we know we gotta be looking good on the field and play our hardest.”
Kitchens says they can’t worry about the target, because ultimately it’s all about the red and black.
“We’re just trying to get these kids to believe in each other and focus on doing what they’re supposed to do one play at a time, one day at a time.”
