Ignore this thread if you like, I will babble on here for a bit so there is your warning.

 

I'm looking at how far this program has come in a very short time and think it's time to tip my hat to Coach Randy Borchers at Cooper High School.

 

The school is only 5 years old and to think how far they've come amazes me. You have to know where they came from to understand how remarkable this team has become.

When the school opened in 2008, any Junior or Senior that was currently attending one of the other 3 high schools in the area and playing a sport could opt out of going to Cooper so they could finish their high school careers at the school they were attending at the time. That put a huge dent in Coopers athletic dept. Many of the teams didn't even have enough athletes to fill a roster, I may be mistaken but I don't even think there was a freshman football team in 2008. Many of the seniors on this years team were the first 4 year football players at Cooper and when they were freshman some played Varsity due to the mere fact that they needed players.

 

In 2008 Coach Borcher's Jaguars only managed to win 2 games

In 2009 Coach Borcher's Jaguars only managed 3 wins as well as the 2010 season ending with only 3 wins.

After 3 years of playing the Cooper Jaguars Varsity Football team had a record of 8-22

Out of those 8 wins over a span of 3 years the team had never beaten any of the schools in the county (Ryle, Conner, Boone), nor had they ever won a single district football game. Needless to say they also were sitting home during the playoffs.

 

Then they turned the corner last year. Finally after the rough 3 years previous where the team was building, they finally had players who had been there playing since they were freshman. The season started off a little rough losing 4 of their first 5 games. Then something clicked, the players started believing in what the coach was selling them and they became a changed team once district play started. They not only won their first district game in the history of the school, but they went on to set several other firsts in school history. They went on to win every district game they had to go undefeated in district and earn their first playoff berth ever as they won district for their first time ever.

 

This year, before the season even started, there were those who still didn't give Cooper any respect as the season drew nearer. Pre Season coaches polls for NKY didn't even have them listed. There were 5 teams on that poll that Cooper had scheduled to play this year and I believe only those familiar with the program knew what they could do and that was go out and beat those teams that were listed in the coaches poll. The first test came the first week of the season.

I will never forget the Wed. before the game against Ryle week 1, I was sitting at Barleycorns listening to the "Coaches Corner" as it was an interview with both teams HC's and after a week in which the schools had their scrimmages against other teams. Cooper played NCC in their scrimmage and defeated them 47-7 and the question that rung out to me was when the interviewer instead of asking if Cooper was really that good, it was a question instead of "What was wrong with NCC?"

 

That set the tone for the season, no respect so they'd have to go out and show teams what they are made of. Coach Borchers had every player believing nothing could stop them as they went into that first game against Ryle, a team that Cooper has never beaten. It only took about 1 half of football until eyes were being opened about this team. Cooper went on to a 35-6 win.

 

That continued the firsts for this school and Football team. First time they ever beat Ryle.

the next week on the schedule was another team they have never beaten. Defending 2A state champs Holy Cross. Cooper demolished them by a score of 49-7, had a running clock in the 2nd qtr of that game.

Week 3 was against another opponent Cooper has never beaten, after the dust cleared another opponent was hung with a L as Cooper beat Boone County 10-0.

They followed that game with a win over Campbell County and the next week another win against another team they've never beaten before in Holmes.

 

They were undefeated after another win against Scott and then finally the bubble was burst against a great Conner team. They suffered their first loss and what made it worse was it was a district game. This meant the only way to win their second consecutive district title was to win the rest of their district games because Conner also had a loss in district and their defeat came against South Oldham.

 

Cooper's next game was against that very So Oldham team that had just beaten Conner 2 weeks earlier. After Cooper's first loss there were those of us who didn't know how they would respond to a very good team like South Oldham. The coach put it in the players heads that they just needed to believe in themselves and that is exactly what they did.

 

I've seen AJ Collins play a lot of games over the years, yet I have never seen him play as hard and great as he did in that South Oldham game. He may not have had the gaudiest stats or most carries etc. than he has ever had, but he ran like a man on a mission and put the entire team on his back and led them to victory in very tough conditions.

 

There was now a 3 way tie for playoff seedings. It has not yet been resolved yet who the 1,2 and 3 seeds will be until after this weeks games, but following up the SO win with a trouncing of Grant county, Cooper along with SO and Conner did wrap up district titles. It may be a shared title and all, but it is still a district title and that makes it 2 years in a row for a school that has only been around 5 years.

 

Going 8-1 so far is pretty impressive.

 

So for all the grief, headaches and heartaches Coach Borchers had to go through since the birth of the program only a short 5 years ago, I think he deserves a ton of credit for where he has taken a very young team to in a very short time.

Hellbird, while Coach Borchers is a COY candidate, I believe you have to give Chuck Hendrix and his crew a lot of credit for getting the development program up and running in a hurry, and producing!

Coach Borchers has done an outstanding job of building the program at Cooper from the ground up. On top of his coaching duties he has also had the additional duties of Athletic Director overseeing all of the Cooper sports programs. It is no easy task to be the Head Football Coach and the A/D at the same time. He is to be commended for his efforts and he should definitely be one of the 2 or 3 names mentioned for Coach of the Year.

Only Seniors could opt out...

 

They certainly should be proud of the progress they have made!

Hellbird, while Coach Borchers is a COY candidate, I believe you have to give Chuck Hendrix and his crew a lot of credit for getting the development program up and running in a hurry, and producing!

 

Chuck is a great guy and does do a great job at the youth and varsity levels but the junior and seniors are BCPWFL kids.

 

Yes, Borchers has done an outstanding job and is a strong canditate for COY!!

Chuck is a great guy and does do a great job at the youth and varsity levels but the junior and seniors are BCPWFL kids.

 

Yes, Borchers has done an outstanding job and is a strong canditate for COY!!

 

You are correct. For instance, 2 of the best, not known, coaches in the program came from the BCPWFL and are now coaching for the freshman team this year after being the 8th grade coaches for the union Jags in their first year last year just as coach hendrix who coached the younger team for the union jags. Those 3 (Perkins, Hollis and Hendrix) all came from the county pee wee league.

 

The team will have ups and downs throughout the years just as all the schools in the county, but they have a pretty nice foundation now to grow on.

Only Seniors could opt out...

 

They certainly should be proud of the progress they have made!

 

My daughter was a junior and had the option of opting out but didn't because she didn't have her own transportation to school if she chose to stay at Ryle. If you opted out you had to supply your own transportation to school because the bus would not pick you up. I may be wrong, but I remember having that conversation at the time.

They have come a long way. Hat's off to all those students who were on the first Cooper football, basketball, soccer, swim, track, volleyball, cross country, bowling,...etc. teams and who believed!

This senior class at Cooper will be known as the class that put Cooper on the map in football and basketball. It's going to be hard to replace them.

This senior class at Cooper will be known as the class that put Cooper on the map in football and basketball. It's going to be hard to replace them.

That is very true. A lot of special athletes in this senior class. Even in other sports such as Cross Country they have done excellent this year. Baseball might be fun to watch also this season.

Hellbird, while Coach Borchers is a COY candidate, I believe you have to give Chuck Hendrix and his crew a lot of credit for getting the development program up and running in a hurry, and producing!

 

Ummmm.....the development program is in its 2nd season and not one of the 8th graders who won the NKYFL last year played even one down of so much as a single JV game this season, much less Varsity, so how/why would that get Hendrix credit for Borchers success??

Ummmm.....the development program is in its 2nd season and not one of the 8th graders who won the NKYFL last year played even one down of so much as a single JV game this season, much less Varsity, so how/why would that get Hendrix credit for Borchers success??

You are correct. chuck is a great guy and all, but noone from the union jags have played any JV or Varsity yet.

Ummmm.....the development program is in its 2nd season and not one of the 8th graders who won the NKYFL last year played even one down of so much as a single JV game this season, much less Varsity, so how/why would that get Hendrix credit for Borchers success??

 

You are correct. chuck is a great guy and all, but noone from the union jags have played any JV or Varsity yet.

 

Of course, you both are only referring to Varsity time at Cooper. Because Ryan McGinnes, Union Jags last year, is getting Varsity time at CovCath and has even scored aTD!