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Cooper willing to prove itself again in 6A

Hellbird

By Hellbird
in KY Football (High School)

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Hellbird

Hellbird

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Rick Broering, prepsports@enquirer.com

 

Over the last three years, Cooper's football team reached a state championship game (2012) and made a state semifinals appearance (2014) while playing in Kentucky's 5A classification. Now, after being bumped up to 6A for the 2015 season due to realignment, the Jaguars expect to re-establish themselves as a legit playoff contender at the state's highest level of competition.

The veterans on the Jaguars' roster understand the work that went into making the program a respected competitor in 5A, and nurturing that winning culture at the next level is important to those players.

 

 

"I want to win," senior offensive and defensive lineman Marcus Watson said. "We have a really good shot at winning. Cooper has always had to fight to get on the map, and now we're right back under the radar. I feel like everybody is like, 'Oh, they've played at 5A and that doesn't mean much,' but now we're playing with all of the bigger schools and they don't expect us to be able to play with them, which is wrong. I think the Highlands game will prove that."

Cooper opens the season at home against the perennial powerhouse from Fort Thomas on Aug. 21 – a sign in and of itself of how much respect the program has gained over its first seven years of existence.

"You have to be careful how you look at it," head coach Randy Borchers said about the Highlands game. "What I keep telling the kids is it's going to let us know where we are as a program and where we are as a team this year. I don't want to put too much into it, because at the end of the day that game really doesn't mean a whole lot other than letting us know where we are.

"Being able to play those guys and having that opportunity to play against a team with the history that those guys have is going to be exciting and a great opportunity."

Running back Torrey Cordell-Armstrong returning for his senior season gives the Jaguars plenty of reason for optimism. Cordell-Armstrong had a breakout season in 2014 as he rushed for 1,752 yards and 16 touchdowns while coming off of a devastating knee injury suffered in his sophomore season. His coach and teammates expect him to take his game to another level in 2015.

"He's gotten quicker and a lot stronger than what he was last year. I think he's hungry," Borchers said. "We're expecting big things out of him, especially since we have the majority of our offensive line back."

"Torrey is 10 times better now," Watson added. "Last year he seemed to favor his messed up leg, but this year when you watch him run he's moving a lot faster than he was last year."

Cordell-Armstrong will be joined in the backfield by classmate Nathan Brown, who is sliding to quarterback after playing some wide receiver last year and leading the team with four interceptions on defense.

"He's very athletic and brings something to our game that we haven't had since (former quarterback) Tyler Morris, which is the threat for him to be able to run the ball," Borchers said.

Brown will have a host of experienced receivers to throw to as the Jaguars return their three leading receivers from last year in junior Dante Hendrix (551 yards), senior Chad Michels (323 yards) and senior Tyson Jackson (214 yards).

"(Brown's running ability) excites us," Hendrix said. "It just helps us even more. Now they have to focus on his running game as much as his passing game because he can always scramble out of pocket and make plays. Other teams are going to stack the box."

 

 

In addition to Watson, who was a one-man wrecking crew on defense last year while leading the Jaguars with 101 tackles, the Jaguars bring back all but one starter from a unit that allowed just 17 points per game last season. They also return two players, senior lineman Eli Smith and senior safety Cole Hicks, that missed most of last season with injuries. Other standouts on the defensive side of the ball should include senior linebacker brothers Seth and Aiden Keller, and junior defensive back Jaden Jackson, according to Borchers.

"Our defense is going to be really scary to play against," Watson said. "Especially since we have our whole defensive line back, that's really going to help. Our strength is really our chemistry. We know that, even if we make a mistake, we have a guy right behind us or next to us that's going to have our back."

 

Cooper willing to prove itself again in 6A

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Guest LSPM89

Guest LSPM89

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So, is there any chance at all that Cooper can play with Highlands, or God forbid, beat them?

They picked a good year to play them and good time of the season to play them. They had no chance in previous years, but lots of questions in HHS camp this year. Still think the Birds come away with the win.

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Guest LSPM89

Guest LSPM89

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Not saying it will happen, but a possible X factor in the game could be Mitchell Hollifield Coopers Kicker.

 

Highlands has a good kicker too which could be the X factor. Forcing Cooper to go a long field on O against HHS D is not what Cooper wants. Cooper wants to do what X did and have their D give them short fields.

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