The LINK nky Team of the Week for Nov. 20-26 presented by Ortho Cincy is the Cooper football team.
The Jaguars dominated the vote, collecting 91% of votes, breaking away from the competition among the other two football teams nominated.
Earning Cooper Team of the Week honors was yet another road victory when they went to Fort Thomas and knocked off Highlands for the right to the Class 5A state championship. It was their third straight road win in the postseason.
COOPER FOOTBALL
The road warriors were at it once again.
Cooper won its third straight postseason game away from Union, this one a little bit closer to home than the prior two with a 17-15 victory over Highlands on Nov. 24. The victory earned them the right to the Class 5A state championship game on Dec. 2 at Kroger Field in Lexington against Bowling Green, where they eventually fell, 28-14.
Much like they’ve done throughout the postseason, the Jags defense answered the bell, facing a high-powered Bluebirds offense that led Class 5A in scoring. Cooper held Highlands to 263 yards and two touchdowns, the Bluebirds coming in averaging 495 yards of offense and 46.4 points per game. The Jags defense also intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and had a sack and tackle for loss. Mason Stanton’s interception in the closing seconds sealed the deal for Cooper, while Ryker Campbell recovered a key fumble late in the fourth quarter. Austin Alexander had the tackle for loss while Lucas Hughes recorded the sack.
Cam O’Hara connected with Austin Alexander for the two touchdowns offensively, O’Hara completing 11-of-20 passes for 120 yards. Alexander had three catches for 50 yards while Keagan Maher had 90 total yards, 63 of them in the rushing attack.
Jack Lonaker was the leading tackler with 18 tackles, Campbell with nine, Hughes with seven, Mike Mulvihill and Alexander with six.
The unsung hero was Carson Taylor, his 33-yard field goal giving the Jaguars the go-ahead score with a little more than four minutes remaining. He also nailed two extra points. Taylor has hit on all five field goal attempts this season.
Cooper advanced to its second state championship in school history, also making the 2012 championship game. They were unable to overcome the Purples in trying to avenge the loss in 2012. The future is bright for the Jaguars with just 11 seniors listed on the roster and the majority of their production back for next season.
Look for the new LINK nky Team of the Week nominees for Nov. 27-Dec. 3 online soon at linknky.com.
Got a team you have in mind? Please send nominations to edennison@linknky.com.