Four downs with Cooper

The seed has been planted.

After getting a taste of a potential state championship last season, Cooper has their sights set on a return trip to the 5A state championship game and this time bringing the hardware home.

Pretty much all the pieces are there. They have a next-level quarterback surrounded by explosive skill players all over the field. Next level players scattered all over the field. It’s fun times in Union.

“It’s really cool to see these kids put the work in,” Jaguars coach Randy Borchers said. “Some of these kids from day one we knew would be special, but it’s really cool to see the kids with potential work through it and see their progress transpire over the years.”

FIRST DOWN — RECAP

After a somewhat surprising run that went all the way to Kroger Field for the Class 5A state championship, Cooper suddenly goes from the hunter to the hunted.

“We’re just trying to keep things as consistent as possible,” Borchers said. “Some of our best years have been when we’ve kind of been underneath that radar. We’re just trying to go about business as usual, not get too high, too low, or buy into any of the hoopla going around right now.”

The Jaguars ran through the postseason last year and did so impressively with road victories over Scott County, Southwestern and Highlands before coming up short in the 5A championship game to Bowling Green.

Cam O’Hara threw for 3,361 yards and 47 touchdowns, his top two targets Isaiah Johnson (76 receptions, 1,372 yards, 21 TD) and Austin Alexander (67 receptions, 1,138 yards, 19 TD) both clearing 1,000 yards on the season. Keagan Maher finished the season strong down the stretch and ran for 1,204 yards and 18 touchdowns.

All of those guys are back with defensive standouts Alexander, Isaac Brown, Mason Stanton, Austin Perriman and Ryker Campbell also returning.

SECOND DOWN — OFFENSE

Explosive would be a good word to describe the unit. They averaged 34.8 points per game, 327.6 yards per game and return pretty much all of the production from 2023.

O’Hara, a junior, has 26 games under his belt already as a high schooler and holds six Division I offers, the most notable one from the University of Kentucky.

“He really committed himself to the weight room this offseason,” Borchers said. “He took value and importance in getting stronger. He added 15 pounds of muscle and grew a couple of inches. On top of that, he puts the work in on the field, constantly throwing to his receivers and getting to QB camps.”

Johnson and Alexander return 143 receptions, 2,510 and 40 touchdowns as his top targets. While they catch a lot of the defense’s attention, guys like Jaidan Combs and Malachi Ewell certainly can’t be overlooked. Borchers describes Ewell as one of the best route runners on the team while Combs joined the team midseason last year after transferring in from Campbell County.

“Those two would be No. 1’s at a lot of programs,” Borchers said.

Maher will be the feature back, clearing the 100-yard marker in three of the five playoff games. As the season went on, Maher got stronger.

“We hope we can do that again,” Borchers said. “We want to keep Keagan as fresh as possible because he was a difference maker in the playoffs.”

In order to do that, Borchers will lean on Mason Stanton a bit to run the football and spell Maher.

An area for improvement will be along both lines, offensively and defensively. Noah Reichel and Christian Brown return as starters. Max Wethington, Colton Dean and Kayson Stone are competing for interior lineman spots while Tanner Landrum and Scotty Lozier will man the center position.

THID DOWN — DEFENSE

The defense is headlined by Alexander, a University of North Carolina commit who collected 19 sacks last season to go with 57 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and an interception. His versatility will be utilized even more this season, not just coming off the edge and getting after the quarterback.

“We’ll move him around,” Borchers said. “When we were playing our best ball defensively last year we were able to move him around. The more we can do with him the better.”

What will make the Jaguars even more dangerous is a healthy Mike Mulvihill, limited to six games last season due to injury. He’ll come off the other edge to where if teams choose to double and triple team Alexander, Mulvihill will take full advantage.

On the defensive interior will be a rotation of guys, Wethington, Brown, JD Quintinilla and Carson Clark. The linebacking core will be led by Mason Stanton, his interception against Highlands in the state semifinals late in the fourth quarter helping punch their ticket to the title game.

“That moment was really special to me,” Stanton said. “That was probably the highlight of my high school career.”

The big hole to be filled on the defense will be at linebacker as they lost Jack Lonaker to graduation and his over 400 career tackles. Stanton will be joined by Dax Bolen and Alex Vogelpohl.

The secondary is featured by Brown, who’s solid showing last year and this offseason earned him a couple of Division I offers.

“It’s been really exciting. I’ve been able to go to a lot of different places and do a lot of camps,” Brown said. “I get to see what it takes and not only does it help me out, I can help the guys in our position groups and help my teammates because I’ve seen the next level camps and next level coaching.”

At 6-foot-3, he presents a presence at the cornerback spot who continues to improve with 19 tackles and four interceptions last season.

Campbell led the team in interceptions with five at the safety spot while Combs and Perriman also play a pivotal role in the secondary.

FOURTH DOWN — GOALS/OUTLOOK

Anything less than a return trip to the state championship game would be a disappointment. The team and coaching staff are aware of that and have their sights set high.

“We’ve got a veteran group coming back with a goal in mind to make a far run and have an opportunity to win a state title,” Borchers said. “They’ve had that mindset since we left Kroger Field last year.”

While the non-district slate isn’t all that daunting, a matchup with Ryle is one to circle on Sept. 6. The Raiders have had the Jaguars number, winning nine straight matchups and 14 out of 17 all-time. If Cooper can get by Ryle, a 5-0 record headed into Fort Thomas to face district foe Highlands on Sept. 27 is certainly a high possibility. They get by the Raiders and Bluebirds, the next potential roadblock would be Dixie Heights in Week 10, the final game of the regular season for the Jaguars. Each team will always tell you it’s a game-by-game and week-by-week approach, but 15-0 is a definite goal within reach for Cooper.

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