VARSITY VOLLEYBALL Dragons Are Silver Bracket Champs
10/8 vs. Houston Christian • 3-0 W
10/9-10 at Houston Open Tournament, Houston Skyline Volleyball
• Silver Bracket Champions•
Dragons finished 4-2 overall, with three wins on the final day.
vs. Frassati: 2-0 W
vs. Concordia 2-1 L
vs. St. Agnes 2-0 L
vs. Faith West Academy 2-0 W
vs. St. John XXIII 2-0 W
vs. Fort Bend Christian 2-0 W
Next up for Dragon Volleyball:
Oct. 13 vs. Duchesne, 6 p.m.
Oct.15 vs. St. John's, 5:30 p.m.
VARSITY FOOTBALL Dragons Are 2-0 For Season
10/2 at Houston Christian • 16-3 W
Coach Erik DeHaven: The John Cooper School went to 2-0 Friday night defeating Houston Christian 16-3. Jake Peterson carried the load rushing for 221 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over 10 yards a carry. The windy conditions kept the game mainly on the ground and Peterson was up for the task, repeatedly getting the needed yardage to move the chains for the Dragons; on a crucial 4th and 9, Peterson asked "if you want it, I got it", and that's exactly what he did. For the second game in a row the Dragon defense bent without breaking, forcing two fumbles and one interception limiting the Mustang offense to just 72 total yards on the night. ll, racking up 13 tackles, 10 solo, one sack and three tackles for loss. The Dragons match up with the Lions of St. John XXIII next week.
Offensive Stats:
279 Rushing yards
54 passing yards
Total 333 Yards Offense
Defensive Stats:
(-6) Yards rushing
78 Passing yards
Total 76 Yards Offense
Players of the Game:
Team MVP: Jack Peterson • 221 Rushing Yards / 2 TD / 10 yard avg per carry / 13 total tackles, 10 solo, 2 pass break ups, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 Sack.
Off MVP: Jax Sisson • Highest Graded Offensive Lineman with 3 pancake blocks
Def MVP: Will Corson • 2 Sacks – 4.5 Tackles – 1 Forced Fumble
Special Teams MVP: Will Young • (30 yard filed goal) 2 touch backs on kickoff – 100% PAT
Scout Team: Hayden Hammit • Tremendous effort all week.
Next up for Dragon Football:
Oct. 9 at Saint John XXIII, 7 p.m.
VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY Tough Results on a Tough Course – Coach Dohner
10/10 at The 40th Maverick Ramble at Spring Creek Park
Coach George Dohner: Tough results on a tough course
Boys 4th • Girls 2nd
The Cooper Cross Country teams ran at the St Johns 40th Maverick Ramble this weekend at Spring Creek Park.
The Tomball course took its toll on the Cooper boys as two of the top runners did not finish due to minor injuries on the course. This allowed the rest of the team to step up. Senior Zac Winton did just that, knocking another seven seconds off his personal best (17:12) to lead the Cooper team to a 4th place finish. Junior Drew Wilkerson also ran a personal best (17:46) and finished 11th. Nathan Seamans and Grey Mendenhall ran well finishing 15th and 16th. Kase Melodick finished out the team scoring in 18th.
"While we felt bad for Will and Vishnu having to drop out of the race, we are extremely proud of the rest of the boys for stepping up. Four of the five set personal bests on a pretty tough course!" said Coach George Dohner.
Team Finish – 4th place
Zac Winton – 6th (17:12)
Drew Wilkerson – 11th (17:46)
Nathan Seamans – 15th (18:09)
Grey Mendenhall – 16th (18:12)
Kase Melodick – 18th (18:19)
The Cooper girls also ran well without senior leader Katie Drake who did not compete this weekend. Cooper only finished 15 points behind the team champions St Johns. Sophomore Megan Day ran a season best 20:59 to take 3rd place in a tough field of runners. Freshman Ava Perugini, in only her second 5k race, knocked nearly a minute off of her personal best to finish in 9th place with at 21:45. She was followed by Rebecca Melin in 10th place, Amber Navarra in 12th, and Chloe Smith and Abby Mendenhall in 15th and 16th.
"We proved today that we have a little depth on our team are happy with the results," said Dohner.
Team Finish: 2nd place
Megan Day – 3rd (20:59)
Ava Perugini – 9th (21:45)
Rebecca Melin – 10th (21:59)
Amber Navarra – 12th (22:00)
Chloe Smith – 15th (22:29)
Next up for Dragon Cross Country:
Oct. 24 at Creekside West Nature Trail Tri-Meet
Concordia Lutheran's Faith Keiper
To put her talents in perspective, this past Spring season, Keiper racked up nearly 150 strikeouts on the mound. At the plate she averaged an even .500, which included 14 RBIs and two home-runs to earn herself second-team, all-state honors.
Just how did she embark upon her prolific career?
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“I’ve always played softball, since I was eight years old,” she said. “I started because my Dad was a baseball player, and I loved joining in on the fun with him and my brother.
Since then, my strength has always been pitching. After going to a sports psychologist, I’ve gotten into a routine on the mound. I focus on the spot that I intend for the ball to go, and I block everything else out. You have to keep checking on your mental game, otherwise you’ll go insane.”
The experience with sports psychology sparked an interest in pursuing that as a career path.
“Ideally, I want to go to a school that places emphasis on both my academics and softball,” said Keiper. “I’m really about school and I hate missing classes. I’ll get so stressed when I have to make up work.
If I can get into a program that allows me to put my studies first while also continuing my softball career would be the perfect situation for me.”
Surprisingly, Keiper’s strongest academic attribute doesn’t even come in the traditional sense.
“I don’t know if you would count this, but my favorite subject is art class,” she said. “I’m in Art IV-AP right now. I love to paint, typically depicting scenes in nature such as landscapes. It’s always been a passion of mine.”
But, back to softball. The Crusaders are coming off an impressive campaign, which saw them reach the TAPPS-D1 Regional Round, following their 10-0 thrashing over Nolan Catholic.
2023-24 Concordia Lutheran SoftballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
While they will be under new leadership in 2025, the presence of Concordia Lutheran’s star pitcher is unlikely to falter.
“My goal this season is to be a good teammate and perform the best that I can as a role model,” Keiper said. “Statistically speaking, I hope to pass the 200-strikeout mark and help to lead this team back to the playoffs. I also want to keep up my batting average, while I’m at it.”
Next Spring will mark Keiper’s final stretch of her high school career. Hopefully, all signs should point to it being her masterpiece
TWCA's Virginia Finley
“Growing up, I always wanted to go into the medical field because of my mom,” Finley shared. “She was an OBGYN here in The Woodlands, but she passed away just before my second birthday. As I got older, I knew medicine was something I wanted to pursue.”
That calling deepened during a life-altering period in her sophomore year.
“The year I joined the sports medicine program, my dad got really sick and had to go into hospice,” she said. “I spent a lot of time in the hospital with him. Watching people help each other in that environment truly inspired me to dive deeper into the medical field.”
Tragically, Finley lost her father last year. Now, she lives with her grandmother and aunt, carrying the lessons of her challenges with remarkable strength.
“It’s been tough,” she admitted. “But I try to make light of it and grow from it. Without those experiences, I wouldn’t have the mental fortitude I do now. With everything that’s happened, all I can do is keep moving forward.”
Yet, Finley’s journey into TWCA Sports Medicine wasn’t solely born of hardship.
2024-25 TWCA Sports MedicineBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“I got interested in training because some friends encouraged me to join my sophomore year,” she said. “After that, I fell in love with helping athletes—on and off the field—with injury prevention and everything else we do.”
Her dual perspective as a trainer and athlete gives her a unique edge. When she’s not assisting on the sidelines, Finley plays softball for TWCA. But her athletic prowess doesn’t stop there.
She’s also a Kukkiwon-certified black belt in taekwondo.
“It’s kind of my biggest flex,” Finley laughed. “I studied under a five-time Olympic coach and trained alongside Olympians like Victoria Stambaugh and three-time World Champion Bianca Walkden.
“I eventually stopped training when I started here because I wanted to focus on school sports and have more freedom. But it’s one of my biggest accomplishments.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Looking ahead, Finley’s passion for sports medicine and helping others is steering her college ambitions.
“I’m considering Texas Lutheran or Texas State,” she said. “I want to continue in athletic training or maybe explore sports psychology. Through my experience, I’ve seen how athletes can struggle mentally when they’re injured. I want to be part of that recovery process and help them keep doing what they love.”
Despite the challenges she’s faced, Finley’s determination and optimism have made her an inspiration to those around her. Through her diverse experiences and indomitable spirit, Finley is destined to live out her dream of helping others—on and off the field.
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