Football Game Preview: Cooper Cougars vs. Lubbock-Cooper Pirates

The Cooper Cougars will challenge the Lubbock-Cooper Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Cooper is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Wylie on Friday. The Cougars took a 29-22 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs. The Cougars have struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Despite the loss, Cooper got top-tier performance from Jaden Carrillo, who rushed for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 86 yards and one TD. Carrillo showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 55 yards. Another player making a difference was Peyton Ewing, who rushed for 98 yards on only 12 carries.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lubbock-Cooper, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They put the hurt on Legacy with a sharp 49-26 win on Friday. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 208th, while the Leopards are ranked 612th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cooper's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Lubbock-Cooper, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.

Cooper was taken down by Lubbock-Cooper 49-17 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Cougars were down 42-3.