Palo Duro hasn't had much luck against Cooper recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Dons will look to defend their home field against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Cooper will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Palo Duro extended their winning streak to eight on Friday. The Dons claimed a resounding 48-14 victory over Legacy. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Dons' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 71st, while the Leopards are ranked 599th).
One reason for the win was Palo Duro's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Keanan Posey, Kyron Brown, and Sebastian Deleon, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Legacy's side was Posey, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Cooper against Legacy last Thursday as the team secured a 53-24 win. The Cougars pushed the score to 50-17 by the end of the third, a deficit the Leopards cut but never quite recovered from.
Cooper had a senior duo take command as Peyton Ewing rushed for 102 yards and two TDs on only ten carries and Jaden Carrillo rushed for 51 yards and one score. Ewing is becoming a predictor of the Cougars' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
Cooper was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 296 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 205 rushing yards in seven consecutive contests.
Palo Duro's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Cooper, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Things could have been worse for Palo Duro, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 44-27 loss to Cooper when the teams last played back in November of 2024. Thankfully for the Dons, Austin Cummins (who threw for 115 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 58 yards and one score) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
