Abilene ISD -

This week’s blast of arctic air disrupted Abilene High and Cooper's softball and baseball schedules. Two baseball tournaments were canceled, and the AISD Icebreaker softball tournament was rescheduled.

The AHS baseball team was set to play in Fort Worth this weekend, while Cooper was to compete in Weatherford. However, the sub-freezing temperatures canceled each tournament. Additionally, the format for the Icebreaker tournament was scrapped and rebuilt into a one-day event at the AHS and Cooper softball fields.

Additionally, basketball season in Abilene ended Monday night, an Abilene High diver is making history this weekend in Austin, and District 4-5A has announced its all-district girls' basketball team. All of that and more in this week’s AISD Athletics Roundup:

SOFTBALL
The Lady Eagles and Lady Cougars were scheduled to host the Icebreaker Tournament, but this week’s below-freezing temperatures and single-digit wind chills forced the tournament’s cancellation. Instead, the teams will host 13 teams and 12 games in all-day play on both fields.

At Abilene High, the Lady Eagles (3-2 on the year) will host Midland Christian at 1 p.m. and Snyder at 4 p.m. At Cooper, the Lady Cougars (3-3 this season) will host Big Spring at 1 p.m. and Elgin at 4 p.m.

The complete schedule is below:

At Abilene High
10 a.m. – Elgin vs.  Big Spring
11:30 a.m. – Elgin vs. Comanche
1 p.m. – Midland Christian vs. Abilene High
2:30 p.m. – Clyde vs. Comanche
4 p.m. – Snyder vs. Abilene High
5:30 p.m. – Snyder vs. Midland Christian

At Cooper
10 a.m. – Eastland vs. Jim Ned
11:30 a.m .– Eastland vs. Haskell
1 p.m. – Big Spring vs. Cooper
2:30 p.m. – Breckenridge vs. Haskell
4 p.m. – Elgin vs. Cooper
5:30 p.m. – Breckenridge vs. Clyde

After Saturday's games, Cooper will play Tuesday at Temple, and Abilene High will play at Georgetown the same night.

BASEBALL
Abilene High and Cooper will start their 2025 seasons this weekend, although not in the way that either of them expected. Their season-opening tournaments in the Metroplex were canceled because of the freezing temperatures and frigid wind-chill temps across Texas this weekend.

Instead, the teams will host five other teams for games at Abilene High’s Blackburn Field and Cooper’s Cougar Field. The schedule for Saturday’s play is below:

At Abilene High
11 a.m. – Midland Greenwood vs. Lubbock Coronado
2 p.m. – Lubbock Coronado vs. Abilene High
5 p.m. – Midland Greenwood vs. Abilene High

At Cooper
11 a.m. – SA Central vs. Cooper
2 p.m. – Wall vs. Cooper
5 p.m. – Lubbock Coronado vs. Wall

At Wylie
11 a.m. – Wall vs. Wylie
2 p.m. – San Angelo Central vs. Wylie

BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Abilene High’s season ended Monday night in a 56-35 loss against District 3-5A champion Amarillo High in the Class 5A Division I bi-district round. The Eagles were one of three District 4-5A boys teams to lose in the bi-district round, joining Wylie (lost 62-50 to Lubbock Cooper) and Wichita Falls Memorial (lost 47-44 to Amarillo Palo Duro) on that list. The Eagles finished the season 20-13 and third in District 4-5A.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
With all four playoff teams from District 4-5A losing and being eliminated in the bi-district round, the district has announced postseason athletic and academic honors.

Abilene High senior Samia Cooper led the Lady Eagles to the playoffs and was selected as the district’s Offensive Player of the Year. AHS senior Emily Jordan was also selected as first-team all-district. Three Lady Eagles – junior Kara Franklin, senior Iyonna Green, and junior Mackenzie Baker – were selected second team all-district.

Senior Alliyah Ralston and junior Amiya Mayes from Cooper were selected as second-team all-district.

Lady Eagles selected for the academic all-district team were Trinity Harris, Baker, Jordan, Maiya Badon, Kara Franklin, Kandace Franklin, Tyonna Green, Joshlyn Hancock, and Jolie Jones. Lady Cougars selected for the academic all-district team were Titus, Isis Salazar, and Mauriyana Payne.

SOCCER
The Cooper Cougars will take on Wylie tonight, while Abilene High will play Wichita Falls Memorial in District 4-5A matchups.

The Cooper boys will play Wylie at Shotwell Stadium at 7 p.m., while the Cooper girls will be at Wylie’s Hugh Sandifer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match. The Cooper boys enter tonight’s match at 6-6-2 overall and 1-3 in the district, while the Cooper girls are 8-8-3 and 0-4. Tonight marks the beginning of the second half of District 4-5A play.

The Abilene High girls will host Wichita Falls Memorial at 5 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium, and the AHS boys will play at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls at 7 p.m. The Eagles are 6-4-3 and 3-1, tied with Memorial for first place in the district. The Lady Eagles are 5-10-0 and 1-3 in district play, good for fourth place in the standings.

Abilene High and Cooper will play each other next Tuesday in the Crosstown Showdown at Shotwell Stadium. The girls’ game will start at 5 p.m., and the boys’ game will follow at 7 p.m.

SWIMMING AND DIVING
Abilene High diver Lucas Lee is making history this weekend as he becomes the first male diver from AHS to qualify and compete in the UIL state diving championship meet. He will compete in the Class 5A 1-meter diving preliminaries at 2:50 p.m. Friday at the Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin. If he qualifies for the finals, he will compete Saturday at 4 p.m.