Cooper High School

Abilene High wide receiver Ryland Bradford committed to continue his football career at UT-El Paso in late July, and despite receiving other offers, he made that pledge official Wednesday when he signed with the Miners on National Signing Day.

Bradford signed his letter of intent while family, friends, teammates, classmates, and coaches looked on at Chuck Moser Fieldhouse on the Abilene High campus. He is the first Abilene High player to sign to play for an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program since running back Abram Smith signed with Baylor in 2017.

A glance at Bradford’s feed on X (formerly Twitter) shows UTEP’s hard work recruiting him and working to keep him as other programs – including San Diego State, North Texas, and New Mexico – continued to pursue him. Bradford said the love he felt from head coach Scotty Walden’s staff swayed him to far West Texas.

“I enjoyed the family atmosphere,” Bradford said. “The coaches have a lot of energy, and it rubs off on the players and the program. I trust the coaches that I’ll be able to go to El Paso and succeed.”

Brad finished his senior season with 59 catches for 1,116 yards and 19 touchdowns. Those totals are tied for 10th, fourth, and first in a season in program history. Bradford finishes his career as the program’s career leader in receiving yards (2,246), receiving touchdowns (33), and tied for second in receptions (134).

He also scored 47 all-purpose touchdowns (tied for sixth in AHS history), and his 28 all-purpose touchdowns this season (19 receiving, eight rushing, and one return) are tied with Kobey Lewis (2004) for fifth in single-season program history. He was also selected as the District 2-5A Division I Offensive MVP each of the last two seasons.

Abilene High reached the playoffs in his three seasons on the varsity, compiled a 25-14 overall record, a 6-3 postseason mark, a district title in 2023, and went to the state quarterfinals in 2023. The totality of his career makes him one of the program’s top offensive players of all time.

“We’ve had some excellent receivers and players come through this program,” AHS head coach Mike Fullen said, “so for Ryland to be among the best is special. He has set the standard for the guys who will follow him.”

Basketball: AHS, Cooper Hosting Raising Cane’s Key City Classic This Weekend
The Abilene High and Cooper boys’ basketball programs will host the fifth Raising Cane’s Key City Classic this weekend at Eagle Gym at AHS and Cougar Gym at CHS. The tournament starts Thursday morning and will conclude with Saturday’s championship game at Eagle Gym.

Abilene High is 9-6 on the season after four of six games during the Thanksgiving Break and through Monday night’s 62-54 win over Cleburne. The Eagles will begin their tournament run Thursday at 6 p.m. against Perryton at Eagle Gym. A win by the Eagles would push them into the winner’s bracket, where the Eagles would play at 12 p.m. Friday at Eagle Gym against the winner of El Paso Coronado and Carrollton Creekview.

Cooper is 3-3 on the season after a loss Tuesday at No. 11 Lubbock Estacado. The Cougars will play El Paso Jefferson at 6 p.m. Thursday at Cougar Gym in their first tournament game. A win would send Cooper into the winner’s bracket, where the Coogs would play at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Cougar Gym against the winner of Lubbock Cooper and Aledo.

North Crowley – 9-2 and ranked No. 8 in Texas in Class 6A – has won the tournament in 2021 and 2023 and was the runner-up to Amarillo High in 2022. The Panthers are back in this year’s tournament and will open their tournament run on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against Midland Christian at Cougar Gym.

Below is the schedule for the first day:
Thursday, Dec. 5
South San Antonio vs. Midland Legacy, 3 p.m., Abilene High Eagle Gym
Richardson Pearce vs. Odessa High, 4:30 p.m., Abilene High Eagle Gym
Abilene High vs. Perryton, 6 p.m., Abilene High Eagle Gym
El Paso Coronado vs. Carrollton Creekview, 7:30 p.m., Abilene High Eagle Gym
Cleburne vs. Mineral Wells, 3 p.m., Cooper Cougar Gym
Midland Christian vs. North Crowley, 4:30 p.m., Cooper Cougar Gym
El Paso Jefferson vs. Cooper, 6 p.m., Cooper Cougar Gym
Lubbock Cooper vs. Aledo, 7:30 p.m., Cooper Cougar Gym

The tournament semifinals will be played at Eagle Gym on Friday at 6 and 7:30 p.m. The third-place game will be at 12 p.m. Saturday, and the championship game will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Fans can follow the tournament’s Facebook page for scores and updated brackets.

Single-day tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. They are valid at either location for just that day. AISD will use stamps (unless fans opt to use tickets) for re-admittance. Tickets will be available online at 8 a.m. each game day. They can also be purchased at the door using only a debit or credit card.

On the girls’ side, Abilene High improved to 9-6 on the season Tuesday night with a 53-37 home win over Odessa High. The Lady Eagles will return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when they take on Comanche – ranked No. 9 in Class 3A – in Comanche.

Cooper, meanwhile, dropped to 0-12 on the season Tuesday with a loss at home against Clyde. The Lady Cougars will be at the Bumblebee Classic in Little River Academy this weekend, starting with two games on Thursday against Burnet and Little River Academy.

Football: Eagles’ Season Ends in Second Round
Abilene High’s 2024 campaign ended on Friday, Nov. 22, with a 59-14 loss to Aledo in the second round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs at Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield. The Eagles (8-4) scored first on a touchdown pass from Tristan Beal to John Miles Wagstaff for an early 7-0 lead.

But Aledo scored 49 straight points to take a commanding lead into the fourth quarter as the Bearcats ended Abilene High’s season for the second consecutive year.

The District 2-5A Division I all-district team – which has already been selected and includes 20 Eagles – will be announced next week, along with the District 2-5A Division II all-district team, selected late Wednesday afternoon.

Volleyball: All-District 4-5A Team Announced
Fifteen Abilene High and Cooper players were honored as District 4-5A all-district team members, which the district’s head coaches selected.

Eight players from Abilene High made the team, and seven from Cooper's squad made the all-district team. AHS finished third and Cooper fourth in District 4-5A; both teams reached the Class 5A state playoffs.

District coaches selected Abilene High senior libero Kinzley Cantu and junior middle blocker Olivia Weatherford to the first team, and they voted Cooper senior middle blocker Maeley Siglock and senior libero Emma Ruiz to the first team

Junior outside hitter Allison Bennett and senior setter Ava Breckenridge were selected for the second team from Abilene High, while senior setter Cayelyn Nault and senior outside hitter Rachel Sprencel were voted to the second team from Cooper,

Honorable mention selections from Abilene High were junior setter Whitley Wright, junior middle blocker Brieyonna Reed, sophomore setter Kate Breckenridge, and senior rightside hitter Emily Jordan. Honorable mention picks from Cooper were senior outside hitter Amyah Walzer, sophomore middle blocker Payton Ellis, and senior defensive specialist Hailey Young.

Academic All-District, AllRegion, and All-State honors from Abilene High and Cooper will be announced next week.