Distorted stadium lights and reflections of waving arms bounce off the shiny curves of the green helmets worn by the varsity football team. Everyone is loud and excited, but a few individuals further encourage the hype by yelling into the crowd of jerseys “who’s got my back?” or “where my dogs at?” Five chants are led and die out, leaving one more player, the number eight plastered across his uniform, to step forward with a loud:

“LET’S. GO!!!”

Sophomore and varsity starting quarterback David Cooper will serve as one of six varsity football team captains this year after being voted into the position by his teammates on Aug. 21. As a captain, David will help guide the team during games and practices, lead team chants and meet with other captains to choose which jerseys, uniforms and helmets players wear to games. Captains also meet with Head Football Coach Michael Quintero about changing practice routines and to give feedback about games.

Being a sophomore on varsity, David said it was difficult figuring out how to lead a team of majority upperclassmen when he was voted captain.

“It was a struggle for me, being younger than everyone else and being a leader,” David said. “I wondered if [the team] would respect me, or if they would just see me as a younger person from a younger class. I feel like this is a struggle not just for me, but for the other sophomores on varsity, so I try to be there for them. I know it’s not easy to go up to a senior as a sophomore and say that they’re not doing something right.”

Despite his worries, David said that the senior and junior classes this year have heavily supported the few underclassmen on varsity as the younger players adjust to the team.

“I really like the senior class this year because they understand that even though [the other sophomores and I] are young, we’re still here to play football,” David said. “We’re all here to be a part of a team, and they treat us like their own class, like we’re one of them. They love us on the field and off the field, and they coach us. Even though there are seniors that are second string to sophomores, the seniors still coach us to become better, because all they want for us is to grow.”

Players from the JV and varsity teams all voted for captains by writing down five names on a piece of paper. After names were tallied, seniors Wyatt Valiente, Logan Wicketts and Ben Ramos, juniors Jaheim Porter and Trae Hill and David received the most votes. According to Coach Quintero, or Coach Q, the polls were very close.

“We have a team full of leaders this year, and that’s a really good thing for our football team,” Coach Q said. “We have strong leaders in the captain roles, but we also have strong leaders in our position groups. This group [of teams] supports each other, they care about each other and they understand that the ‘team’ is bigger than the ‘me.’ There’s no animosity. I think that is what is going to make this team really, really special. It’s good to get under the lights again and put some of our youngsters out there; throw them in the water and see if they can swim.”

Last year, David was on the freshman team as quarterback until he was moved up to varsity the third-to-last game of the season, where he was able to get play time and travel with the team to playoffs. 

“It’s fun to watch David progress as a quarterback and do the things that he couldn’t necessarily do as a freshman,” Coach Q said. “He’s matured a lot since this last spring, and has a good head on his shoulders. He’s really mature. He studies the game. He does a lot of work on the outside, extra work to get better, and he’s done that since the football season ended last year. His teammates respect him, that’s why they voted him for captain. They love him and what he does because of the work he puts in.”

David said he wants to be a captain for the rest of his high school career, but recognizes that he will have to earn that title again.

“I hope to be a captain my junior and senior year [too], but it’s up to me to give my teammates a reason to vote for me,” David said. “Especially during games when things don’t go our way, I have to keep leading the team well.”

As one of the few underclassmen on varsity, David said his position as captain allows him to advocate for the boys in his grade while also being someone they can look up to on the field.

“Being a younger captain helps me be able to talk to the kids in my grade,” David said. “They see me as someone that can let them know if they’re messing up, if they’re slacking off and not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Because of David’s role as starting varsity quarterback, Coach Q said that David is often the first one he comes to when there are offensive problems on the field.

“Sometimes I get on to David, and when that happens I get on to him just like I do anybody else,” Coach Q said. “I say, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It just means I care. But he’s able to handle all that. He’s got a strong mind, he’s thick-skinned, which you have to have when you’re a quarterback. You have to be able to take some criticism and tough coaching.”

Captains were announced last Thursday before the scrimmage against Westlake. David’s mother, Cindy Cooper, said when she found out her son was voted captain, it was sentimental for her.

“I cried [when I found out David was a captain],” Cindy, who is also the vice president of the football booster club, said. “I cried very hard. I know it’s a true honor for him, but as a mom, I wanted to go shout it from the rooftops. I couldn’t believe it. I did a lot of praising Jesus for it, because David has come a long way. He was afraid to be a sophomore leading the seniors, and he didn’t want to mess up. He wants to lead the team, but more than anything, he wants to lead well. It’s really, really important to him, and so one of the main things we focused on all summer was how to build confidence, and lead in a constructive, supportive way.”

The new quarterback position coach this year, Coach Tanner Wright, will train David on how to conduct himself on the field and as a team leader. Coach Wright, who played football in high school and college, was the starting quarterback on varsity as a high school sophomore, just like David.

“I like Coach Wright a lot,” David said. “He knows about being younger than other guys [on the team], so he coaches me up on being a leader even though I’m younger than everybody else. I think I’ve become a leader, and let people know that even though I’m younger, I’m still going to lead them well. Coach Wright also knows a lot about the mechanics of being a quarterback. He’s just a fun guy to be around.”

David started playing pee wee flag football when he was six years old, and continued playing flag football until 6th grade, when he joined the local tackle team.

“[When I was little] my dad and I made a little peewee team, and [us players] wouldn’t even know what we were running,” David said. “The coaches would have to guide us to the end zone, because [at that age] we didn’t even know which way to run. I remember the days when I first started [playing football] and how I’ve grown into more of an athlete.”

Over the summer, the football team participated in the strength and conditioning camp, which Coach Q said had the highest numbers in attendance since he started coaching in 2021. Now, the team has morning practice three days a week and watches film or has short practices during the football period.

“Practice is either very early or very hot,” David said. “When it comes to the season, I feel we’re going to be prepared. Our coaches prepare us very well during practice, during film; they have everything set out for us and they give us what we need to be ready for the games on Friday.”

The night before each game, the varsity team dinner is held at the field house and run by the booster club. Captain Wyatt Valiente’s mother creates the sign-up sheet for parents to bring food and Cindy, as vice president of the club, helps oversee the event.

According to Cindy, the Cedar Park Football Booster Club has over 100 active members across the freshman, JV and varsity teams. As vice president, she supervises fundraisers and supports members who run game day meals, spirit wear sales and concessions. Her and the rest of the five-person board also meet with Coach Q about events and how to better support the teams.

“[The booster club] has been awesome,” Coach Q said. “We have a bunch of great volunteers and people who are on our board who do a lot of the dirty work, the hard work of getting things organized. They keep me organized, too. A lot of people want to give back to the program, help the kids, coaches, and make the football experience really special for our team.”

Each week, the team also has position dinners, which are hosted by a player and give the position groups a chance to bond over dinner and games. David’s position group, the quarterbacks, group up with the running backs, tight ends and receivers. At last week’s dinner, the group played ping pong, pool and video games together at senior tight end Topher Rodriguez’s house.

“I’m glad that we have [team dinners], because I know that it’s crucial to have a good bond with your teammates,” David said. “You’re on the field with them playing games every week, and you’ve got to be able to treat them like a brother, and not just another player.”

If given the opportunity, David said he wants to play football in college and would want to play in the NFL as well, but is leaving his future in God’s hands. One of his biggest supporters will always be his mom, who is there for him in good times and bad.

“[My mom] always tells me that she loves seeing what I do whenever I’m faced with a challenge; how I can overcome it or find the solution,” David said. “She’s been supporting me a lot in making sure I’m getting my protein in every day, making sure I get heavier, so when I get hit, I don’t crumble. There are so many protein bars. She’ll ask me every day about what protein bars I have, and my whole pantry has probably three different types of protein bars every single time I walk in there. My mom will make sure I’m icing my shoulder every night, doing my stretches, or using my little massage ball. I love having her.”

Even with opposing players often weighing in at around 330 lbs trying to tackle David before he throws, hands off or runs with the ball, Cindy said the thing she worries most about is not the physical dangers of football.

“I actually don’t get nervous about him getting hurt,” Cindy said. “I know God’s got it and that he’s got a great O-line this year. I just get nervous about David himself. I don’t want anything to stand in his way. What I always pray against is for any schemes of the devil to be stopped so that he can play to his full potential.”

Watching her son progress from being a freshman on the freshman team to starting varsity quarterback and team captain in just one year has been both exhilarating and emotional, Cindy said, and cannot wait to see David out on the field with his teammates.

“It’s been phenomenal watching David’s growth, the things that I’ve watched him excel in, like his leadership skills; he has worked so hard on both his mental and physical ways to play.” Cindy said. “It’s going to be such a great year. [Football] has been amazing. These kids, this football family, there’s nothing like it.”