Latest / The Jake Wimberly Podcast / Devin Cooper Interview

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Devin Cooper Interview · The Jake Wimberly Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: W RK, guys, pick it's Jackson, where it.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Tick it.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Yes, we're back with Jake Quimberley on the Afternoon Drive Live.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Then it's on ESPN one online at his own one
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  Speaker 1: oh five nine dot com.
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  Speaker 3: Hour three of your radio show brought to you about
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  Speaker 3: Capitol Grill and Jackson fifty to fifty I fifty five
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  Speaker 3: North Sweet f Capitol Grill, your Happy hour and afternoon
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: destination eighteen TVs to get the game of your choice
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: with preseason of course, the NFL and college on the way.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: And don't forget about michelob ultrim bud Light drinking responsibly
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: courtesy of Southern Beverage, get a game of pool and
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: appetizer meal, forget about your work day at Capitol Grill
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: of Jackson thanks to Chris Lantry thirty minutes. We'll have
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: that on the podcast coming up here in a couple
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  Speaker 3: of days, So text us a few days, but we
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  Speaker 3: get the podcast up. Just find it on Apple, iTunes,
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  Speaker 3: Spotify and more. Northwest Rank and Cougar's It is Cougar's
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  Speaker 3: Day on your radio courtesy Mississippi Sports Medicine Orthopedic Center.
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  Speaker 3: Right now, head football coach, Athletics director Devin Cooper kind
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  Speaker 3: of to give some time before they hit the hot
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  Speaker 3: box tonight.
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  Speaker 2: Coach Coop, how are you, man? I'm doing great, Jake Man.
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  Speaker 4: Always always glad to see you and have you come
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  Speaker 4: host the show here. Man, we look forward to it
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  Speaker 4: every year.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely same here and we appreciate you as always. All right,
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  Speaker 3: So let's talk a little football. We know it's hot.
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  Speaker 3: We know, you know you got to watch that wet ball,
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  Speaker 3: but people are seeing that, you know through the state. Man,
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  Speaker 3: it just feels hotter now than it was last year,
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  Speaker 3: doesn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm telling it is. Man.
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  Speaker 4: We've had to do a few more of the night
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  Speaker 4: practices for us. That's the way we've we've decided to
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  Speaker 4: go about beating the heat, and we've done a little
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  Speaker 4: more of that this year than we had to do
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  Speaker 4: last season.
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  Speaker 2: So it's, uh, you.
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  Speaker 4: Know, it's one of the things you just kind of
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  Speaker 4: know what's coming and you you adapt and you roll.
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  Speaker 3: Let me ask you this, uh, you know, as far
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  Speaker 3: as this year and this team kind of take us through.
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  Speaker 3: You know, last year was a successful year. You guys
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  Speaker 3: make the playoffs, but y'all hit that bus. Saw that
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  Speaker 3: everybody hit in golf Port. Yeah, man, they just kind
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  Speaker 3: of came out of nowhere.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm telling the Uh, you know, Pinnic and I
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  Speaker 4: are pretty close man, and we were talking about it
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  Speaker 4: leading up to it, and we're kind of one of
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  Speaker 4: those things thinking we're gonna get into a shootout. If
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  Speaker 4: you there was only one game we really had, we
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  Speaker 4: didn't put points out that that kind of outlier game
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  Speaker 4: with Brandon that happened here on our field.
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  Speaker 2: They got us three to zero.
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  Speaker 4: And other than that, you take o grove down to
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  Speaker 4: the wire, they kick a field goal with no time
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  Speaker 4: left to beat us about three. We knew we could
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  Speaker 4: throw some points up. We kind of just ran into
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  Speaker 4: some things going to that week. A couple of our
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  Speaker 4: key players, you know, we're not able to play their
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  Speaker 4: best for sick and that's you know, people say it's excuse,
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  Speaker 4: but it is the reality of it too. But on
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  Speaker 4: top of that, you're getting ready for golf court and
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  Speaker 4: we felt good about it. Says we had a good
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  Speaker 4: team last year.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we were.
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  Speaker 4: You had four losses in the regular season and all
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  Speaker 4: were we within a touchdowns difference, and that's Clinton Madison Central,
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  Speaker 4: and then you had Brandon o'grove.
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  Speaker 2: Two three point losses.
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  Speaker 4: Of those, we had a really good football team, a
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  Speaker 4: lot of seniors that played for us and did a
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  Speaker 4: great job.
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  Speaker 2: That was a good class of kids.
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  Speaker 1: Uh.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, you get ready for golf, for it. And
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  Speaker 2: we were watching film earlier and like, man, we're gonna
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  Speaker 2: be fine.
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  Speaker 4: We just got a execute like we've been doing and
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  Speaker 4: we're gonna have a shot to win the game. And
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  Speaker 4: kind of got about to Wednesday Thursday, and I found
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  Speaker 4: a couple of live streams of them.
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  Speaker 2: I remember telling Pennick.
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  Speaker 4: I was like, man, when I got to watching those
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  Speaker 4: live streams, something was a little different vibe about it.
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  Speaker 2: And you can see the kind of.
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  Speaker 4: The chemistry of the team, and uh, you knew you
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  Speaker 4: were really you're fixing to be up for a big
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  Speaker 4: challenge for sure. And man, I was so impressed with
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  Speaker 4: how tough they were in the trenches. They beat us
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  Speaker 4: at the line of scrimmage and that really made the
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  Speaker 4: difference in the game. And I know they had the
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  Speaker 4: you got the running back everybody knew about, but I'm
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  Speaker 4: telling you, I don't know if enough credit went toward
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  Speaker 4: their uh their O line, their D line. Uh As
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  Speaker 4: teams were calling they were playing them next, whether they
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  Speaker 4: be Pedal brand, you know, all the ones that had
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  Speaker 4: to play them. I told everyone on them the same thing.
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  Speaker 4: Underestimate their trenches. Those guys are really good in the trenches.
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  Speaker 2: Last year, you know, it's amazing.
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  Speaker 3: And you've got some seniors we're gonna talk about here
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  Speaker 3: in just a bit, really really good players. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: I was looking at film on golf court last year
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  Speaker 3: as we head towards the playoffs and looking at Cooper Crossby,
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  Speaker 3: and I told Pinic this too. You watch him one
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  Speaker 3: film and you think, okay, he's a good back. He's
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  Speaker 3: but you know you used to tackle the guy, right,
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  Speaker 3: But then you watch him in person.
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  Speaker 2: It's like, yeah, he just leaves it. It's like I
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  Speaker 2: didn't know he could run like that. Man, he was.
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  Speaker 2: He's a special player and that's why he's in starting now.
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  Speaker 4: He's different, and I'm telling him when he was, he
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  Speaker 4: really is. He's got an extraverse that you got to
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  Speaker 4: have to be that kind of player.
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  Speaker 2: And he he.
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  Speaker 4: Revealed that to us very quickly and we got on
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  Speaker 4: the field with him. When you see him in personally, man,
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  Speaker 4: he is a good You knew he's a good an
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  Speaker 4: athlete would you get on the field with him, like man,
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  Speaker 4: he looked even better. And guys already can look good
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  Speaker 4: on film, but when you see him in person, they
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  Speaker 4: get bigger, like you know you're dealing with something and
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  Speaker 4: the kid is as a pretty neat story on him,
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  Speaker 4: how he grew and how he progressed for them a
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  Speaker 4: golf part and what he turned out to be. And
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  Speaker 4: I think Missipi State has gained one Heck football.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: Player with him visiting with Devin Cooper, Heck football coach
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  Speaker 3: athletics director at Northwest Ranking Tuesday edition to program.
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  Speaker 2: Right, so you've got some really good seniors. Talk talk
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  Speaker 2: to us little bit about the football team. Yeah, I'm
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  Speaker 2: excited about some key returns.
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  Speaker 4: We have for sure, some guys that's been on the fire.
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  Speaker 2: We got a couple of.
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  Speaker 4: Leaders on the front line with you met one of
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  Speaker 4: them earlier, Jadon Ransom.
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  Speaker 2: And then you have riland Williams.
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  Speaker 4: Two veteran guys that's been in this this seven a
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  Speaker 4: just gaunet that we go through.
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  Speaker 2: They know what they're getting into.
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  Speaker 4: And you got Gavin Phillipson coming back at quarterback, had
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  Speaker 4: a through for a lot of yards last year, had
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  Speaker 4: a great season. I feel like he's one of the
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  Speaker 4: more underrated quarterbacks probably going into the.
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  Speaker 2: Season this year. But that's fine. I mean, he knows it.
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  Speaker 4: He's a dual, dual athlete guy, big time baseball player,
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  Speaker 4: just a great kid man, very athletic.
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  Speaker 2: Then you got as well, Dashaun Dillon. Everybody knows about him.
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  Speaker 4: He's a great receiver, good good long arms, great catch radius.
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  Speaker 4: He's picked up a whole lot of attention. People are
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  Speaker 4: really keeping eyes on him. He's gonna actually I think
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  Speaker 4: he's gonna announce Saturdays where he's telling us somewhere he's
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  Speaker 4: gonna go. So we're excited for him to have that
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  Speaker 4: moment that he's earned with his family. You know, he's
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  Speaker 4: a basketball football guy. Uh, we expect a lot of
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  Speaker 4: big things out of him. And then on the other
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  Speaker 4: side of them, you got a kid named Marco Stapleton
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  Speaker 4: that has really really emerged. He's picking up some G
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  Speaker 4: five offers and I hope he can get him something
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  Speaker 4: a little bigger. And I think if he continues to
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  Speaker 4: trend in that direction, good things are gonna happen for him. Defensively,
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  Speaker 4: we probably have more inexperience on the defensive side. A
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  Speaker 4: couple of key guys that are coming back a corner
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  Speaker 4: for us that we're we're really excited about. And Patrick Harper,
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  Speaker 4: you know, and then you got some got some older
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  Speaker 4: guys that are gonna play. They just have not played
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  Speaker 4: a lot right now, so that's gonna be their time
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  Speaker 4: to go.
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  Speaker 2: So, you know, it is what we're all on the
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  Speaker 2: same boat.
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  Speaker 4: You've got to take your team, fit it together, fix
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  Speaker 4: your making your adjustments, and navigate this journey we're about
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  Speaker 4: to be on.
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  Speaker 3: And of course you know to play uh in all
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  Speaker 3: seven a's it seems like everybody does it now. You
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  Speaker 3: guys will play a pretty darn tough non region schedule,
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  Speaker 3: but that allows you the opportunity to believe what German
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  Speaker 3: towns you're up in the next week. Yeah, take us
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  Speaker 3: through that first few weeks and that's gonna give you
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  Speaker 3: a chance to develop those guys.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know that. I think that's the thing.
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  Speaker 4: If you're going to compete in our district, you have
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  Speaker 4: to be ready.
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  Speaker 2: You don't want to learn your.
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  Speaker 4: Lessons in our district and that that'll cost you games.
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  Speaker 4: If you're gonna have a chance to compete with who
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  Speaker 4: we play, every team in our district can play ball
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  Speaker 4: all the very well coached and it comes down to
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  Speaker 4: very close finishes and very tight games. So to get
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  Speaker 4: yourself ready, you need to play Germantown and you need
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  Speaker 4: to play your Clintons. You need to play Madison's. You
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  Speaker 4: got brooke Haven on the schedule. You got Wayne County
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  Speaker 4: who is I'll tell you we got down there last
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  Speaker 4: year with them, and man, what a physical, physical group
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  Speaker 4: of young men we got for the jamboree coming up
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  Speaker 4: Friday night. You got Terry coming to your coach stick
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  Speaker 4: Pen and man, he's done. You and I are just
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  Speaker 4: talking about he's done a fabulous job and he's got
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  Speaker 4: a lot of good looking players. And you know, but
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  Speaker 4: that's the way it's all about. That builds excitement for
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  Speaker 4: your crowd, your community, and you know they want to
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  Speaker 4: see you play tough games, good games. And the key
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  Speaker 4: to it is get better, stay healthy, and get yourself
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: and get a little better as you go and try
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  Speaker 4: to peak at the right time as the goal.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: Speaking of your fans, talk a little bit about this
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  Speaker 3: place here. We're at Cougar Stadium, Northwest.
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  Speaker 2: FRANKL. Cougars, I think you.
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  Speaker 3: Guys do as good as anybody on a game day atmosphere.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: I know you guys have it broken up now. I
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: believe tailgates on both sides. You got two or a
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: video board here used to be a video board that
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: may still be. I don't know if that's a stack.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Covered it up with a static sign, Yeah, covered it up.
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  Speaker 3: But man, the atmosphere is that of almost like a
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: collegiate type atmosphere here.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: You know, And that's our goal. We put a lot into it. Man.
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  Speaker 4: It starts with a school district that puts a lot
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  Speaker 4: into your facilities and gives you the ability to have
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  Speaker 4: a place to come for your kids to have a
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: great spot to play ball, and your administration having you,
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: you know, supporting you from the building to here. And
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: then you know, we have two assistant athletic directors that
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: in Kelsey Pool and Coach Alders. You Coach Alders talked
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  Speaker 4: to you earlier, Kelsey Pool's head volleyball coach. And man,
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  Speaker 4: they do a fabulous job help prepare in the event.
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  Speaker 4: But man, and we got the best band that's out there.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: They sit in our bleachers and they play to support us,
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  Speaker 4: and they do their a phenomenal halftime show. It's something
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: really special to see then you got cheerleading dance that rank.
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  Speaker 4: They rank in the top of the state every year,
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  Speaker 4: compete nationally, sometimes have won the national championships. But when
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: you have that and you have that environment with your
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: kids and your people, it fills the stadium and it
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  Speaker 4: creates It gives them something to see. So your tailgating
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  Speaker 4: does fill up, your bleachers do fill up, and these
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: young men are so blessed. There's no Friday night, there's
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: no other experience. I think you're gonna get aywhere else
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  Speaker 4: sem to better than our Friday nights.
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  Speaker 2: I really believe that he is.
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  Speaker 3: Devin Cooper, head football coach and athletics director here for
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  Speaker 3: the Northwest. Frank and Cougars coach, thanks for having us today.
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  Speaker 2: Best of luck this year. I appreciate it. Jake than
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: thank you.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: We got to take a time out. We're brought to
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: you by Maristar Casino. More on a Tuesday back in
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: a moment