Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Winters: No One-trick-pony On Offense
PRAIRIE GROVE — In 2009, Cooper Winters got a rude awakening about the intensity of high school football during his ninth-grade year.
Winters had just helped guide the junior high squad to an undefeated 10-0, when he, along with some of his ninth-grade teammates, were called up to help the senior high team on the road against the Gravette Lions in a contest that had state playoff ramifications. Winters was inserted at quarterback just before halftime, and on his first high school snap, Winters was sacked, fumbling the ball in the process.
The loose ball was scooped up by a Lion defender and nearly turned into a touchdown, which may have turned the momentum towards the Lions. Fortunately for Winters, Prairie Grove won the contest and Winters dodged being known as the kid who cost the Tigers a playoffs berth.
Since that fateful snap in 2009, the maturation of Winters has become evident on the gridiron. As a sophomore Winters received more than one scolding for various infractions such as throwing across his body into traffic. However, as a junior Winters blossomed into a quarterback who passed for more than 1,300 yards with 11 touchdowns.
Winters though, is no one- trick-pony on offense. Opposing defenses had to respect his running abilities as well as his arm. Winters’ running skills translated into nearly four yards a carry with four touchdowns and a pair of 2point conversions. Tigers’ coach Danny Abshier plans to utilize Winters’ speed a lot more this season.
“Cooper has a terrific arm. What we haven’t really exploited has been his running abilities, but I think he’s really ready to take on that extra responsibility,” Abshier said. “In the past, we’ve been a little protective of him, afraid that he might go down, but this year I think you’ll see a lot more of both skills, passing and running.”