As the fall sport season is approaching an end, the winter season is beginning. Balancing two sports in a row during a school year is definitely not an easy task. 

Many athletes may use the winter season as a break after having a difficult fall season. However, others use it as an opportunity to push themselves to work harder. 

Through this fall and winter sports season, we would like to recognize a student who is very dedicated to sports: Cooper Myers.

Cooper Myers is a sophomore at Waterford High School. He participates in a fall and winter sport. 

In the fall, he is outside on the field playing football for the Waterford Lancers. During the winter, Cooper wrestles.

Beyond sports, Cooper is known by friends and teammates as someone who is kind, helpful, and funny. He is the kind of person to spread happiness and positive energy in a room. Cooper’s grit is one of the reasons he has grown into the person he is today. 

Cooper is a lineman who plays both offense and defense. A lineman’s primary job is to block opponents on the field. 

This takes a lot of strength and momentum. However, it helps Cooper prepare for the winter season in wrestling.

Throughout Cooper’s life, he has always been dedicated to what he does because of his love for wrestling and football. He finds joy in learning new things during the fall & winter season to help him improve for his future. 

Cooper was around six years old when he started playing football. He wanted to do a sport while he was young, so he chose football. 

Ever since then he has been putting in his all during the football season. Currently, the Waterford Lancers overall record is 5-4. 

Cooper says that “practices during the fall season can be intense because everyone on the team is trying to get better”.

They do activities such as conditioning and individual group sessions. They also do scout team, which is a group of players who mimic the opponents plays during practice.

One of Cooper’s most memorable moments this 2025 football season was their first game against Sheehan. Before the game, the whole team prayed together. Cooper says, “I remember it as a very powerful prayer that brought everyone together”.

Another memorable moment was one of their hardest games against Ledyard. Cooper says, “Our whole team fought 100% of the time with their 100% effort. We beat Ledyard with our discipline and determination”. 

Cooper also mentions that determination is one of the most important things to have during the season as well as never giving up.

While this season is coming to an end, Cooper has learned a few things that he wants to change for the winter season. 

Cooper says, “there was a lack of discipline” this fall season. For this upcoming winter season, Cooper hopes to be more consistent and committed as well.

Cooper started wrestling around twelve years old, when he was in seventh grade. One of his football coaches at the time inspired him to start wrestling and that’s how his journey with wrestling began.

Wrestling hasn’t always come easy to Cooper. He states, “If you’re not disciplined, you won’t try your hardest. You have to be fully committed to the sport in order to be decent at it.” He also mentioned how wrestling requires “a ton of mental focus and mental willpower”. 

Throughout his wrestling years, Cooper has two trophies and over thirteen medals. Over five of those medals are from first place. He also won first place in the CT Kids State Championship in 2024. 

Cooper is currently ranked first in the state of Connecticut. This winter season he hopes to go to different tournaments and win more medals for the 2025-2026

Balancing social life, sports, and academics can be difficult. For the fall season, he has practice after school every weekday. After practice he will try to focus on academics. 

Usually on the weekends, after Saturday practices, is when Cooper focuses on his social life. He tries to do the same Sundays and relax because it is his only day off from football. 

Cooper says, “Football and wrestling make me a happier person and I am dedicated to what I do”. It also makes him have more courage and confidence as a person. Cooper can face challenges in sports such as injuries or remembering each play in football. Although he suffers through back pain and other injuries in the fall season, he pushes through.  

Outside of being on the field or the mat, Cooper enjoys helping out the youth sports program with football and wrestling. Cooper explains, “I love to give back to what I grew up with”.

Both sports require a ton of energy and commitment. In his future, Cooper wants to go to college to play football. 

He hopes to play either defensive end or offensive tackle. If possible, he would also enjoy doing wrestling as well. Cooper aims to take business and health science as his major.

He mentions, “My end goal is owning a gym after my athletic career is done”. The rest of his high school years in football, wrestling, and academics are crucially important to him so that he is able to meet his end goal. 

For Cooper, sports aren’t just activities, and they mean so much more than that. It has taught him many valuable lessons and provided him with discipline and motivation. 

Cooper hopes to inspire younger athletes to keep pushing forward.