Corey Freihofer scored 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as Cooper rallied from a 21-6 deficit to beat Conner 22-1 on Friday, Sept. 25.
The Class 5A district game at Conner High School looked like a blowout going the other way. Cooper trailed 21-6 in the third quarter. Freihofer, a senior running back who rushed for more than 100 yards, capped the rally with a two-point conversion run that put the Jaguars ahead 22-21 with 6:01 left. He then carried the ball eight consecutive times for 33 yards on Cooper's final possession to run out the clock, according to the NKY Tribune.
The win extended Cooper's district winning streak to 10 games over three seasons.
Conner struck first. Quarterback Ethan Estvanko hit Dawson Bell on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 0:51 left in the first quarter. The Cougars pushed the lead to 21-6 in the third on a 49-yard touchdown run by Estvanko and a 34-yard run by Jasiah Lampkin, with Jaiden Pendleton converting all three extra points.
Cooper's defense kept the game within reach before halftime, stopping Conner on a goal-line stand after a face-mask penalty gave the Cougars first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. First-year head coach Adam Begley pointed to that sequence as a turning point.
The Jaguars answered in the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ended on Freihofer's 6-yard touchdown run and his first two-point conversion. Sophomore quarterback Zach Kostopoulos then connected with Kaiden Savage on a 23-yard touchdown pass, and Freihofer punched in the go-ahead two-point conversion.
"We knew that I might have to run the ball more, but the O-line needed to block like they did," Freihofer said after the game. "We knew it would take a team effort, but I knew myself that I had to step up a little bit, too."
Conner first-year head coach Chase Floyd credited Freihofer's will, saying "he made plays and we didn't. He just had the will to win."
Cooper improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in district play. Conner fell to 1-5. The loss came on Conner's homecoming night.
What's next
Cooper hosts Dixie Heights in another district game Friday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
