The storied history of the Abilene High-Cooper football rivalry added another chapter Friday night at Shotwell Stadium.

It will simply be called "The Drive" — and the footnote will be Cooper’s 21st victory in 32 tries against its cross-town rival, this time by a 31-21 count before a sellout crowd of more than 17,000.

How important was "The Drive?" Well, before it, Cooper trailed 14-7 to a fired-up group of Eagles. After it, the score was 31-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cougars, 3-1 this season after winning their District 4-5A opener, surrendered a touchdown late in the second quarter and trailed 14-7 when they got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with just 1:20 remaining before halftime.

At that point, Cooper used draw plays and quick passes to pick up a first down, then used a 15-yard gainer on a draw by running back Tony Tate to move into AHS territory.

After an 8-yard pickup on a sideline pass, CHS quarterback Deric Neal spotted receiver Jason Harrell wide open down the middle of the field and lofted a picture-perfect pass that carried to the Eagles’ 1-yard line with just 11 seconds remaining.

Neal — a less than 50-percent pass for the season — closed out the first half by spotting tight end Jay Pugh in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.

The extra point tied the contest at 14-14, but the momentum was firmly entrenched in the Cooper locker room at halftime.

The Cougars came out after intermission and dominated Abilene High in the third quarter, scoring 17 points and putting the game out of reach.

With the ball and the wind, Cooper took its first lead of the contest on its opening drive of the third stanza on a 33-yard field goal by Chris Plummer.

After a defensive stand, the Cougars got the ball back and scored on a halfback pass from Tate to Neal.

Immediately after the kickoff, CHS safety Michael Kendrick picked off the second of three interceptions his team recorded against Eagles quarterback Rusty Oglesby and returned the miscue 32 yards for a touchdown.

The rest of the game was predominately played in Abilene High territory, and the score might have been far more lopsided had the Cougars not been flagged for a three-year high of 15 times for 112 yards.

The Eagles used a 3-yard touchdown run by Anthony Washington midway through the fourth quarter to pull to within the final margin of 10 points. But by then, the issue had been decided and Cooper was the city champion.

Tate, in addition to his touchdown pass, added a first-half score on the ground and finished with 124 yards on 24 carries. Backfield teammate Michael Rose led all rushers with 146 yards on 21 carries, 119 of it coming in the first half.

In all, Cooper amassed 440 yard of offense, with Neal hitting 12 of 20 throws fro 154 yards.

Abilene High, meanwhile, picked up 141 passing yards as Oglesby hit 7 of 14 passes. But most of his yardage came in the fourth quarter.

Washington, who scored from 79 yards out on the "belly bum" on the first play of the game, led the Eagles on the ground with 84 yards on five carries.

"I was extremely proud of the way our guys fought back from early adversity and took control of the game," said Cooper coach Randy Allen, whose team — after giving up the 79-yard run on the trick play to open the game — dodged a bullet after Abilene High got the ball back deep in CHS territory on a blocked punt on the ensuing possession.

The Cougars’ offense, meanwhile, picked up more than 100 yards in the first period, but was scoreless thanks to a missed field goal and a fumble inside the AHS 10-yard line.

However, Tate finally tied the score on a 10-yard run to cap a 43-yard drive. Abilene High immediately responded with a 27-yard pass from Oglesby to Kris Dodson for the touchdown.

That set the stage for "The Drive."

"We never did get in an aggressive defensive mode," Abilene High coach Carlous Stone said, after watching his team fall to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in district. "We were kind of lunging and catching tonight, and you can’t do that against good backs.

"That drive? Those things are just the breaks of the game. We could have probably had better coverage, but (Neal) lays it out there, throwing against the wind. The guys caught it. It really didn’t bother me. They just executed when they had to and I don’t want to take anything away from them."

"I was so proud of the way we threw and caught the ball," Allen said. "They forced us to throw, and we did tonight. We opened up our offense by being able to throw, and that was a big confidence builder."

Allen said his team won’t have much time to celebrate its victory. Next up is Odessa High next Friday night, then a home game against San Angelo Central.

Both are seen as key contest in deciding the district’s playoff representatives.

"We’ve got a big game every week," Allen said. "But we needed to get off to a good start and re-establish ourselves. We got it and now we need to build on it."

Cooper — Tony Tate 10 run (Chris Plummer kick)

AHS — Kris Dodson 27 pass from Rusty Oglesby (Baker kick)

Cooper — Jay Pugh 1 pass from Deric Neal (Plummer kick)

Cooper — Plummer 33 field goal

Cooper — Neal 7 pass from Tate (Plummer kick)

Cooper — Michael Kendrick 32 interception return (Plummer kick)

AHS — Washington 3 run (Baker kick)