VYPE: Who has been your favorite coach throughout your career and how did they impact you as a player?
Cooper Leonard: My favorite coach throughout my career has been my high school head coach, Coach Harmon. Harmon had always treated me with respect and honesty and will never not give me the truth. This makes him very trustworthy and a great coach.
VYPE: Did you have any teammates that you admire or that supported you?
CL: A teammate I admire and that always helps me push towards my goals is Hudson Haas. Hudson is a great competitor and always sets a great example for everyone. He shows up and works hard every single day and gives full effort every minute of it.
VYPE: Who was your favorite teacher and how were they influential in your life?
CL: My favorite teacher is Mrs. Cochran, who teaches Orchestra at Po-Hi. She has always been so kind and such a great leader and I hope to be like her one day.
VYPE: What preparation have you taken this off-season to better equip yourself for the upcoming season?
CL: This off-season I gave up the sport I grew up playing to focus in on the game I love the most. Quitting Baseball hurt at first but it left me so much extra time to work on getting stronger and work towards my craft so I could dominate my senior year.
VYPE: What has your sport taught you that you use in your daily life?
CL: Football has taught me leadership, discipline and selflessness. I use these qualities every day.
VYPE: What has been your favorite memory in your sport?
CL: My favorite memory so far was proving everyone wrong my junior year. We started 0-4 but we trusted our coach and each other enough to win five straight and make playoffs.
VYPE: What do you hope to accomplish this season (individual or team goals)?
CL: My goal for this season is to make history for Ponca City. I know it’ll be hard to top what we did last year but I know this group can do it.
VYPE: What matchup are you most looking forward to this season?
CL: I’m looking toward the playoffs the most, whatever matchup shows up in front of us.
VYPE: What are your plans after high school?
CL: After high school I plan on playing college football while earning my degree to be a physical Therapist.
