Rosehill Christian 2022-23

there’s a way to live your life – to be a kind, genuine person. “When you go across those lines, you’d better be competitive and give it your all – but at the end of the season, what have you learned? I find that out when I see these players years later, who are good all-around people and now parents and spouses. I know that Rosehill Christian – all the teachers and coaches – played a part in that. That’s what’s important.”

me, but I get to know their families and their siblings. Because it’s a small school, you really connect more and they become part of your extended family.” What was the lesson that this teacher and coach wanted to imbue his students with during his time at the school? “I’ve tried to teach them that what they do matters,” he said. “We’re a Christian school, so we’ll obviously teach them the gospel and the love of Christ. But also,

Prior to his final season, Cooper acknowledged what Rosehill Christian has meant to him. The answer still resonates, today. I’ve been here 20 years and I consider myself a teacher first,” Cooper said. “I teach history and I teach the Bible, through all different levels. The relationships that I have with some of my former players and students have been great. “I get to work with these kids for four years at a time, and they probably get tired of

it all in those two seasons,” he said. “In the first one, we played at Baseball USA and the players led all these elementary school kids out, and they asked for their autographs after the win – it was a great memory. In 2017, it was a little more difficult because everybody knew we were good, but the guys came through and won it again. “I’ve been coaching for about 30 years, and championships are hard to come by. When you get one, it’s something special.”