Boys’ and girls’ gymnastics teams at Abilene High School and Cooper High School wrapped up their seasons April 21-23 at the state gymnastics meet in Rockwall, and it was a season-ending meet to remember.
Not only did the Cooper boys finish in the top 15 in the team competition, but AISD head gymnastics coach Brandon Cooke was honored as the Class 6A Boys’ Coach of the Year. Also, Abilene High’s Delaney Storey was named to the Texas High School Senior National Team, which will compete in Ft. Meyers Beach, Fla., May 20-21.
The Cooper boys finished 12th in the Class 6A team competition with Tristan Reyna placing ninth in the all-around competition, ninth in the vault, and eighth on the high bar. For the Abilene High boys, Joel Dantzler finished 10th in the all-around competition, and 11th on the high bar, finishing just one-tenth of a percentage point out of 10th place and a spot in the finals in the high bar.
“The boys had a great showing at the state meet,” Cooke said. “They were excited to be at the state meet competing against some very talented teams. They’re already fired up and excited for the 2022-23 season, working on new skills, and wanting to have a better season next year than this year.”
Reyna and Dantzler were two of the top all-around gymnasts in District 2-6A and in the region, and Cooke said he was proud of their performances in Rockwall.
“Both guys had solid performances each time they stepped up to compete,” Cooke said. “They pushed themselves to do the best routine they could in every event.”
Storey is the first Abilene ISD gymnast to earn a spot on a USA national team since Cooper had a pair of girls on the team in 2009. She will compete in the vault, bars, balance beam, and floor exercise and will score in the all-around.
“Delaney is a very hard worker,” Cooke said. “She has had a goal of making the national team since she joined the gymnastics team in January of last year. Having a member of the AHS team make the national team is a big deal! It shows that we have some talented kids here in our programs and gets the younger girls excited to work hard so that they may be able to be a part of the national team when they are seniors.”
Cooke garnered accolades of his own after a very trying season for the AISD gymnastics program. Last fall, longtime head coach CJ Jackson passed away suddenly, leaving Cooke in charge of the program. Then he dealt with a string of student-athletes – and even himself – being out with COVID. While Cooke was out sick, he had a computer set on a rolling cabinet so he could Zoom in on practice and coach his athletes from his home.
“There are a lot of very good coaches in the state and to have them vote me as the coach of the year means a lot,” Cooke said. “I have worked hard to do the best I can for the gymnastics program and will continue to do so no matter if I am voted coach of the year or not. I love coaching gymnastics and the AISD gymnastics program. I look forward to coaching the kiddos every day. Having a love for coaching and the program makes it easy to work hard for them.
I wish that it were not possible for me to be named boys’ coach of the year and that CJ was still here coaching with me. Having the other coaches in the state tell me that I have done a good job and voting me as coach of the year is a great honor.”
