The 2020 Male Roscoe Eades Award was presented to Cooper Willman, the son of Dawn and Josh Willman. Cooper earned nine varsity letters, along with the “S” Award for participating in football, boys’ basketball, and baseball all four years at S.H.S. To start off his athletic career, Cooper started out as a running back on the freshman team that struggled all year long. Cooper later played the quarterback position the last five games of his freshman season and this is where he shined. Going into his sophomore season, Cooper began to make a name for himself with his performance as the new quarterback, helping the team to go 6-3 overall compared to 2-7 his freshman year. When his junior season arrived, Cooper started out as a starting safety for the varsity squad. On offense, he was still working at the quarterback position, switching every other possession. Cooper and the team’s hard work led them to a successful season with a record of 11-2 and a state semi-final appearance. His efforts paid off as he was rewarded with All-Conference First Team, Academic All-State, and Sauk Valley Media All-Area Second Team. As a key returning player, Cooper was honored to serve as a captain for the Golden Warriors football team for his senior season. The 2019 season looked a little different as the Golden Warriors joined a new conference. However, this did not stop Cooper and the rest of the team from going 9-0 in the regular season and 10-1 overall. This crew won their fifth straight conference title for the first time in S.H.S. history. Cooper dominated at the quarterback position with 1977 career rushing yards, ranking sixth in school history and 1683 career passing yards, ranking fifth in school history. His efforts were rewarded as he received All-Conference First team, Academic All-State, All-State Honorable Mention, Sauk Valley Media Football Player of the Year, Sauk Valley Media All-Area First Team, Shrine Bowl Player Nominee, Team Offensive MVP, and All Team MVP. During the winter, Cooper spent his time on the basketball court. As a freshman, Cooper played for the freshman boys’ basketball team and also dressed for the sophomore team. In his sophomore year, he played for the sophomore squad and dressed for the varsity team. Then his junior season came around. Cooper worked hard all year and eventually earned a starting spot. His hard work paid off, as he also earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors and was a three-point state finalist. In his final year, he was a full-time starter, playing in all 32 games and averaging 11.3 points. Cooper dominated on defense and with his leadership skills as he served as a captain of the team. He earned All-Conference Honorable Mention, Sauk Valley Media All-Area Third Team, and was a Illinois vs. Iowa All-Star Game Nominee. Overall, Cooper played a total of 61 varsity games in two seasons and scored a total of 568 career points. To wrap up his career, Cooper moved out to the Gartner Park baseball fields, starting out on the freshman team and then moving up to varsity for postseason with a starting spot at second. The team went on to become conference and regional champions. For his sophomore and junior seasons, he started at shortstop and batted second in the lineup. Cooper was a major contributor to both successful seasons where the team won another regional title and two more conference titles. His performance his sophomore year earned him All-Conference Honorable Mention, and Sauk Valley All-Area Honorable Mention, while his junior year he was awarded with All-Conference First Team, All-Conference MVP, and Sauk Valley Media All-Area First Team honors. Cooper holds several records in baseball, including sixth in stolen bases, third in hit by pitches, tied for seventh in singles, tenth in runs scored, tied for ninth in games pitched, and tied for thirteenth in strikeouts. Overall, his baseball career was one to remember. Even though he was not able to experience his senior season, he still was chosen to be captain of the team. Throughout all of his successful sports, Cooper still managed to keep his grades up, earning Academic All-Conference honors his junior and senior years in all three sports. In Cooper’s free time he enjoys listening to music, playing video games, lifting and doing field work. He will continue his football and academic career at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.