Former Cooper players reunite in Clyde for battle of former coach, teammate

Just seconds after Merkel’s 41-40 win over Clyde on Friday, head coach B.C. Lee walked toward Clyde coach Marc Case in front of the scorer’s table.

The two shook hands, then hugged.

As the two stepped away, Lee’s words to Case were genuine.

“I love you, coach,” Lee said.

Lee is a former player for Case. The longtime Big Country coach previously was at Abilene Cooper, from which Lee graduated in 2003.

The two have faced each other several times now as opposing coaches. Lee has been at Merkel for eight years, while Case has been at Clyde for three.

But this matchup was particularly special: seven of Lee’s teammates and Case’s former players from Cooper were on hand to watch.

“To see these guys come back and want to say ‘Hi’ and see me and B.C., it means the world,” Case said.

Making the trip

Former Cougars came from as far as San Antonio and the Metroplex to watch.

It marked the first time since high school that a large group of players from the 2002-03 Cooper team reunited.

“We all have love for each other,” said Kai Johnson, a guard on the 2002-03 team. “We haven't seen each other in a while, so this was a perfect moment to get together.”

All of Case’s players in attendance shared the same sentiment: the coach was, and still is, a role model to them. The chance to watch their mentor against a beloved former teammate sparked this reunion.

“He was always a big part of my life, still is,” said Chris Gammage, who later played at Hardin-Simmons and McMurry. “He’s a great guy, always looked out for us as players and still to this day, so I definitely wanted to come support him.”

Zach Jones, another senior on that team, added, “A lot of what B.C. learned is from Coach Case, so it’s a lot of fun to see.”

The 2002-03 season was Case’s first in his second stint at Cooper (he previously coached there in the '80s). For Lee, it was his senior year and second as a varsity player. That team formed a special bond, one that has kept them in touch over the past two decades.

For Case’s former players and Lee’s former teammates, it was hard to pick a rooting interest in the matchup. Johnson and Gammage agreed that they were both indifferent.

“I was just enjoying the show,” Johnson said.

Jones, however, did pick a side.

“It was hard, but I landed on going for Merkel,” Jones said. “I felt like they were having a better year so far.”

Gammage joked, “Zach’s a bandwagon!”

The seven former Cougars in the stands were treated to an exciting game. The Badgers and Bulldogs went back and forth in a game of momentum shifts before Merkel prevailed in the final minute.

Jones applauded both Lee and Case for having the same passion they had in 2003, but he said one thing was different about Case.

“Coach Case is a softee now,” Jones said. “He used to be more vocal and wouldn’t sit down, now he sits down the whole time.”

Leaving a legacy

Any time Merkel and Clyde play each other is bittersweet for Lee and Case. It’s a chance for the two to reconnect, but it also means one of them has to lose.

This time, Case drew the short straw. But it was still a special evening for the 70-year-old coach.

“Those relationships are why you do what you do,” Case said. “That’s why you do this. There’s a lot of reasons for doing it, but the biggest reason is you hope you had some sort of impact or influence on somebody.”

And for Lee, it was a win against his mentor on a nostalgic night.

“He taught me so much,” Lee said. “He’s a big reason I’m doing what I’m doing today.”

Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com" target="_blank">digital subscription to reporternews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Cooper grads watch former coach and teammate in Merkel-Clyde game