‘They don’t really make kids like Cooper.’ Douglass senior excels in football and soccer.

Too difficult. Ill-advised. Impractical.

Cooper Ranvier, Frederick Douglass star soccer player and 2022 KHSAA state champion place-kicker and rising wide receiver with the football team, has heard a multitude of reasons as to why he couldn’t excel in two sports with overlapping seasons.

“A lot of people will try to tell you it’s impossible,” Ranvier said. “And my body can’t handle it, but I’ve never let that affect me. I’ve always said it’s never hard to handle. Because I’ve always wanted to do it, and it’s my decision.”

Not only has Ranvier — who’s helped the Broncos to a 2022 42nd District soccer title and three consecutive years in which the football team has made it to at least the 5A state semis — always wanted to play both soccer and football, he actually has for most of his life.

His parents, Chris and Kelly, put him in soccer when he was 2 and football when he was 3. He played with Lexington F.C. from the time he was in fourth grade until the end of his sophomore year, around the time the club merged with Commonwealth Soccer Club to become Lexington Sporting Club Youth Soccer Club.

“My dad was always a big sports guy,” Ranvier said. “So I kind of just picked it up. And, you know, it was something to do when I was little and we never really knew what I really wanted to do until probably around eighth grade. And that’s when we figured out that I was actually pretty good.”

Ranvier and his family weren’t the only ones to take notice. Douglass boys soccer head coach Omar Shalash first met Ranvier around that time and regarded his skill.

“I met Cooper as an eighth grader,” Shalash said. “He actually played for our freshman team and he was a really, really talented eighth grader. If you were allowed to have a varsity player play in eighth grade, he was one of those kids. I could tell that he was a — is a special athlete. And what I mean by that is he was competitive as an eighth grader. It didn’t matter when or where or who he was playing against. He always went 100.”

But for his freshman year at Douglass, 2020-21, Ranvier chose football. And only football.

It was a complicated time, with everybody still adjusting to COVID and Ranvier trying to find his footing as both a high schooler (online due to the circumstances) and a high school athlete. Especially one who was given the role of starting kicker on the varsity football team.

“I never really realized that I was the only freshman out there,” Ranvier said. “Until they would like just highlight that I was a freshman before the games and when they announced the starting lineups and stuff, but it got pretty surreal during the playoffs whenever I’m playing with all these adults that are about to leave and it’s just like, I’ve never even stepped foot in the school yet.”

The 2020 Douglass football roster was loaded with talent. Several players are now playing college football, including a trio of guys now at UK who took Ranvier under their wing.

“The older guys on that team,” Ranvier said. “With Jager Burton and Dekel (Crowdus) and Dane (Key) and all of them, they couldn’t have been more welcoming and loving and helpful for me. Because I mean it’s a big transition, right? Playing immediately. So they made it a lot easier. Without them it probably would have gone a lot different way.”

Their leadership and friendship made indelible marks on Ranvier as an athlete and a person, but that season — and his athletic career — has a distinct turning point.

“He had a pretty good year as a freshman,” Douglass football head coach Nathan McPeek said. “And I think he really grew because the biggest moment I have in his young career is, he missed about a 30-yard field goal at Owensboro.”

In the 2020 KHSAA Class 5A state semifinal game, the Broncos lost 28-27 following an opportunity to win the game with a field goal. As disappointing a moment as that was, the response to it from Ranvier and his teammates has only ever been a positive one.

“The thing about the respect that he has from his teammates,” McPeek said, “is I remember our senior class, that’s a tough pill to swallow, you know, as a senior because your high school career is over. But I remember in particular, a lot of our seniors … just hugging him and saying, ‘Man, it’s gonna be OK, like you’re gonna learn from this.’ That’s what I kind of knew. As rough as we had to go through that COVID year, with a lot of cancellations that everybody dealt with, we had a really good culture. And that everybody knew Cooper was a team guy.”

For Ranvier himself, that was an experience he’ll never forget. And it genuinely changed his life.

“That was on a Friday night,” Ranvier said. “I think it was (December 11), I’ll never forget that day. And I kid you not, I was in the gym that next Saturday morning. And I really think without that moment I wouldn’t be here at all, or the type of athlete I am at all. Like that was seriously just the fuel I needed and what really drives me still to this day, every day. So I’ll never let that happen again. I just decided to dedicate myself to, I was never going to be down like that again. I was never going to be a failure again. Anybody that thought they could outwork me just was never gonna outwork me. I wasn’t gonna be outworked.”

Soccer beckons

While his attitude toward football shifted, he found himself missing soccer.

“Freshman year I was pretty envious watching everybody play and I couldn’t play,” Ranvier said.

Shalash could tell Ranvier wasn’t quite done with soccer, too.

“He would always wear his Douglass soccer gear to football practice,” Shalash laughed. “And I walked up to him one day and I was like, ‘You know if you’re gonna wear it, you know you could’ve at least played.’”

Ranvier recalled wondering how he could balance both, but made the choice in March 2021 on his first day of in-person classes at Douglass.

“COVID happened and we didn’t have a spring club season for soccer,” Ranvier said. “So I didn’t know if I wanted to even continue playing. I kind of just thought it wasn’t feasible to do both in the same season. But, you know, I walked in my first day freshman year … and Coach Shalash said we could work out a deal where we’d just figure out a schedule where I can do both. And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do. I want to play soccer. Let’s do it.’”

Ranvier returned to the game better than ever, and immediately became the it factor for the Broncos. He led the team in goals scored in both 2021 (14 goals) and 2022 (17 goals). Though he’s had to take a bit of a step back from soccer because of his senior football season, he’s still scored a pair of goals in four games played. As of Sept. 6, Douglass boys soccer was 6-0-2 on the season.

“I do think that football played a huge role in the development of his body,” Shalash said. Because of what they do in the weight room every single offseason and whatnot. But when he came back as a sophomore, it’s really hard for me to say that I’ve ever coached an athlete like Cooper. He’s fast. He’s really fast. He’s really strong, he’s really athletic and has a really good work ethic.”

He also locks in every single time he competes, blocking out the noise and focusing on how he can help secure a victory.

“It gets really serious for me,” Ranvier said. “After I say that prayer and head out there, I’m just in a different zone. I’m ready to go, ready to battle.”

But it hasn’t always been like that.

“I was kind of nonchalant about it all until that (missed) kick happened,” Ranvier said. “And then that’s when it started getting really, really serious for me. I was always a decent athlete before then, but like the caring aspect and how much it meant to me, it really started at that moment.”

Though Ranvier hasn’t found much difficulty in balancing two sports, he admits that, at times, fitting soccer and football with every other part of his life can be tough.

“The mental aspect, that has a toll on me sometimes,” Ranvier said. “But that’s where I go back to my parents and my girlfriend and my friends, and they just kind of help me balance it all and help me calm down. Whenever I’m struggling the most mentally, I just trust God and pray he’ll make everything better.”

Ranvier’s support system is everything to him. And he’s lucky enough that several of his friends have been teammates who’ve inspired him along his path in each of his sports.

“(Douglass cornerback and Michigan commit) Jeremiah Lowe, he was there with me at the gym the next day after that missed field goal,” Ranvier recalled. “And I’ll never forget working out with him that whole offseason and every day since. That’s been big for me. (Douglass lineman) Demeco Kennedy, I remember him just like hugging me right after the game. And that’s always been big. Soccer-wise, kids I’ve grown up with like (Douglass soccer teammates) Noah Jones, Logan Atkinson, Erik Wolfe, Karson Maharjan. I mean, I’ve known them probably since I was in third, fourth grade. So just growing up with them and them kind of being with me every step of the way on my journey.”

Why football?

Part of that journey was realizing he wants to pursue football in college and leave competitive soccer in high school.

“When I was younger, it was all soccer,” Ranvier explained. “But I’ve always just loved watching football, and the atmosphere and the camaraderie. It’s always just been kind of what I love. And when I started playing back in eighth grade, it’s what I’ve wanted to do ever since. And it’s always been kick, kick, kick until I started playing receiver some and got to see how all that goes down.”



During Ranvier’s time with Douglass football, the team has amassed a record of 36-5, including a 2021 Class 5A state runner-up and the 2022 5A state championship. This season, the Broncos are 1-1 after a Week 1 loss to Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) in Canton, Ohio, as part of the NE Ohio vs. America Showcase.

For the first time, Ranvier is taking meaningful snaps at wide receiver. And, if there are two people who never doubted the fact that Ranvier could do it, they’re Shalash and Ranvier himself.

“I was the only person that believed that he could play wide receiver,” Shalash laughed. “Now it’s a little hard when you have Dane Key and all these other kids that are going D-1. But it’s ironic that it’s senior year and he’s one of our go-to guys. But ever since I met him, I knew he was going to be a special breed. They don’t really make kids like Cooper.”

Ranvier not only always believed, but was determined to demonstrate.

“Since day one freshman year,” Ranvier said. “I’ve always practiced with all the receivers. Got to learn from Dekel and Dane and Jakari (Cowherd) and all of them. And my coach was always a little nervous about me playing. But this year I made a vow to myself that like, regardless of if he’s scared for me to play, I’m gonna show him that I’m gonna play. I’ve always thought I had the athletic capabilities too, so I really locked in on the plays and learned my role. And now, I feel like that’s a really big part of our team now.”

And it is. Not only is he continuing to excel on special teams with kickoffs, punting and place-kicking, going 2-for-2 on PATs plus a 32-yard field goal in the Broncos’ 17-14 win at Trinity on Aug. 26, but he’s also proving it to McPeek.

“He did a lot of seven-on-seven this past spring with a couple of local guys here in town,” McPeek explained. “Including Chad Pennington (Sayre’s head coach). He was with some other guys that I really trust and were like, ‘Man, he’s really good.’ He runs a high four-four, four-five 40. I mean, he’s a really good athlete, catches the ball well. But he’s so big. You know, most DBs aren’t that big. So he can kind of use his body and shield some things. He’s not a great route runner by any means because he hasn’t had a lot of years of it. But he’s getting better and he does things the right way with our wide receiver coach. And I decided to kind of take the reins off of him because he’s one of our top three guys at that position. Obviously, we don’t want anything to happen to him, want him to stay healthy because he’s our best kicker and best weapon.”

Recruiting visits

At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Ranvier has picked up a slew of scholarship offers from Division I programs looking for their next great kicker. He is considered a five-star kicker, and No. 28 overall in the class of 2023 by Kohl’s Professional Camps, which is the ranking system used by ESPN to evaluate punters and kickers.

Since Sept. 1 of his junior year, college coaches have been able to contact him directly regarding opportunities, whether they be walk-on or scholarship, but he received his first offer a few months prior in June 2022 from Eastern Kentucky.

Ranvier has since received full scholarship offers from Marshall, Army, Air Force and Boston College. There’s been plenty of communication from, and an official visit to, Louisville, though Ranvier described it as technically different from the others.

“Louisville’s a confusing situation,” Ranvier said. “But we just call it an offer.”

In addition to his visit with the Cardinals, Ranvier has taken visits to EKU, Boston College, South Carolina, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Tennessee and West Virginia. He’s also attended a couple of UK game days.

Though kicking feels like a different animal from recruiting other positions on the football field — which, to be fair, it is — the process of scheduling visits and evaluating a program’s potential fit is the same.

“I’ll go to a couple game days,” Ranvier said. “See the environment, see where I just want to end up for my next four years.”

In between working toward a KHSAA soccer championship and a second-consecutive state title with Douglass football, Ranvier’s next stop will be at Louisville to watch the Cardinals host Notre Dame on Oct. 7.

Regardless of where Ranvier lands for his college career, he hopes his legacy at Douglass is one of perseverance.

“If you want to do something,” Ranvier said. “Put your mind to it and you can do it. And don’t let adversity strike you. Because I don’t think there’s anybody that’s doing what I’m doing right now. And not a lot of people think it’s easy or feasible at all. And if you want to do something, work at it, you can do it. I want people to get that out of what I’ve done.”

The ‘Doctor’ is in. Beloved Bourbon County sports writer marks 40 years.

This week’s best: State’s top senior QBs square off in Louisville; Scott Co. visits Boyle

Who’s No. 1 in the first Kentucky high school football media rankings of the season?

Lexington Catholic extends city streak as it prepares for annual Lady Knights Challenge Cup

Vote: Kentucky.com’s high school football offensive player of the week (Week 3)

Vote: Kentucky.com’s high school football defensive player of the week (Week 3)

‘Ice-Cold Gentry’ kicks Bryan Station to its first win of the season

Highlights: Paducah Tilghman snaps 17-game losing streak to archrival; Tates Creek rolls

‘Nobody expected us to be here.’ Second-half rout of Hazard a coming-out party for Paris.

‘They’ve raised our level of play.’ UK targets Jerod and Jacob Smith lift Corbin defense.