There’s no secret to what’ll happen when Michael Cooper gets the soccer ball. He’ll come straight ahead, usually sprint past a defender and, more often than not, score a goal.

No flash, no pizzazz. Just pure speed and results.

Cooper, Vicksburg’s senior striker, had eight goals in his first five games this season, including a pair of hat tricks. The fast start followed up a 21-goal season last winter and has helped the Gators to a 10-1 start as they prepare to host archrival Warren Central in a key Division 3-5A game tonight at Memorial Stadium.

&#8220Everybody says a forward has to be flashy to score goals. I feel like it’s just my job to score,” Cooper said. &#8220I just don’t worry about getting past them, just go straight at them.”

Cooper said he tried to develop some moves to juke defenders, but wasn’t comfortable with any of them. So he went back to the old standby, his 4.7-second speed in the 40-yard dash, to just outrun them.

It resulted in five multi-goal games last season, and three more so far this year.

&#8220He’s a skilled player, but the thing that makes him such a good player is speed,” Vicksburg coach Jason Bennett said. &#8220People have to pay attention to him. It makes the defense check him more and opens it up for some of our other guys.”

Indeed it does. Cooper is not just a goal-scorer. He handed out 15 assists last season, including a four-assist game against Greenville-Weston and a three-assist night in a playoff win over Horn Lake.

Staying involved with the offense is important for Cooper. He said he sometimes gets frustrated when he falls into a scoring drought – like a recent three-game scoreless streak – and sometimes loses his temper.

&#8220I get frustrated,” Cooper said. &#8220The team feels once I get my head out of the game I’m no good, so I try to keep my head in the game.”

Cooper added that the recent scoreless streak, which he broke with two goals in a 3-1 win over Vandebilt Catholic on Friday – is part of the territory when it comes to being a goal-scorer. An aggressive defense can shut a player down if it wants to. That’s when it’s up to Cooper to find the open man and make a play without putting the ball in the net.

&#8220They’ll have one guy on me and a guy back. That works for about 10 minutes, then me and (midfielder) Jay Hall switch sides,” Cooper said. &#8220It helps us a lot. It lures pressure away from me and to them and gives us some options.”