Sports are everything for Eli Coopman.

No, seriously. The Flathead athlete has little time for anything outside of school and athletics, but it’s what makes Coopman such a special talent. 

“Being a four-sport athlete, that’s pretty much all I do is school and sports, maybe a little bit of time to hang out with friends,” Coopman said. “Football means so much to me, just knowing that this is my Senior Night this weekend is really upsetting to me because I am really going to miss football. I just love it so much.” 

“From the start I was really impressed with Eli,” Braves’ coach Mac Roche said. “I was in South Carolina and he and I would get on Zoom calls and telephone calls just about every week to talk through installs, talk through what I wanted in read progression. 

“He is an exceptionally coachable kid. He always wants to learn.” 

Coopman and his fellow seniors take the field against Butte Friday at 6 p.m. for their final home game in orange and black, though they will take the field at Legends Stadium one more time for Crosstown against Glacier on Oct. 16. 

Coopman has faced plenty of adversity playing for the Braves, including an 0-9 junior season, but said he has become a better player because of it. 

“We have definitely learned from it, if we didn’t face the adversity we faced last year, I don’t think we would have came out with a win against Billings Senior,” Coopman said. 

Add in the changes at head coach in recent years and Coopman has had to learn a whole new offense in the offseason. But Roche says that was no problem for Coopman. 

“I remember I came in, it was June 2, and we were having practice out here and he is already going through and getting everybody set on formations, talking through routes. He had already learned the entire offense,” Roche said. “To have a guy being a mature quarterback is huge for me, because I was able to throw a whole lot more on his plate than I anticipated previously.” 

The southpaw quarterback also suits up for the Braves in basketball, track and, coming in spring 2026, baseball. 

“Me and my family have been really pushing the board and Mr. Allison to get baseball going for the Flathead Braves,” Coopman said. 

He is a part of the interview committee for the Braves as they look for their first head coach with the new program. 

On the diamond, Coopman played for a scout team based out of Spokane called the Northwest Bison in 2025. 

“We play all around Oregon, Washington, Idaho,” Coopman said. “It’s more of a prospect team so we don’t really practice together, we just play.” 

Coopman adds that it helps to keep him accountable to better himself and get workouts and practice in because he doesn’t have a coach constantly working with him. 

“I’ve just got to find time to go down to the Sluggers’ facility, which is just down in Evergreen with Chris Gillette,” Coopman said. 

The diamond is where Coopman sees his future after high school as well. 

“Next year, I have opportunities to play college baseball,” Coopman said. “I just got back from a visit to the University of Oregon.” 

Coopman is being recruited as a left-handed pitcher but also plays first base. His fastball reaches up to 92 mph. 

“Really, I like all my pitches. I throw a sweeper off my slider, I like my changeup and I like mixing it up,” Coopman said. 

He is still weighing his options for where to attend in the fall of 2026, but whatever the choice, Coopman plans to be dealing on the diamond. 

    Flathead quarterback Eli Coopman (6) picks up yardage on a run in the first quarter against Missoula Big Sky at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider