Coupeville Sports

Ben Wehrman, best photo bomber ever.

The Cult of Stange grows.

A tennis guru with a killer net game who masquerades as a mild-mannered teacher by day, Coupeville High School tennis coach Ken Stange is subtly molding the minds of Coupeville’s youths with his easy-going ways. And that’s a good thing.

“If we’re talking about tennis, then Mr. Stange is definitely my top influence. He is extremely passionate about tennis, and that has rubbed off on me,” said senior Ben Wehrman. “I’ve played since I was a freshman. I love how laid-back the environment is on the tennis court. Mr. Stange is a great coach.”

Wehrman, who is looking at either the University of Washington or Western Washington University for his post-high school days, more than pays Stange back with his play on the court. He will join Nathan Lamb to give the Wolves a potent one-two combo at singles this year, as they once again aim to thrash league rival Friday Harbor.

Having honed his wrist skills by putting in time as a “professional ice cream scooper” at Kapaw’s Iskreme this summer, Wehrman will put racket to ball starting Monday, unless the sudden reappearance of rain in Coupeville has something to say about that.

Regardless of when he gets going, Wolf fans will get to see a talented player who remains low-key about his own skills.

“I would say that I’m all around decent — everything could use some work,” he said. “I want to get a positive win/loss record, that’s the main thing.”

When he’s not wielding a racket or an ice cream scoop, Wehrman is partial to board sports — with a special fondness for snowboarding and longboarding — and enjoys history class.

And, if history has taught us anything, it’s that members of the Ken Stange Fan Club and Tennis Appreciation Society are three times more likely to be successful in life than your average high school student.

Maybe I’m making that up and maybe not. Either way, Wehrman’s got that going for him, which is nice.