Josh Bayne coasts into the end zone with one of his two touchdowns Friday night. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
All the stars came out Friday night.
Brett Arnold and Bryce Fleming each scored a pair of touchdowns for Coupeville High School in its 47-14 dismantling of visiting Orcas Island. Jake Tumblin ripped off a sound barrier-busting 67-yard run to the end zone and big, bad, buff linemen like Caleb Valko, Nick Streubel and Carson Risner spent most of the game deep in the Orcas backfield, usually sitting on someone’s head.
And then there was Josh Bayne.
The sophomore had a coming-out party under the Friday night lights — even if the lights had barely flickered on by the time the game was winding down, what with a 5 PM start. Replacing injured Gunnar Langvold at quarterback, Bayne bolted for a touchdown on the ground and added another off of one of his two interceptions.
He was not only ready for the big time, he grabbed the spotlight and brought the house down.
Not bad for a guy who had a couple of quarters of JV football as his only prior QB experience. Not that you would have known it from his calm demeanor once he took the first snap.
Well, calm on the outside.
“I was very nervous until I stepped on the field, then I knew I had to play with a level head and no fear,” Bayne said. “It felt great and was fun to help contribute to the team like that.
“I like both offense and defense,” he added. “I feel stronger on the defensive side of the ball because I’m still learning our new offense and gaining experience at QB.”
With big, bruising backs like Arnold and Danny Savalza ripping away for chunks of key yardage, and Fleming and Tumblin always one stutter-step away from taking it to the house, the Wolves showed how impressive their running attack can be, especially when backed by solid play from both lines.
“Our running backs were great all night, taking advantage of the huge holes our line was making all game,” Bayne said. “Our defensive line and the linebackers did a great job stuffing the run and putting pressure on the Orcas QB.”
The win, the first for the Wolves after four close losses, could be the spark for the rest of the season. A spark that Bayne is thrilled to have helped light.
“It gave us confidence and a lot of momentum going into our next game,” Bayne said. “I’d like to continue to improve and help my team get some more wins.”
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