Coupeville Sports

“I’m just saying … I would pay to watch me play!!”

There may be some confusion Friday night.

It’s been so long since the Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team has played a home game, the Wolves and their fans may not even remember where the gym is. So, if you get lost, go to PC, look across the street, and you’ll see a big, lighted brick building. That’s where you want to go.

Tomorrow night’s rumble with dastardly Archbishop Thomas Murphy (JV at 5:15, varsity at 7) will mark the first time in 21 days Coupeville has hosted a boys’ basketball game.

I’m serious.

Three weeks, six straight games of piling on the bus and traveling to bucolic burgs like Sultan and Langley. That’s a long stretch of season, and much has happened since the Wolves last darkened the door of their own gym.

The Wolves snapped their 33-game, 702-day losing streak, Ben Etzell scored 24 points in a game and then got “The Staph” in his elbow, Nick Streubel forgot his shoes and Josh Wilsey saved him by driving back to get them, Joel Walstad made his varsity debut and man-mountain Streubel chased a loose ball into the stands at South Whidbey and destroyed 42 music stands in one ballet-like move.

With two of its final three regular season games at home (King’s visits Friday, Feb. 1 during Senior Night), Coupeville will give fans a chance to acknowledge them for what they have accomplished this season. Plagued by broken feet, food poisoning, viral crud, “The Staph,” god-awful refs and assorted other aches and illnesses, the Wolves have fought to the end.

Three regular season story lines still to play out:

1) Can Nick Streubel hold off Aaron Trumbull for the team scoring crown? The junior big man leads the sophomore shooter 113-106, while Etzell, who is expected to miss at least two more games, sits third with 98 points.

2) The injuries and illnesses that have wracked the Wolves have left the door open for JV players to step up and play with the big boys. Morgan Payne has been a regular swing-man all year, even starting for the varsity at South Whidbey, while Anthony Bergeron has picked up progressively more minutes. Walstad made his varsity debut in the last game and popped for five.

Who’s next? Will we see Wiley Hesselgrave, Josiah Campbell or Dalton Martin make their varsity debuts before the season is done?

3) On Senior Night, the Wolves will honor emotional leaders Caleb Valko and Drew Chan. Who will be the first person in the gym to get misty-eyed that night?

Yeah, probably me.

As Valko, The Page Hit King, makes that final turn towards the end of his high school days and graduation and takes with him his ability to produce mucho page views for me, I am left with just one thought — get held back, boy!! If not for yourself, at least think about my stats!!

College is overrated! Nothing would be finer than to spend another year with Ballard! You can grow a mustache and play under an alias, be a foreign exchange student, Belac Oklav!!

See? I’m hysterical already and it’s not even Senior Night…

Plus one for the postseason:

4) Will Etzell be healthy enough to return for the district playoffs?

And a final one to grow on:

5) Why are high school bleachers all so darn uncomfortable?!?!