Coupeville Sports

Aaron Trumbull has places to be and things to do. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Trumbull (23) and teammates pause during the “Star Spangled Banner.”

  Honorary coaches for the night, cancer survivors Jim Kessler of Coupeville and Karissa Bragg of ATM.

Trumbull in action.

  The Wolf cheerleaders did their best at halftime to lift the crowd’s mood, asking for and getting large-spread support from the student section.

Aaron Trumbull had barely reached the hospital, and he was already talking about leaving.

He needed to get back to his team’s game against Archbishop Thomas Murphy, which was now looking like it would be the only game he didn’t score in this season. He had to be up and about to coach his squad of Boys and Girls Club hoopsters the next day, since co-coach CJ Roberts was out sick. He had places to be.

Of course, after the fall the Coupeville High School sophomore had just suffered Friday night, smacking his head and neck on the unforgiving hardwood of the baseline after having his legs cut out from under him in mid-air, no one was letting him go anywhere all that quickly. But his pluckiness, his competitiveness, his need to get up and go — all positive signs.

To the relief of all, Trumbull eventually walked away with a concussion and a nasty knot, but with full use of his limbs and a spirit which can’t be dampened.

In his absence, his teammates, already missing multiple players due to injury and illness, put up a fight against the powerful Wildcats. Freshman Wiley Hesselgrave made his varsity debut and he and Joel Walstad (making his second varsity appearance) brought a new sense of energy to the Wolves in the second half.

Morgan Payne, who has jumped from swinging between JV and varsity to being a starter for the big squad, pushed the ball relentlessly all night, as well, while inside threat Nick Streubel paced Coupeville with 10 points.

It was a night that started on a positive night, as two cancer survivors — one from each school — were honored in pre-game festivities. It took a potentially horrifying turn, but then righted itself again at the end, with the news that Trumbull would be OK.

At halftime, just moments after Trumbull had been taken to Whidbey General by paramedics, Wolf cheer coach Cheridan Boyd-Eck handled an awkward moment about as well as anyone could.

Before her squad performed, she admitted no one was in the mood to celebrate, but asked for the support of the student body for a group effort to show their concern for Trumbull and the school’s unity.

The resulting performance of “Gangnam Style,” with the gym floor filled with people, wasn’t the smoothest performance, but it worked to ease the tension in the room.

Before the second half kicked off, ATM coach Jamar Williams stopped to offer Wolf coach Anthony Smith some private words of support and many of his players repeated the gesture after the game.

It was a rough evening, but one marked by hope and happiness in seeing others survive and prosper.

That the Wolves lost a game somewhere in between matters not so much at the moment.