Coupeville Sports

Lathom Kelley, ready to hit some folks. (John Fisken photos)

Ryan Griggs stays busy by firing off a few hundred push-ups.

Wiley Hesselgrave (right) goes low to snag a reception during practice.

Josh Poole is impressed.

Fall is about to kick in the door.

With rain drops splattering down on the prairie Monday, we are officially at T-minus-100 hours until the kickoff of games that count.

Now, technically, the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer team is the first in action with a jamboree Thursday in Oak Harbor, but the first contest that goes in the win/loss column comes a day later.

That’s when the Wolves travel down Island Friday to face-off with arch-rival South Whidbey in Langley (7 PM kickoff) in their first game under new head coach Brett Smedley.

The Falcons will have their own first-year man in Michael Coe, with Chris Tormey having fled the Island after just one season to go work in the Canadian Football League.

At stake in the non-conference game will be bragging rights and ownership of The Bucket, the trophy which has spent two of the last three years living in Coupeville.

Let the battles begin.