Coupeville Sports

   Ben Smith charges after a loose ball during a middle school basketball game. (John Fisken photo)

There’s a second star in the family.

Jacob Smith has attracted a fair amount of attention the past two years, breaking school records and winning state meet medals in track.

But hot on his heels comes younger brother Ben, a three-sport athlete who’s making the jump to Coupeville High School in the fall.

During his middle school days, the younger Smith brother played football and basketball, while also running track like his older sibling.

“My brother has made a huge impact on me during track season,” Ben Smith said. “I may drop track (in high school), but I see it as a talent to continue, though.

“I’ve been told I should continue it.”

Football, where he’s a hard-hitting two-way player, has grown to be his favorite.

“It has become the sport I have the most talent at, out of all of them,” Smith said.

A fan of hip hop and horror and science fiction films, he looks forward to history class, as well.

“I enjoy history, as I study a lot of it,” Smith said. “It’s a very easy subject, in my opinion.”

His best middle school sports memories include “breaking the football defensive yardage record and scoring my first few points in basketball.”

While he’s excelled in the sports he’s played, he’s “always open to try new things” and may mix things up with high school offering more sports teams than middle school did.

Whatever he ends up playing, Smith will get the most he can out of every athletic opportunity.

“It gets my body going and keeps me healthy to a limit I want,” he said. “And I could use this athleticism to go somewhere I would want.

“I would like to continue my soccer career or football and continue my positions within them and use them for college sports if I make any college teams.”