James Wood is one of five seniors on the Coupeville High School boys tennis squad. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The only action Tuesday was on the sidelines.
Denied a chance to play a final match in front of their home fans when The Bush School ran out of players, the Coupeville High School boys tennis team still gathered at the courts.
Basking in the glow of their forfeit win, the Wolves nine-man roster sipped hot chocolate provided by coach Ken Stange and held Senior Night festivities under cloudy skies.
Five of Coupeville’s nine players graduate in spring 2020, and Tuesday was about saying farewell to James Wood, Mason Grove, Koby Schreiber, Thane Peterson, and Zach Ginnings.
The Wolves still have the Emerald City League tournament this weekend (or next week, if rain hits Sammamish as expected), but Senior Night, even in a slightly different version, offered Stange a chance to honor his team as one.
“It’s been a pleasure working with my Fab 5 from the Class of 2020,” the Wolf coach said in his prepared remarks. “The five of you gave me a combined 17 seasons.
“There were many road trips and ferry rides, and quite a few important discussions about where to eat after the match.
“Tons of practices … sun, wind, rain. Wins and losses and new doubles partners, mixed in with some Around the World and Sitting Duck, or is it Sit and Duck?
“Nonetheless, these are the memories I have – the memories we share. Thank you for the memories.
“More importantly, thank you for trying hard and for enjoying yourselves.”
Schreiber, Grove, and Ginnings played all four years for CHS, with Peterson putting in three seasons and Wood ruling the court the past two years.
All will depart with a solid cache of memories.
“The people on the team and especially our coach have been amazing,” Peterson said.
“In the past few years we have been faced with teams that have much more skill than we do, but I have found that even if we lose I still had a lot of fun in the match.”
That was a sentiment echoed by his fellow seniors.
“I’m grateful for all the amazing help and support I’ve gotten from teammates, coaches, friends, and family,” Wood said. “As it was only my second year playing tennis, I’m proud to say I have had some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a long time.
“It opened up the reality of all the fun games there are out there, and I couldn’t have done it alone,” he added. “This year was one to remember.”
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