Aaron Curtin brings the heat. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
This blog turns nine years old August 15, and to mark the occasion, I’m picking what I view as the best nine Wolf athletes from each active CHS sport.
To be eligible, you had to play for the Wolves between Aug. 2012-Aug. 2021, AKA the “Coupeville Sports” years.
So here we go. Each day between Aug. 2-15, a different sport and (probably) a different argument.
The little league champs still rule.
Central Whidbey’s juniors hardball team won a state title in 2010, when I was still writing for the Coupeville Examiner.
Jump forward into the blog years, and the guys from that title team stayed in the news, with many of them playing a full four years of high school ball.
Five of my nine picks from the diamond were part of that group, and they headline a mythical nine which includes two sets of brothers.
Hunter Smith is just here for the strikeouts.
Josh Bayne — A beast. The only Wolf player I’ve seen jack an out-of-the-park home run on Coupeville’s field, and that ball is still going up and far, far away, years later.
Aaron Curtin — He had a wicked touch as a hurler, a lively bat, and could stare down anyone.
Ben Etzell — Coupeville’s only league MVP, in any sport, during the 1A/2A Cascade Conference years, when ATM was the big baddie. Big bat, bigger arm, a strikeout machine who went on to a strong four-year college career as a pitching ace.
Cole Payne — From younger brother to team leader, he rose through the ranks to leave a large impact on the program, then tipped his hat and walked away, a winner to the end.
Morgan Payne — Big bro patrolled short and provided a dangerous bat; a quiet, very-effective player from little league through Senior Night.
CJ Smith — Captain Cool, he pitched Coupeville to its first baseball league title in 25 years, while seemingly never breaking a sweat.
Hunter Smith — Maybe the most-talented player to ever take the CHS diamond — a force on the mound, at short, and at the plate, where he had pop, speed, and an uncanny knack for big-game heroics.
Aaron Trumbull — Severely underrated, he was a steadying force for the Wolves wherever he played, whether taking the mound or hovering at first base. Also a class act who always put team first, a stand-up guy who never left a teammate hanging.
Jake Tumblin — Rock-solid behind the plate, he was the rare catcher who was also the quickest player on the team, hurtling around the base-paths to create perfectly-orchestrated havoc.
Aaron Trumbull, firing BB’s.
Next up: We head to the cross country trail.
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