Coupeville Sports

Coupeville High School football coach Bennett Richter is losing one of his two league rivals. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

As the schedule for Coupeville High School’s 2024 football season begins to take shape, new names are appearing, and an old one is vanishing.

While things are still in flux, a partial schedule on the Northwest 2B/1B League web site shows the Wolves picking up home games next fall with Annie Wright and Winlock.

But what’s missing is La Conner, as the Braves gridiron program faces tough times.

With declining enrollment in the school overall and a sharp decrease in the number of athletes playing football, school officials petitioned the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to play eight-man football in the 1B classification.

La Conner would have remained a 2B school in every other sport.

While schools can play “up” in Washington state, football is the only athletic pursuit in which they can play “down.”

But only with WIAA approval, which La Conner did not get.

Now, La Conner officials are holding a community meeting Feb. 20 to seek input on the best way to proceed.

In a presentation to the school board Monday, Athletic Director Christine Tripp outlined three possibilities.

One, kill the football program and focus on other fall sports such as soccer, as league mate Orcas Island did several years ago.

Two, play eight-man football as an independent school. Under that scenario, the Braves have no opportunity to play in the postseason.

Or three, combine with 2A Anacortes, and send whatever players they have off to join the defending state champs. Just not in a Braves uniform.

Tripp told La Conner’s school board the plan is to make a decision by mid-March.

The group making that call will include the athletic director, a district rep, a coach, and a board member.

With La Conner unlikely to be playing 11-man football any time soon, that leaves Coupeville and Friday Harbor as the only 2B schools in the seven-team NWL to be doing so.

Mount Vernon Christian and Orcas move up from 1B to 2B next fall, but neither have a football program, while Concrete and Darrington are 1B schools already playing the eight-man game.