Jackson Waterbury is riled up and ready to rumble. (Julie Wheat photo)
They endured.
Playing through injuries, some unfortunate penalty flags, and a rival coach looking to pad his son’s stats, the Coupeville High School football squad played hard to the final buzzer Friday night, eventually falling 55-12 to visiting Friday Harbor.
The loss drops the Wolves to 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 0-4 overall.
Bennett Richter’s squad will look to get healthy fast, however, with next week bringing a smorgasbord of activity.
CHS hosts South Whidbey Friday, October 9, with the Battle for the Bucket, Homecoming, and Senior Night for the gridiron giants and Wolf cheerleaders all packed into one night at Mickey Clark Field.
Kickoff is 7:00 PM and Coupeville PA announcer Ryan Jones better bring the herbal tea and throat lozenges, as his vocal cords will likely get a workout with all the festivities.
Back in action Friday after a bye week thanks to a school which dropped off the schedule after losing its coach, the Wolves ran into a solid foe in the Wolverines, who got to 1-0 in league play, 4-1 overall.
Friday Harbor has a talented star in senior multi-threat Channing Kleine.
And a coach in Shawn Kleine who made sure his son got to collect a fifth touchdown by having starting quarterback Jackson Feliz continue to throw to his main target with a 43-point lead and a running clock late in the third quarter.
As George Costanza once said on Seinfeld, “Well, the Jerk Store called, and they’re running out of you.”
Coupeville travels to Friday Harbor October 23 for the regular season finale, and chances of a handshake line are limited.
Nathan Coxsey had several strong runs Friday night. (Julie Wheat photo)
For now, the Wolverines can bask in the afterglow of a game in which they busted out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play, before dropping 35 more points on the scoreboard in the second frame to carry a 49-6 lead into the break.
Friday Harbor called a timeout with two ticks left on the clock in the half, then punched in their seventh touchdown with all zeroes on the board to ensure a 40+ point lead and a running clock for the second half.
Coupeville got a 21-yard pass from freshman QB Kamden Ratcliff to senior Davin Houston on its opening drive, before breaking through to score on its second possession of the game.
A roughing the passer penalty on fourth down kept a drive alive, followed by the Wolves best play of the game.
Ratcliff, staying one step out of trouble, evaded the pass rush and winged a pass to Carson Grove, who snagged the ball and busted multiple tackles, careening down the left sideline for a 42-yard pickup that got CHS all the way to the five-yard line.
On the very next play Houston took the handoff and outsprinted the Wolverine defenders to the right corner for a scoring run, his fourth touchdown of the season.
While Coupeville failed to convert the PAT, it was within 14-6 and hope lived big.
And then got crushed a bit as Friday Harbor ripped off five straight touchdowns, briefly interrupted by a couple of strong defensive plays from Riley Lawless, Ayden Warren, and Chance Hart, who knocked down a pass.
Ayden Warren’s lil’ sister shows the Wolves how to flex. (Maria Warren photo)
On one of the ensuing kickoffs, first-year varsity player Frank Morrell made a picture-perfect recovery on an onside kick, providing a highlight for his fervent fan club.
After a halftime performance from Coupeville’s junior cheerleaders, all 105 of them, Houston took the second-half kickoff to the house 80+ yards, only to be denied a touchdown by a holding penalty on one of his blockers.
The Wolves did break through one more time, scoring a second touchdown after Friday Harbor’s starters stretched the margin out to 55-6 late in the third.
Richmond Bandong busted in from nine yards out on a scoring run in the fourth quarter, netting his first high school touchdown to close the night’s scoring.
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