Coupeville Sports

Carson Risner (44) worked off some pent-up energy, nearly fouling out in just a quarter of play. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Carson Risner was on a mission.

Bouncing back after missing several games due to illness, the Coupeville High School sophomore played one quarter of the boys’ JV basketball game Friday night, to get his feet back under him before the main event.

Cue the screams from the visiting Archbishop Thomas Murphy players, as Risner revived memories of his mom, former Wolf Athlete of the Year Jennie (Cross) Prince, aka “Elbows.”

Moving with purpose and a lot of built-up energy, the football lineman plowed through the paint, pumping in two rim-shaking buckets and picking up four fouls in a little under six minutes in the second quarter.

“Sounds about right!,” said his mom as she laughed. “I had to make a conscious effort not to foul out by the half, every game.

“Coach wanted him to knock the rust off before the varsity game. Sounds like he tried.”

Risner’s rumblin’ and an inspired first quarter, when a quick Wolf unit led by Joel Walstad, Wiley Hesselgrave and Dalton Martin, blistered ATM with quick passes and quick cuts, were the highlight of the evening.

“They were moving!,” said Wolf JV coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh. “That’s what we want to see, what we need to see. We’re getting there.”

Trouble with breaking a relentless press (ATM, always keepin’ it classy, continued to use a full-court press up by 40 and re-inserted a six-foot-five player with less than a minute to play) busted any momentum the Wolves had, though, and Coupeville eventually fell 73-33.

The first quarter was a fight, however, as the Wolves went right at the visiting Wildcats and made them blink for a bit.

Whipping the ball faster than normal and looking to explode to the basket, Coupeville went on a 12-5 tear to close the quarter with a five-point lead.

Martin banged in six in the period, nailing a long three-pointer, converting a breakaway and sliding a free-throw through the net. Hesselgrave and Josiah Campbell each popped for four, with Campbell leaving his defender flat-footed, taking an inbound pass and blowing by him, while Walstad dropped in a turn-around jumper to kick things off.

With a different unit on the floor in the second quarter, Coupeville had considerably more trouble with the very-fast, very-aggressive style of play ATM prefers. Still, Risner retied the score at 18 on his first bucket, and pulled the Wolves back to within 25-21 on his second.

After that, things fell apart, as 11-0 and 27-2 ATM runs, fueled by frequent steals off of their press, sealed the deal.

With a number of varsity players unable to play with injuries and illness, the Wolves had to limit how much Hesselgrave and Walstad could play, since they were needed in the second game. Morgan Payne, who had been a steadying influence in the past, skipped the JV game entirely as he started in the varsity game, while Anthony Bergeron, who swings between varsity and JV, was home sick.

In the time he was on the floor, Hesselgrave went for a team-high 10, while Martin swished eight. Walstad and Campbell hit for five apiece, Risner dropped in four and Jared Helmstadter chipped in with a free-throw.

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   Wiley Hesselgrave (left) has a moment with teammates Josiah Campbell (center) and Joel Walstad. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Hesselgrave brings the ball up in a game against Lakewood.

Wiley Hesselgrave can’t hardly wait.

The Coupeville High School freshman is two sports into his run as a Wolf, and he’s already made an impact in both. One of just two 9th graders to letter in football (with Lathom Kelley), Hesselgrave has been a leader for the boys’ JV basketball squad, relentlessly attacking the basket while moving like a barely-caged animal.

Friday night the younger brother of former Wolf star Marie Hesselgrave got his first chance to taste the rarefied air of varsity basketball, playing a huge chunk of the second half against visiting Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

True to his nature, he was everywhere, stealing a rebound away from a Wildcat player, helping run the offense and coming really close to netting his first basket. Playing along side fellow JV transplants Joel Walstad and Morgan Payne, the trio showed the future of Wolf basketball is not only on its way, it’s already here.

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Aaron Trumbull has places to be and things to do. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Trumbull (23) and teammates pause during the “Star Spangled Banner.”

  Honorary coaches for the night, cancer survivors Jim Kessler of Coupeville and Karissa Bragg of ATM.

Trumbull in action.

  The Wolf cheerleaders did their best at halftime to lift the crowd’s mood, asking for and getting large-spread support from the student section.

Aaron Trumbull had barely reached the hospital, and he was already talking about leaving.

He needed to get back to his team’s game against Archbishop Thomas Murphy, which was now looking like it would be the only game he didn’t score in this season. He had to be up and about to coach his squad of Boys and Girls Club hoopsters the next day, since co-coach CJ Roberts was out sick. He had places to be.

Of course, after the fall the Coupeville High School sophomore had just suffered Friday night, smacking his head and neck on the unforgiving hardwood of the baseline after having his legs cut out from under him in mid-air, no one was letting him go anywhere all that quickly. But his pluckiness, his competitiveness, his need to get up and go — all positive signs.

To the relief of all, Trumbull eventually walked away with a concussion and a nasty knot, but with full use of his limbs and a spirit which can’t be dampened.

In his absence, his teammates, already missing multiple players due to injury and illness, put up a fight against the powerful Wildcats. Freshman Wiley Hesselgrave made his varsity debut and he and Joel Walstad (making his second varsity appearance) brought a new sense of energy to the Wolves in the second half.

Morgan Payne, who has jumped from swinging between JV and varsity to being a starter for the big squad, pushed the ball relentlessly all night, as well, while inside threat Nick Streubel paced Coupeville with 10 points.

It was a night that started on a positive night, as two cancer survivors — one from each school — were honored in pre-game festivities. It took a potentially horrifying turn, but then righted itself again at the end, with the news that Trumbull would be OK.

At halftime, just moments after Trumbull had been taken to Whidbey General by paramedics, Wolf cheer coach Cheridan Boyd-Eck handled an awkward moment about as well as anyone could.

Before her squad performed, she admitted no one was in the mood to celebrate, but asked for the support of the student body for a group effort to show their concern for Trumbull and the school’s unity.

The resulting performance of “Gangnam Style,” with the gym floor filled with people, wasn’t the smoothest performance, but it worked to ease the tension in the room.

Before the second half kicked off, ATM coach Jamar Williams stopped to offer Wolf coach Anthony Smith some private words of support and many of his players repeated the gesture after the game.

It was a rough evening, but one marked by hope and happiness in seeing others survive and prosper.

That the Wolves lost a game somewhere in between matters not so much at the moment.

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