Coupeville Sports

By land… (Shelli Trumbull photos)

By air…

Even when he can’t see…

Powered by IsaPro!!

Michael Jordan had the shoes. Ben Etzell gets a boost in his scoring touch from a more liquid substance.

His mom, Kristi Etzell, is a relentlessly upbeat promoter of Isagenix products for health and happiness, and both times her oldest son has partaken in the company’s products before a Coupeville High School boys’ basketball game this season, his body has responded.

The first time he hit for 21 points against Granite Falls, the second time he rained down 24 points against Mount Vernon Christian, sparking the Wolves to a 51-41 win Saturday, breaking a 33-game, 702-day losing streak.

Must be the shakes.

As he and his teammates bask in the glow of their victory, Etzell took a few moments to reflect back on the night, what it meant to him, and the power of the shakes.

There are no words to describe last night’s win!

The last time I was that excited was when we won the championship game of the state baseball tourney a few years back.

It just feels so good to get that win, for the players, but especially for Coach Smith and Coach V. They have put in so much time to help us get better and there is nothing but positives coming in the future.

All those teams out there who are saying, “Oh, we’re playing Coupeville, here is another win,” they better start shutting their mouths, because watch out people, the Wolves have been released from the cage!

And yes, a shout-out to my momma, who has inspired so many people, including me, with her push towards a healthier life! Just so y’all know, the two times I have had an ‘IsaPro’ and ‘WantMoreEnergy’ before a game, I scored 21 points and 24 points. Maybe I should start doing that every game!

And as far as how I played: I just went out there with the mentality that no one was going to stop me, but I was going to stop everyone.

Coach tells us to do that before every game and this was the first game of the year where I really took that to heart and went out there and did my job. I mean heck, 24 points and 6 steals is a pretty good line both offensively and defensively!!

Honestly, I think everyone on the team really listened to coach and believed we were going to win, especially when we were down at half. There wasn’t a single person in the locker room at halftime who had checked out of the game and I thought that was really key for us.

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      Josiah Campbell pushes his body to the limit in Saturday’s win. (John Fisken photos)

Anthony Bergeron takes the ball to the hoop under extreme duress.

It was a great evening all around.

Saturday night, most of the headlines went to the Coupeville High School boys’ varsity basketball team, which snapped a 33-game, 702-day losing streak with a 10-point win at Mount Vernon Christian.

But that epic victory wasn’t the only one for the boys program, as earlier in the evening, the Wolf JV squad won its third game of the season, using a flawless fourth quarter (16-0) to bust open a tight, two-point game.

With Joel Walstad busting out the scoring machine, racking up 11 points in the first half, Coupeville shot out to an early 10-point lead.

“Looked like we might win by 40,” said Wolf coach Dustin Vanvelkinburgh. “We looked unstoppable at times. Walstad was a man on a mission.”

The host Hurricanes narrowed things to two at the end of the third quarter, then jumped on Coupeville, forcing consecutive turnovers on the first two plays of the fourth quarter. A brief pep talk from Coach V settled things down, however.

“Our confidence was a bit shaken,” Vanvelkinburgh said. “I called a quick time out to settle down the young squad; we changed defenses and from there never looked back.”

With quality play from every man on the roster, it was hard to pick one as the player of the game, but Vanvelkinburgh settled on the man who would later rally Wolf fans to an ear-busting decibel level during the varsity win — Big O, rapidly-evolving football lineman turned first year hoops man.

“Player of the game for me went to Oscar Liquidano,” Vanvelkinburgh said. “He quietly had four points, but, more importantly, shut down the key.

“He plays very hard; pretty sure he has made it his personal mission to get every defensive rebound,” he added. “He works very hard to get defensive position and is very physical. One of those kids that you know you played the next day as your whole body is sore from the mayhem he brings in the key.”

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“We are … Coupeville!!”

The fans were blown head over heels by the win.

   Mount Vernon Christian decides that, no, it really doesn’t want a piece of Churchy after all.

Ben Etzell, rainin’ pain all day long.

Trumbull strong … like bull!

The moms are pleased. Mission accomplished.

You only break a 33-game, 702-day losing streak once, so pardon me while we wallow in more splendid Shelli Trumbull photos from Saturday night.

It was the night the Wolf boys’ basketball team thumped Mount Vernon Christian 51-41.

The night they brought the roar back to Wolf Nation.

The night Nick Streubel almost suffocated coach Anthony Smith with a full-body bear hug.

The night Aaron Trumbull took a shot to the eye, bled all over the court and still came back.

The night that put the ruddy glow of happiness back in Carson Risner’s cheeks.

The night that guaranteed that seniors Drew Chan, Caleb Valko and Josh Wilsey would have at least one great bus trip back home before they left CHS.

The night that moms cried (even if they said they didn’t).

The night that dads cried (when they thought no one was looking).

If you haven’t been around this team, you may not understand. You may not get it. You may not appreciate what this means.

It means the hard work paid off. The dedication was rewarded.

Lesser players might not have come back after Christmas break, facing six straight games on the road in January and still stinging from having god-awful refs knife them in the chest and rip away a win that should have been against Orcas Island.

But they didn’t do that. They are now, and forever, Wolves. They will be cheered and they will be remembered.

This means too much. It matters too much.

So, no, we’re not done here. Not yet. Not ever.

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