Coupeville Sports

Josiah Campbell (second from left) and family, just hangin’ out.

In the words of Matthew McConaughey, “Alright, alright, alright.”

Campbell and his nephew.

Josiah Campbell is Coupeville through and through.

Some people are born here. Campbell was literally born on a couch in the same house in which he still lives today.

“I come from a family of eight children, four boys, four girls, so my mom and dad and all my sibling are 100% why I am who I am today,” Campbell said. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen,” but that is pretty much my life — crazy daily events of our life that could’ve been recorded, edited, and released as a blockbuster film.”

Now a Coupeville High School junior and member of the Wolf JV boys’ basketball team, Campbell is a lifelong athlete, but one who has largely stepped away from team sports.

“I’ve grown up playin’ all sports, but I’ve grown out of playin’ school sports,” he said. “I have a job now as a dishwasher at the Oystercatcher and I’m a Running Start student at the Skagit Valley College, so I don’t have all the time in the world.

“But I still gotta get my basketball in!”

Hoops has always drawn him in, starting back in the fourth grade, when he played on a SWISH team that went undefeated and won a championship against sixth-graders.

“I been playin’ ball most of my life,” Campbell said. “I just think it’s fun to get a game going with your friends and see what you can do.

“There’s a basketball court in my neighborhood, so I grew up playin’ street ball with Morgan Payne and Nick Struebel, cause they live right by me,” he added.

While he can bounce between most positions, he primarily plays the wing these days. His speed is his primary calling card, he says.

“I’m pretty fast, so I’m just an overall quick ball player,” Campbell said. “But there’s always room for improvement, from shooting to ball handling to just seeing the court and knowing what’s going on.

“I always like to see myself improve on my ball skills,” he added. “And I haven’t grown up playin’ with all of my teammates, so I’d like to see our team chemistry grow too.”

While a lot of people who grow up on Whidbey Island think they need to get off The Rock, Campbell seems content with his hometown. It’s made him who he is, and he embraces the small-town life.

“I live for being outside on this island,” Campbell said. “Never been on a plane, but I never stop finding new places and new things to do on this island. Just being with good people, having bonfires, or just shootin’ pool at the bowling alley in Coupeville. Stayin’ alive.”

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Ryan Griggs prepares to shoot a free-throw against Cedarcrest. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

The Fab Four Frosh (l to r) are Griggs, Jared Helmstadter, Wiley Hesselgrave and Dalton Martin.

Ryan Griggs lets his play speak for him.

The Coupeville High School freshman is a man of few words — at least in interviews — but his hustle and offensive skills say a lot on the court.

Against Cedarcrest Friday night, it was Griggs who finally put a forcible stop to a rampaging Red Wolf JV boys’ basketball squad that exploded for 30 points in the third quarter alone.

On back-to-back plays, Griggs took the ball right at the heart of the defense and torched the defenders for buckets, drawing a foul and a resulting three-point play on the second effort.

Part of a seven point performance on the night for the six-foot wing, it showcased why the Coupeville freshmen (Griggs, Wiley Hesselgrave, Jared Helmstadter and the soon-to-return Dalton Martin) form a bright future for the Wolf program.

Griggs, who has been playing hoops since fifth grade, actually considers himself more of a defensive presence than a big-time scorer, though local fans could have been fooled as he carved up the Cedarcrest defenders.

“I am better at defense and need to work on my shooting,” Griggs said. “One of my goals for the season is just to get better as a player, so that I can help the team.”

Griggs, who was a tight end/center for the Wolf JV football team in the fall, is beginning to find his way through the classrooms at CHS, as well.

“I love my music productions class and I am really good at math,” he said.

Whether on the athletic fields and courts, in the classroom or off in the non-school world, he draws support from his family and fellow classmates.

“My mother and grandpa are extremely supportive,” Griggs said. “I really admire Caleb Valko and Ben Germano — they are super nice on the court and off the court.”

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    Nick Streubel prepares to inflict his wrath on anyone foolish enough to get in his way. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Nick Streubel played like a wild man Friday night, and I’m not just saying that because his mother gave me a free cheeseburger after the game.

The Coupeville High School junior did a bit of everything against visiting Cedarcrest. He yanked down rebounds, rolled hard to the hoop en route to what may be a career-best 13 points, even pushed the ball up-court himself several times, seriously freaking out the defender who had to scramble to try and cut off a rampaging 6-foot-4 Mack truck lineman turned impromptu point guard.

Unfortunately, not even his heroics were enough to save the Wolves against a Red Wolf squad that rained down nine three-point bombs and one rim-shaking, technical-earning slam dunk on its way to a 69-36 win.

The loss dropped Coupeville to 0-4 on the season, 0-1 in Cascade Conference play.

Cedarcrest, which had lost a string of close contests coming in to the night, jumped on the Wolves right off the opening tip, roaring out to an 11-0 lead. Carson Risner and Streubel broke the run with back-to-back rebounds converted into buckets, but that was as close as Coupeville would get all night.

With a small, but loyal band of Cedarcrest fans outshouting the scattered Wolf fan base, the visitors poured it on in the third quarter, culminating with a dunk off a fast break. The jammer hung on the rim long enough to do several chin-ups, as his buddies screamed their support, earning him a technical and seeming to light a brief fire under the Wolves, who seemed less than enthused with the display.

Coupeville closed the third on a 4-0 mini-run, capped by Streubel powering his way through a pack of Cedarcrest players in the paint for a hard fought basket and follow-up free throw.

In the fourth, the visitors called off the dogs and spent most of their time passing the ball round and round, while Streubel hammered home another pair of baskets and Drew Chan hit a trey, sparking a game-closing 9-3 run for Coupeville.

By that time, the scoreboard was malfunctioning, Wolf cheerleader Kenzie Kooch was re-winning the fan base by handing out free popcorn, and then the scoreboard turned completely off. It came back on several minutes later, after multiple failed attempts, not that anyone particularly seemed to care at that point.

Caleb Valko tossed in six points to back Streubel, with Josh Wilsey hitting for five and Chan and Risner each adding four. Aaron Curtin and Aaron Trumbull each popped for two and Morgan Payne provided tons of hustle off the bench.

In JV action, the Wolves put up a ferocious battle for a half, then suffered a complete collapse in the third quarter. After leading 22-21 with a minute to go in the first half, they eventually absorbed a 78-36 loss.

The culprit was the third quarter, when Cedarcrest drained five three-pointers and scored an astonishing 30 points in eight minutes. Packaging 13-0 and 12-0 runs around a brief five-point burst from Wolf Ryan Griggs, the Red Wolves were suddenly invincible after the halftime break.

The game was still in doubt at 32-26 two minutes into the third quarter, but Cedarcrest closed the game on a 46-10 tear.

The second half collapse negated what had been the Wolf JV squad’s best performance of the young season. Anthony Bergeron scored eight of his team-high 12 in the opening half and Coupeville took the lead on a layup from Oscar Liquidano set up by a beautiful pass from Joel Walstad.

Wiley Hesselgrave tossed in eight for the Wolves, while Griggs popped for seven and Walstad singed the nets for five. Liquidano and Payne rounded out the scoring with a bucket apiece, while Jared Helmstadter and Isaac Vargas fought hard for every loose ball.

Vargas made a particular impact, losing his glasses in a fight for a rebound. Instead of stopping, he kicked them towards the bench and charged after the play, finishing out the half without his glasses.

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