Pedro Gamarra flies into action. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
This blog turns nine years old August 15, and to mark the occasion, I’m picking what I view as the best nine Wolf athletes from each active CHS sport.
To be eligible, you had to play for the Wolves between Aug. 2012-Aug. 2021, AKA the “Coupeville Sports” years.
So here we go. Each day between Aug. 1-15, a different sport and (probably) a different argument.
They were the shot-makers.
Whether they whacked the crud out of the fuzzy yellow ball, or sliced ‘n diced foes to death, the nine Wolf netters on my list were all highly-successful.
Often forced to face off with rivals from ultra-exclusive private schools, whose pursuit of tennis excellence played out all year, and usually on swanky indoor courts, Coupeville’s net men never flinched from a challenge.
Some made it to state tourney success, but all left a positive impact on the program.
William Nelson, natty dresser.
Jakobi Baumann — Fought like the dickens for every point, and would not back down from anyone. An underrated shot-maker whose resilience and fire in the belly were often remarkable.
Drake Borden — The pandemic robbed him of a chance to fully close his career with a bang, but he had already blazed a trail of success. Undisputed leader of his squad, and an invaluable assistant coach for the girls team, as well.
Aaron Curtin — Play him at singles or doubles, didn’t matter. Smooth, powerful, always under control, he dominated the courts like few Wolves ever have, and has the state tourney glory to show for it.
Sebastian Davis — The strategist. Always thinking, always planning your demise, zipping shots from corner to corner like he was playing three-dimensional chess on the hardcourt.
Ben Etzell — A perfect doubles partner for Curtin, he was the revved-up wild child to his partner’s clinical cool. Would launch himself across the court to get to shots, often tearing chunks out of his own body as the resulting splashdowns were far more brutal on the tennis court than they were when he did the same thing on a baseball field.
Pedro Gamarra — A foreign exchange student who frequently dazzled during his single season working the CHS courts. Could do tricks all day long, using the tennis ball like a soccer ball, flipping it from foot to foot, but was also dangerous with a racket in hand.
Nathan Lamb — Pretty, pretty strokes, and a motor which roared with life. Followed in the successful footsteps of older brother Jordan, and was the perfect weapon. Deploy him at singles? He brought it. Move him to doubles? He brought it.
Joey Lippo — Formed a formidable duo with the next guy on this list, but could have also been successful as a single player. Had some serious pop to his strokes, could run all day, and was relentless in his desire to win, a trait which carried over to his time on the basketball hardwood and baseball diamond.
William Nelson — Played tennis like he did soccer — as an ultra-smooth, cerebral assassin who could blister the ball or score with graceful moves. He and Lippo completed each other, forming a rare doubles duo where both seemed to move, and think, as one entity.
Joey Lippo, primed for action.
Up next: Back to the soccer pitch, this time to celebrate the girls.
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