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Win big this fall and Wolves (l to r) William Davidson, Zane Oldenstadt, and Logan Downes can close their CHS careers on a big stage. (Michelle Glass photo)

Washington state’s most important high school football games are getting a big stage.

For one year, at least.

After using a mix of sites in recent years, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has signed a one-year deal with the University of Washington.

That puts all six WIAA state title football games at Husky Stadium this fall.

“Gridiron Classic” goes down Dec. 1-2, with three games on both days.

Kickoff is set for 11 AM, 3 PM, and 7 PM, with 1B, 1A, and 3A playing Friday, and 2B, 2A, and 4A taking the field Saturday.

For Coupeville fans, Saturday’s opener is the one where they hope to be front and center.

Moving all the title games back to one location is an embrace of the past.

When the Kingdome was still standing, teams aimed for an appearance at “Kingbowl” between 1977 and 1994.

The event moved to the Tacoma Dome in 1995, where it ran under the name “Gridiron Classic” until 2018.

At the time, the WIAA cited “rising costs and sagging attendance” for abandoning the joint.

Though, there was also considerable blowback from fans, coaches, and players after Tacoma Dome renovations wrecked sightlines for football in the building.

The WIAA went to a format of two games each at three Pierce County high schools after that, with tepid response from all concerned.

Now, in a one-year trial, it’s Husky Stadium or bust for championship-hungry gridiron teams.

After that, the WIAA will solicit bids for its next five-year cycle (2024-2028).

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Aiden O’Neill (23) and Chase Anderson got plenty of playing time as freshman on a gridiron squad which went to state. (Davin Houston photo)

Forks is in, and Cascade (Leavenworth) is out.

We’re still four months out from the first game, but the football schedule for Coupeville High School is already set, thanks to the diligent work of Athletic Director Willie Smith.

The Wolves, who are coming off their first league championship and trip to the state tourney since 1990, went 7-2 last season under first-year head coach Bennett Richter.

While a strong group of seniors will have departed, record-setting quarterback Logan Downes and a pack of talented younger players — including the tallest group of receivers in years — are expected to return.

That group will have four home games, four road trips — though none of them epic — and one half and half affair when they play South Whidbey.

The game is technically in Langley, making it a fifth road trip, but Coupeville fans can, and will, trundle a few miles down the island en masse for that rumble.

 

The schedule as it sits today, with (*) indicating league games:

Fri-Sept. 1 — Klahowya — (6:00)
Fri-Sept. 8 — @ South Whidbey — (7:00) — BUCKET GAME
Fri-Sept. 15 — @ Sultan — (7:00)
Fri-Sept. 22 — La Conner (*) — (7:00)
Fri-Sept. 29 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (6:30)
Fri-Oct. 6 — @ Bellingham — (7:00)
Fri-Oct. 13 — Forks — (5:00) — HOMECOMING
Fri-Oct. 20 — @ La Conner (*) — (7:00)
Fri-Oct. 27 — Friday Harbor (*) — (6:00) — SENIOR NIGHT

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Dominic Coffman, gridiron giant. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Your money can help put Dominic Coffman in the spotlight.

The Coupeville High School senior was selected to play in the Earl Barden Classic — the All-State football game for players from 2A, 1A, 2B, and 1B schools.

The game is set for Saturday, June 24 in Yakima.

But first Coffman, like all players in the game, needs to sell tickets to the event.

Whether you plan on making the trek to Yakima or just want to help support the Wolf three-sport athlete, you can nab a ticket for $10.

You can also make a donation, if that’s your preference.

To obtain tickets and support Coupeville’s gridiron standout, text Coffman at (360) 969-3227 or email him at Coffmandominc@gmail.com.

The selection to the All-State game is a rare honor, with only three other Wolves getting the call in the last two decades — Mike Bagby (2006), Josh Bayne (2015), and Ryan Labrador (2019).

Coffman was the Offensive MVP of the Northwest 2B/1B League this fall, and a First-Team All-League pick on defense for his work at linebacker.

He scored a team-high 14 touchdowns while picking up most of his rushing yards after first contact, helping the Wolves finish 7-2.

CHS football won its first league title since 1990, and advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in 32 years.

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Former Coupeville High School quarterback Dawson Houston (right) is back on the football field. (Photo property Everett Royals)

The journey continues.

Two players with Coupeville connections are slated to join the Everett Royals semi-pro football team for the 2023 gridiron season.

Dawson Houston, a 2020 CHS grad who started two seasons at quarterback for the Wolves, will join former Wolf coach Kwamane Bowens, listed as a defensive back by his new team.

The Royals, who were founded in 2019, play in the Gridiron Developmental Football League.

The team is set to kick things off with a preseason game Apr. 8 in Spokane, while the regular season schedule is being tinkered with as you read this.

Home games are played at Everett Memorial Stadium, with reasonably priced tickets.

General admission for fans ages 14-54 is $7.00, while senior citizens (55+) are $5 and military with ID is $3.

Kids from 0-13 get in for free.

The GDFL gives players a chance to stay on the field, while also striving to set them up with jobs in local communities.

Houston, zinging passes to teammates like Sean Toomey-Stout and Andrew Martin, led CHS football to a 5-4 season in 2019, the program’s first winning record since 2005.

Closing out his prep gridiron career playing alongside younger brother Daylon, the elder Houston then flipped the script by joining the Wolf cheer squad.

That team advanced to nationals in Florida.

Former Wolf coach Kwamane Bowens (left), killin’ it in multiple fields. (Photo courtesy Bowens)

Bowens was a fast-rising star at Coupeville Middle School before a family move took him away from Whidbey. After playing NCAA D-I football, he returned to The Rock, however, coaching at CHS.

He was an assistant coach at Anacortes this past fall, helping guide a Seahawk team which went 9-2, falling 10-7 in a state quarterfinal nailbiter to eventual 2A runner-up North Kitsap.

When he’s not on the gridiron as a player or coach, Bowens works as a rapper, recording as Groovie Mane.

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The muscles? Sean Toomey-Stout got them by lifting books.

He’s a heavy hitter on the football field and in the classroom.

Coupeville grad Sean Toomey-Stout was one of 32 University of Washington football players named Thursday to the Pac-12’s 2022 Fall Academic Honor Roll.

It’s the second-straight year “The Torpedo” has been honored by the conference for his academic excellence.

To make the Pac-12 honor roll, an athlete needs a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or better and has to have attended the school for a minimum of a year.

Toomey-Stout, a two-time Athlete of the Year during his CHS days — back when he was vying for weight room superiority with siblings Cameron and Maya — played in six games for the Huskies this past fall, including appearing in the Alamo Bowl.

He collected seven tackles for a U-Dub team which finished 11-2 and became likely the first Coupeville athlete to appear on their own collectiable trading card.

When he’s not going sideline to sideline blowing up fellow NCAA D-1 athletes, Toomey-Stout is studying Construction Management and making moms Lisa Toomey and Beth Stout proud.

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