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One win and playoff bound? Possibly!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on October 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Lathom Kelley and the other Coupeville seniors will get an extra half of (John Fisken photo)

   Lathom Kelley and the other Coupeville seniors will get an extra half of action (and a bus ride to Sequim) next Tuesday. (John Fisken photo)

“Playoffs? We’re talking about the playoffs?!?!”

Yeah, we’re talking about the reality that we could have a 1-8 football team in the playoffs.

Don’t like it? Not gonna change reality.

The 1A Olympic League gets three playoff spots this year, up a spot from last year when Coupeville went 5-5 overall, 3-3 in league play and was denied a postseason run.

With the extra berth this year, either the Wolves or Chimacum, who both sit at 1-7 today, will travel to Puyallup Saturday, Nov. 7 to face the defending 1A state champs from Cascade Christian in a game in which they will be a billion-to-less-than-one long-shots.

But, first, they have to decide which (current) one-win team is slightly more deserving.

After the two schools wrap regular season play this Friday with non-conference games (Coupeville hosts Concrete for Senior Night at 7 PM, while Chimacum hosts Vashon Island), they will have a very short turn-around.

Both squads will head to a neutral field at Sequim High School Tuesday, Nov. 3, where they will play half a game. Kickoff is set for 5 PM according to a report today by the Peninsula Daily News.

That could put the game directly opposite a home playoff game for Coupeville’s volleyball squad, which would play the same day if they are the #3 seed.

If the Wolf spikers win their final match and triumph in a tiebreaker of their own, though, they would be the #2 seed and not play at home until Thursday, Nov. 5.

The winner of the football mini-playoff gets to go face a juggernaut four days later, while the loser will get a season-ending crossover game on the road with another non-playoff team Nov. 6 or 7.

We’re in this situation because Coupeville surrendered a touchdown with 1.6 seconds to go at Homecoming, allowing Chimacum to escape with a 14-9 win that snapped an 18-game losing streak.

The Wolves had won the first meeting, 28-26, on the road.

Both teams finished 1-5 in league play, while Port Townsend (6-0) and Klahowya (4-2) grabbed the top two slots.

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I love stats! Statsy, stats, stats!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , on October 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

CJ Smith (John Fisken photo)

   CJ Smith is second on the team in receptions and fourth in total yards. Plus, he hit Jacob Martin on a two-point conversion pass Friday. (John Fisken photos)

Wolf captains (l to r) Brenden Gilbert, Wiley Hesselgrave, Smith and Lord.

  Wolf captains (l to r) Brenden Gilbert, Wiley Hesselgrave, Smith and Jake Lord.

The numbers are always moving.

An interception here, two tackles there, a handful of receptions just around the corner. Stats are an ever-evolving beast.

Coming off a road loss at Klahowya Friday night, there was definite movement on the stat sheet for the Coupeville High School football squad.

Wiley Hesselgrave took over the team lead in touchdowns, Chris Battaglia ascended the throne for sacks and Tavian Woolett came blitzing out of nowhere to record two tackles in his varsity debut.

So, here we go, through week eight, as posted by the CHS coaching staff on MaxPreps.com:

Offense:

Passing:

Gabe Eck 71-145 for 858 yards with 4 TD and 4 INTs
Hunter Downes 25-46 for 239 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs
CJ Smith 1-1 for 10 yards
Wiley Hesselgrave 0-1

Receiving:

Hunter Smith 30 receptions for 375 yards
C. Smith 24-299
Ty Eck 17-163
Jordan Ford 7-96
Hesselgrave 10-87
Ryan Griggs 3-48
Lathom Kelley 2-22
Jake Hoagland 2-7

Rushing:

Hesselgrave 84 carries for 371 yards
Kelley 39-150
Jacob Martin 7-12
G. Eck 52-8
Mitchell Losey 4-6
Chris Battaglia 1-4
C. Smith 1 (-1)
Downes 12 (-49)

Total yards:

G. Eck 866
Hesselgrave 458
H. Smith 375
C. Smith 308
Downes 190
Kelley 172
T. Eck 163
Ford 96
Griggs 48
Martin 12
Hoagland 7
Losey 6
Battaglia 4

Touchdowns:

Hesselgrave 4
T. Eck 2
H. Smith 2
Martin 1
C. Smith 1

PATs:

Zane Bundy 5

Field Goals:

Bundy 4

Points:

Hesselgrave 24
Bundy 17
T. Eck 12
H. Smith 12
Martin 8
C. Smith 6

Defense:

Tackles:

Kelley 67
Hesselgrave 46
T. Eck 44
Battaglia 42
Uriel Liquidano 36
Mitchell Carroll 24
Julian Welling 24
Brenden Gilbert 23
Martin 23
H. Smith 18
Tyler McCalmont 16
Ford 15
Clay Reilly 15
Losey 13
Jake Lord 7
C. Smith 6
Josh Lord 5
Griggs 4
JR Pendergrass 4
Teo Keilwitz 2
Tavian Woolett 2
Matt Hilborn 1
Hoagland 1
Josh Robinson 1
James Vidoni 1

Sacks:

Battaglia 3
Ford 2
Gilbert 2
Kelley 2
Carroll 1
Hesselgrave 1
Martin 1
McCalmont 1

Interceptions:

H. Smith 7
T. Eck 1
Hesselgrave 1
Martin 1
Reilly 1

Fumble recoveries:

Martin 3
Ford 2
Liquidano 2
H. Smith 2
T. Eck 1
Griggs 1
Hesselgrave 1
Kelley 1

Blocked kicks:

Hesselgrave 2
Kelley 1
Liquidano 1

Special Teams:

Kickoffs:

Bundy 11 for 389 yards

Punts:

Reilly 29 for 983 yards
Bundy 12-308

Kickoff/punt returns:

Hesselgrave 20 for 310 yards
T. Eck 10-102
H. Smith 6-79
Kelley 5-68
Martin 3-27
Reilly 2-0
Carroll 1-0

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Gridiron playoff hopes endure!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on October 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ty Eck, seen here in an earlier game, picked off a pass Friday. (John Fisken photo)

   Ty Eck, seen here in an earlier game, picked off a pass Friday. (John Fisken photo)

Give them credit. They never hung their heads, never gave up.

Things were rough early Friday night at Klahowya for the Coupeville High School football squad, to the point where a running clock kicked in before the halftime buzzer.

But then, down 41-0, the Wolves started to click, and they finished with maybe their strongest second-half performance of the season.

And, while it still fell 41-15 to the Eagles, Coupeville’s flickering playoff hopes stayed just that way. Flickering.

Chimacum was destroyed 63-12 by undefeated Port Townsend Friday, leaving the Wolves and Cowboys with identical 1-5 records in 1A Olympic League play.

Both are 1-7 overall and split the two games they played this season.

While early reports indicated Chimacum would claim the league’s #3 playoff berth via a point differential tiebreaker, there have been recent rumblings that the two schools will instead decide the matter on the field.

Where they would play, and whether it’s a full game or a mini game, will now be decided by league AD’s.

Both schools still have a non-conference game left on their schedule (Coupeville hosts Concrete Oct. 30), so any rubber match would happen after that game, but before the playoffs begin Nov. 6.

Port Townsend (8-0, 6-0) and Klahowya (5-3, 4-2) are guaranteed playoff berths.

Facing an amped-up Eagles squad that wanted to badly win at its Homecoming game, the Wolves struggled early.

Coupeville fell behind 20-0 after one quarter of play, as three different Klahowya players found the end zone.

Austin Keller punched in from 17 yards out, before Dylan Zuber brought back a punt for a second score.

Eagle quarterback George Harris then tacked on a short TD run of his own.

Klahowya triggered the running clock with three more scores before halftime, but, after the extra-long halftime break, Coupeville came out looking much sharper.

That was evident right from the start, as the Wolves pulled off a successful onside kick by Zane Bundy to open the second half.

While it was unable to score on that possession, Coupeville did get two second-half touchdown runs from senior Wiley Hesselgrave.

Bundy tacked on the extra point after the first score, while the Wolves caught the Eagles napping the second time around.

CJ Smith took the snap and rolled out, finding Jacob Martin in the end zone for a two-point conversion.

Martin, Hesselgrave, Lathom Kelley and Uriel Liquidano led an aggressive CHS defense that bent a little in the second half, but never broke.

Liquidano recovered a fumble to go along with a Ty Eck interception from earlier in the game.

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Built Ford tough!!

Posted in Football, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on October 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Jordan Ford (John Fisken photo)

   Jordan Ford, crackin’ heads and making his mom happy by taking off his football helmet when the camera man wanders by. (John Fisken photo)

Tip your hat to Cow Town royalty.

The latest edition in a long-running legacy of excellence has his cake day today, so we all need to take a moment to wish a happy birthday to Jordan Ford.

#88, who can usually be seen on Friday nights blowing up opposing runners and making off with fumble recoveries, has been a huge positive addition to the Wolf football squad.

He’s been a huge positive edition to the whole school and town, for that matter.

And, while it would have been great to have gotten him back sooner, Coupeville fans will enjoy the year we’ll get.

A talented athlete, and a guy who just seems like a good, positive dude in all ways, Jordan is the heir to an impressive legacy.

Throw a rock (and not very hard) and you’ll hit someone in his family, and they all were stellar athletes during their time in the red and black.

His parents, David and Barbi, united the Fords and Messners, two families with long, hallowed traditions, and his bloodline includes everyone from Breeanna Messner to Aimee Bishop to Santa Claus (Paul Messner) himself.

It’s always great when Coupeville gets lucky and picks up a talented athlete, instead of losing another one. When they’re also a quality person, so much the better.

But it’s special when that athlete returns to the home of his forefathers to write another chapter in his family’s novel-length book.

Welcome home, Jordan, and happy birthday from all of us.

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Just win, baby (or else)!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , , on October 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Wiley

  Wiley Hesselgrave (10) caught a TD pass in a playoff game as a freshman. If Coupeville wins Friday, he can make it back to the postseason as a senior. (John Fisken photo)

There’s no two ways about it.

Seriously. There are four options, and only one works.

What we’re talking about is getting the Coupeville High School football team into the playoffs, and, while it’s become more of a long shot in the last week, it’s still possible.

Long story short, if the Wolf defense had not surrendered a touchdown with 1.6 seconds to play last Friday, losing 14-9 to Chimacum, we would not be having this conversation.

A Homecoming win and Coupeville would have punched its ticket to the postseason.

But, it didn’t happen and the Wolves and Cowboys now sit in a third-place tie at 1-4 in 1A Olympic League play, with one conference game left to play.

League champ Port Townsend and Klahowya are in, and the league’s final berth goes to whichever school claims third.

And, while the advantage was firmly Coupeville’s last week, that’s no longer the case.

If the two teams finish in a tie, the tiebreaker, which is point differential in head-to-head games, goes to Chimacum.

The Wolves won the first meeting 28-26, but their five-point loss Friday means they lose that tiebreaker by three points.

So, heading into Friday — Coupeville at Klahowya and Port Townsend at Chimacum — there are four possible finishes:

Option 1: Coupeville and Chimacum both win.

Option 2: Coupeville and Chimacum both lose.

Option 3: Chimacum wins, Coupeville loses.

Option 4: Coupeville wins, Chimacum loses.

In the first three scenarios, Chimacum goes to the playoffs and Coupeville, after a non-conference game against Concrete Oct. 30, will get a season-ending crossover game against another non-playoff team.

Or, option four hits and the Wolves are playoff bound Nov. 6 or 7 and will travel to face Cascade Christian.

Let’s face it, option 1 and 3 aren’t going to happen, because there is no way possible the Cowboys beat a Port Townsend team that is 7-0 and has outscored its opponents 342-12.

Even with big-time weapons Wesley Wheeler and Ezra Easley out with injuries, the RedHawks are going to roll. Bet the farm on that.

So, the ball is firmly back in Coupeville’s court.

Do what they could not do last year — beat Klahowya in a season finale with a postseason berth on the line — and the Wolves are a playoff team.

In the words of legendary former Raiders owner Al Davis … just win, baby.

Cause that’s your only option.

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