Josh Bayne, seen here in an earlier game, rambled for 136 yards and two TD’s on Halloween night. (John Fisken photo)
Halloween night football in the fog. (Shawn Walstad photo)
The Bayne Train was running. Otherwise, Coupeville got derailed.
Unable to stop a red-hot Concrete gridiron squad that rolled to its eighth straight victory in the fog Friday, the Wolves fell victim to Halloween horror and were shredded 52-22.
The non-conference road loss to one of its old rivals dropped CHS to 4-5.
The Wolves will have a chance to get a fifth win — the most in any season under third-year coach Tony Maggio — when they host a crossover game next week against a team from the Nisqually League.
It’s expected to be Bellevue Christian (1-7 entering a Saturday game against undefeated Cascade Christian), but date and kickoff time haven’t been confirmed by school officials yet.
Facing off with Concrete, one of its toughest rivals from the the old days in the Northwest League, Coupeville got a mix of air attack (Joel Walstad threw for 172 yards) and ground pound (Bayne rolled to 136 yards and two TD’s, giving him 18 on the season).
But the Wolves also were unable to stop the Lions, who scored at will.
Two touchdowns in the first and two more in the second allowed Concrete to take a 28-14 lead in at the half, before four scores in the third blew the game wide open.
Wiley Hesselgrave snagged a touchdown reception — his seventh score of the season — to go with Bayne’s pair on the ground, while CJ Smith and Bayne caught two-point conversion passes from Walstad.
The senior flinger had some success through the air, converting 12 of 26 passes. Hesselgrave (six receptions for 77 yards), Smith (4-52) and Ryan Griggs (3-43) were his primary targets.
Griggs had the catch of the night, hauling in a bomb along the sidelines that rivaled anything you’ll see this Sunday in the NFL.
Walstad laid the ball up high in the stratosphere and his receiver climbed the ladder and outreached a Lion defender, before dragging his toes just inside the line for a moment before falling out of bounds.
“It was a thing of beauty,” said CHS fan Shawn Walstad. “The defender tried to argue the call to the ref, but you can’t overturn perfection.”
Bayne busted out his yardage on just 12 carries, with Jacob Martin (seven carries for 30 yards), Hesselgrave (3-23) and Lathom Kelley (2-3) chipping in to pepper the Lion defense.
Continuing to be a two-way terror, Bayne recorded a team-high 10 tackles from his position in the defensive backfield, while Oscar Liquidano, Matt Shank and Hesselgrave had three stops apiece.
Aaron Wright (two tackles and two assists), Mitchell Carroll (1), Martin (1), Hunter Smith (1), Kelley (1), Brenden Gilbert (1) and Gabe Wynn (1) were also credited with putting at least a temporary hold on Concrete’s potent attack.
Hesselgrave recovered a fumble, as well, while also taking back four kickoff returns for 87 yards.
Coupeville averaged a crisp 20 yards per return (eight returns for 160 yards) with Bayne ripping off a 28-yard return and Wright, a lineman with slicker-than-expected moves, crashing through the defense for 26 yards on his lone return.
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