Coupeville Sports

Mitchell Carroll, headed to the end zone.

As spring football practice kicks into high gear, we’ll be taking a look at a variety of players from Coupeville High School, with an emphasis on younger players and rising stars.

Mitchell Carroll wants to bust off a big play.

“In football, my favorite feeling is when you catch the football and head up field,” said the Coupeville High School freshman-to-be. “Also, if you make a really good tackle and stop the play.”

After a successful middle school career on the gridiron, Carroll, who lines up at running back and safety, hopes to have a quick impact with the big boys.

“My goals for the next season are to make a couple touchdowns and still do just as good as last season, even though most of the kids are bigger and older than me,” he said.

While he may not have the size yet (“I want to put on some muscle weight, so I can become a better tackler”), he does have the ability to out-run people, which is always nice.

“My strengths, I think, are in my speed and ability to catch and run with the ball,” Carroll said.

A multi-sport athlete (he also plays basketball and runs track), Carroll plays the alto saxaphone and guitar, enjoys his math and English classes and gets around on his longboard (“I ride all over the place”).

As he heads into his third year as a football player, having first picked up the helmet and pads as a seventh grader (“I joined because I have always loved sports and football was the only school sport in the fall, so I decided I’d give it a shot”), he credits one of the Wolf coaches for keeping him focused and ever-improving.

“I think coach Ryan King influenced me and kept my morale up even when the plays weren’t going my way or I got hit hard or something,” Carroll said.

Read Full Post »

Brenden Gilbert

As spring football practice kicks into high gear, we’ll be taking a look at a variety of players from Coupeville High School, with an emphasis on younger players and rising stars.

Brenden Gilbert is big on family.

Whether it’s the one at home, or the one he finds on the football field, the Coupeville High School sophomore-to-be likes being part of something bigger than himself.

“I enjoy being part of a huge family and being with people just like me,” Gilbert said. “I started to play football in 8th grade because it was a great way to connect with other people.”

He mans the line for the Wolves, pulling duty at right guard on offense and middle linebacker on defense, both of which give him a chance to see the team’s BMOC, six-foot-four, 312-pound Nick “The Big Hurt” Streubel, up close and personal.

So it’s no wonder that he singles out the man mountain as one of his inspirations on the gridiron.

“He has had a big impact on me and my coaches,” Gilbert said.

Away from the field, Gilbert is a long boarder who enjoys country music, the movie “Identity Theft,” history class and the support of his mom and step dad.

He plans to follow Streubel into track and field in the spring, but, for now, the focus is fully on football.

“I am a good player,” Gilbert said. “I put as much work as possible into the game; I want to get stronger physically and mentally.

“I think my goals are the same goals as the team,” he added. “We want to go to state.”

Read Full Post »

Tyler Hargrave

As spring football practice kicks into high gear, we’ll be taking a look at a variety of players from Coupeville High School, with an emphasis on younger players and rising stars.

Tyler Hargrave is a book waiting to be written.

When the Coupeville High School freshman-to-be stepped on the football practice field this spring, it was not only his first attempt at being a gridiron giant, it was his first school sport, period.

A huge firearms buff who wants to get into competition shooting, Hargrave is making his pigskin debut and hoping enthusiasm and natural skill will help him get past the learning curve quickly.

“Since this is my first time playing a sport ever, it’s kind of hard,” Hargrave said. “I know nothing about football. I know the basics, but all the plays and stuff, no.

“My main goal is to learn the most I can about this sport and continue playing it in high school,” he added.

He’s lining up at left guard on offense and as a defensive tackle, and looks forward to the chance football offers to blast someone across the line from you.

“I enjoy a lot about football,” Hargrave said. “Mainly that you can hit people and not get in trouble for it. Helps me relieve stress.

“I have a few strengths. Mainly my size and speed,” he added. “I would like to work on getting back in the weight room and getting bigger.”

Away from the field, he singles out history as his favorite class (“I love history, and the teacher is awesome. He’s the best.”), and credits his parents for their support.

“My mother and father help me a lot,” Hargrave said. “They’ve always been there for me.

“In the darkest and brightest times, they’re always there,” he added. “They’ve taught me to be strong and not to let anyone put me down.”

Read Full Post »

Clay Reilly

As spring football practice kicks into high gear, we’ll be taking a look at a variety of players from Coupeville High School, with an emphasis on younger players and rising stars.

Clay Reilly is not the biggest sports star in his family. But that might change.

While older sister Amanda Fabrizi is a three-sport (volleyball, cheer, basketball) star for the Wolves, Reilly, a freshman-to-be, hopes to bust into the spotlight when he takes the football field in the fall.

“I want to score a touchdown,” he said.

A receiver who jumped from the soccer pitch to the gridiron last year as an eighth-grader (“I wanted to try something different since I have been playing soccer for the past eight years”), Reilly embraces the differences his new sport offers.

“I enjoy football, because it is a fun sport to play and also challenging,” Reilly said. “I would say I am pretty good at receiving. I want to work on my endurance and building strength.”

Like his older sibling, he plays several sports, with basketball and baseball on his list. Away from the sports world, he enjoys video games, hanging out with his friends and gym and history classes.

And, like most boys his age, he adds, “I love food!”

So it’s probably a good thing he shows some love for the woman responsible for keeping him fed. When asked who has had the most influence on him, the choice was easy.

“My mom,” Reilly said. “Because she pushes me to be my best and to keep trying no matter what.”

Read Full Post »

Nick Streubel (left) in beast mode. (Dirk Knudsen photos)

Now play nicely, gentlemen…

The kid is a beast.

His dad can still get away with calling him “Tiny,” but the rest of the world is starting to know Nick Streubel as The Big Hurt. And he’s layin’ down a hurtin’ these days.

The photos above come from the Northwest Elite Football Camp at Mercer Island High School Saturday and capture the Coupeville High School senior-to-be at his most ferocious.

This is six-feet-four inches, 312 pounds of pure Wolf awesomeness, and he’s about to shake up the high school football world.

For more info and photos, head over to: https://www.facebook.com/NorthwestPrepReport

Read Full Post »