Coupeville Sports

Aaron Wright

Aaron Wright is perfect. Sort of.

If you throw the ball anywhere near the Coupeville High School sophomore tight end, he will find a way to make the catch. So maybe the Wolves need to target him a bit more.

“I have only been thrown to once, by Korbin Korzan, and made a diving catch. So I’m 100%!,” Wright said.

With Coupeville being a run-first, second and third style team and rarely passing, however, Wright has made his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball, where he explodes off the line to help the big boys create havoc for other teams.

On an imposing defensive unit led by seniors Caleb Valko and Anthony Maggio and junior Nick Streubel, Wright has heard his name called over the stadium PA system a fair amount of times this season. Not bad for a 15-year-old who is just beginning to come into his own at defensive end.

While Wolf coaches are happy to see him jumping in to fill the gaps, Wright, who is in his fifth season as a gridiron giant, is just thrilled to be out there on the field.
 
“I guess what has kept me interested is the intensity and crazy adrenaline rush I get after I make a tackle or catch the ball, plus the long history of the sport in my family,” Wright said. “I believe my strengths are working hard every play. An area to work on is my size, but being in the weight room and still growing will fix that problem.

“My real highlight of the season is starting on varsity, meaning I get to play with some amazing athletes like Brett Arnold, Jake Tumblin, Caleb Valko, Nick Streubel and Ben Haight,” he added. “I’ve also enjoyed going up against bigger upperclassmen on the other teams.”

He credits his parents, Ron and Christine Wright, for being the biggest inspiration in his life, while also acknowledging the positive impact his football coaches have had on him. Even when they push him to the point of no return.

“My parents have always pushed me to do my best and work my hardest,” Wright said. “My coaches have always been there as well. Coach V, Coach Maggio and Coach Smedley have been very encouraging to continue to get better — even when I’m puking during conditioning.”

When he’s away from the football field, Wright is a soccer star, bass player and board addict (wakeboard, skateboard and especially snowboard, which requires him to set up a second home at Baker) who still finds time to excel in the classroom. And not necessarily in the classes you might expect.

“My favorite classes are English, history and astronomy,” Wright said. “People might not know that I love art and enjoy doing it.”

Unless you’ve seen him play on the gridiron, where he brings art to chaos with his inspired play. Then it’s not a surprise at all.

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Every football player has a mom.

And the great thing is how many of those mothers take their cameras with them to games, thus giving those that can’t be at the games a window into the gridiron clashes.

Today’s photo whiz is Melissa Zimmerman-Losey, who captured these images during the Coupeville High School JV game at Granite Falls. She shot action shots as well, but I chose to go with these ones, because they capture those rare behind-the-scenes moments when high school kids stop acting like NFL players and revert back to acting like, well, high school kids.

And since she is letting us share in her camera skills, we’re also going to give her a moment to gush over her son, freshman Mitchell Losey.

That’s the deal. You shoot me pictures, you get to talk up your kid.

Number 21 in your program, Mitchell Losey went toe-to-toe with a big boy in an earlier game and won the battle. But let’s have his mom tell us about it.

“Mitch weighs 140 some pounds and made a great tackle against Orcas, when one of their biggest players (number 44, 232 pounds) came down the line. He was our last hope to take him down and he did!!

“He’s the third generation “Losey” to play football for Coupeville. All were born and raised here. He has to work pretty hard in sports and academics and, “no,” he does not always do well in everything. Talk to coach Maggio about his tackle to get specific details, for I am just a girl. All I know is we were surprised and proud.”

And no matter how tough any of them may try to be, you know that’s why every football player laced up the shoes in the first place — to make mom proud.

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    Jake Tumblin waits for a hole to open, as his blockers surge forward. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

The Wolves are in a rush.

The decision to go to the wing-t offense has paid off in huge chunks of yardage for Coupeville High School, which is churning away to the tune of nearly 250 yards on the ground per game this season.

Led by Jake Tumblin (484 yards on 66 carries) and Brett Arnold (433/67), the Wolves are rolling up 248.8 yards per game with their rushing attack. Tumblin and Arnold are both in the top five rushers in the Cascade Conference, up in the rare air with big boys like Donovan Evans of Lakewood and Granite Falls one-two combo of Mathew Hamilton and Kyle Everett.

Coupeville actually has a third major threat in Bryce Fleming, who has ripped off 303 yards on just 26 carries. Fleming also leads the squad with six touchdowns, followed by Tumblin and quarterback Gunnar Langvold, who have three apiece. Arnold and quarterback Josh Bayne have hit pay dirt twice.

Bayne, who has started the last two games under center while Langvold recovers from an injury, is fourth on the team, with 141 yards on 19 carries. Langvold (70/16), Danny Savalza (38/9), Wade Schaef (24/2) and Jared Dickson (0/3) round out the ball carriers.

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Brett Arnold is a bruising football runner, young man of faith, and a natty dresser, all rolled into one. (Photo courtesy Sylvia Arnold)

This is not a story full of doom and gloom.

It is a story of hope, resilience and courage driven by deeply ingrained faith.

When Coupeville High School running back Brett Arnold slams into the pile, using brute strength to drive his legs forward and push the defensive line back (“I always try to run North and South. I found it to be more fun running through players than around them”), he can move mountains.

Off the field, he does the same, but in a far more personal way.
 
He, and his family, are dealing with a life-changing event.

An accident in mid-August left Brett’s father, Coupeville Living Hope Foursquare pastor Garrett Arnold, paralyzed, and he was only recently able to return home.
 
The community has rallied around the Arnold family with fundraisers and emotional support.

Anyone who has attended a Wolf home game this season can’t help but notice an undeniable electric charge that goes through the crowd when Brett has the ball.

With no disrespect meant towards Danny Savalza, Bryce Fleming, Jake Tumblin or any of the other CHS ball-carriers, there is an extra edge to the roar when Brett Arnold hits the gap — almost as if the town is willing him down the field.

It is a testament to a young man who remains on the field at a time when many would have walked away.

An offensive weapon who plays with a calm intensity, driven by his faith, but not one to throw it in other people’s faces.

You could see it in a game against Orcas Island, a game where he scored two touchdowns but was knocked out of the game for a bit by a vicious collision.

As he walked the sidelines, up and back, up and back, the pain lifted from his face and was replaced with a look of quiet determination.

As the noise and fury of the game played out in the background, he seemed, for the moment, to have gone somewhere deep inside and found a calmness, a serenity of spirit.

And then he went back in the game and blew up the defenders, before bouncing back up and handing the ball to the ref, heading back to the huddle without any cheap, fist-pumping theatrics.

Just a man going about his business.

Which has not always been easy.

“I won’t lie, it has been hard. But the strength that my Lord has given me has helped me keep pressing through,” Arnold said.

“I was thinking about not playing this season in order to be there for my dad, but I knew that he would want me to be out playing football. I know my dad would want me to play hard and do my best, so that’s exactly what I try to do.”

His father has given him many things, but a love for football (Garrett remains a fanatical Southern Cal fan) and a faith in God that is shown through actions as much as words are two of the most evident.

“My faith in Jesus Christ has been a huge part of my life,” Brett Arnold said. “I try to live a life pleasing to the Lord, whether it’s football, school, or any other aspect in my life.”

When not on the gridiron, the CHS junior enjoys his math and weight training classes, listens to some John Mayer and Coldplay and is a fan of The Big Bang Theory and The Office.

He also plays a mean guitar and can hold his own on the video game system of your choice.

As he and his teammates head into a season-ending three-game stretch that starts with an all-Island grudge match against South Whidbey this Friday, Oct. 12 (7 PM kickoff in Langley), Arnold has his sights set firmly on wrapping things up with a bang.

“In order to advance into districts we need to win against South Whidbey and Kings. I would like to win one of those two games,” Arnold said. “Personally I want to do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if that takes laying out a few kids in the process.

“I feel that I try to run hard every play,” he added. “And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help my team win.”

Which you know makes his biggest fan a very happy dad.

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