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Coupeville QB Logan Downes has thrown for 17 touchdowns this season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Forget about Friday Night Lights.

The Coupeville High School football team will play its first state playoff game in 32 years in the daylight, on a different weekend day.

The Wolves (7-1) host Onalaska (5-5) in a loser-out game, with the action set to go down Saturday, Nov. 12 at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff is 4:00 PM.

The date and time were likely selected to ease the travel burden on Onalaska, which is looking at a nearly 400-mile round trip.

Saturday’s tilt features a Coupeville program which last made it to the big dance in 1990 against a school which won state football titles in 1986 and 2019.

The Loggers won two playoff games last season before falling to eventual state champ Kalama in the semifinals.

Saturday’s winner heads to Eastern Washington the next week, with a quarterfinal matchup against Okanogan (10-0).

Ticket prices for the playoff opener, which are set by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, and not the schools involved:

 

Adults and high school/middle school students without ASB — $10
Senior Citizens (62+) — $7
High school/middle school students with ASB — $7
Elementary school students — $7
Children (4 and under) — FREE

 

Tickets can be purchased in person with cash or online at:

https://gofan.co/app/events/778110?schoolId=WA86277

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Kevin Partida and associates host Onalaska next weekend in the first round of the 2B state football playoffs. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The journey begins (almost) at home.

Making its first appearance in the state playoffs since 1990, the Coupeville High School football team was seeded #7 Sunday in a field of 12 teams chasing the 2B gridiron crown.

That means the Wolves host #10 Onalaska in a loser-out first round game.

The game will be played either Friday, Nov. 11 or Saturday, Nov. 12, with the date and kickoff time to be announced Monday.

And where will the royal rumble go down?

Barring a late plot twist, it will be at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium, which means just an 11.3-mile jaunt for the Wolves.

Onalaska’s players, meanwhile, get to enjoy a 195-mile trek. Or almost 400 miles round trip.

And why is Coupeville not hosting the game on its own home field?

Because, if I understand correctly, we’re being dinged for not having covered seating for road fans, which the 3,000-seat Wildcat Memorial Stadium offers.

CHS football managers extraordinaire Brenna Silveira (left) and Melanie Navarro — the rain never bothered them anyway. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

But hosting the game in Oak Harbor is a homecoming, of sorts, for first year Coupeville head coach Bennett Richter.

He was a sophomore on the 2006 Oak Harbor gridiron squad which won a 4A state title despite not being allowed to play postseason games at home because its World War II-vintage stadium was crumbling into dust.

I’m just saying, from my perch in the press box at the ol’ junk heap in the ’90s, I once watched a little girl bounce on the wooden bleachers, then vanish out of sight as a board broke.

Simmer down. She was only on the third row up.

She was unhappy (lord, was she unhappy), but she survived.

The stadium not so much, and by 2006, it had been condemned, before the giddiness of the state title convinced Oak Harbor to go build a brand new, swanky home roost.

Sort of the “House Bennett Built,” if you will.

What do you mean former Wildcat (and Wazzu) QB Marshall Lobbestael, he of the heavenly passes which sparked the title run, would like to have a word with me??

Anyways…

Back in 2022, the winner of the Coupeville vs. Onalaska tilt advances to the state quarterfinals to face second-seeded Okanogan, one of two undefeated teams in the field.

You can find the bracket here:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=3666

And while you’re waiting for next weekend (or working for the weekend, if you want Loverboy’s approval), here’s how Coupeville and Onalaska stack up.

 

Records:

Coupeville (7-1)
Onalaska (5-5)

 

Leagues:

Coupeville — Northwest 2B/1B League
Onalaska — Central 2B League

 

Mascots:

Coupeville — Wolves
Onalaska — Loggers

 

Head Coaches:

Coupeville — Bennett Richter (1st year)
Onalaska — Mazen Saade (14th year)

 

Results:

Coupeville:

Beat Klahowya (41-21)
Lost to South Whidbey (44-28)
Beat Sultan (30-13)
Beat La Conner (46-0)
Beat Friday Harbor (35-3)
Beat Bellingham (48-6)
Cascade (Leavenworth) CANCELLED by smoke
Beat La Conner (78-0)
Beat Friday Harbor (43-14)

 

Onalaska:

Beat Oroville (30-0)
Lost to Napavine (68-0)
Lost to Goldendale (20-0)
Lost to Tenino (40-6)
Lost to Toledo (38-12)
Beat Kalama (48-30)
Beat Stevenson (44-14)
Lost to Adna (7-6)
Beat Wahkiakum (50-28)
Beat Morton White-Pass (26-8)

 

Last trip to state:

Coupeville — 1990
Onalaska — 2021

 

Total trips to state:

Coupeville (4) — (0-4)
Onalaska (18) — (14-16) — Two state titles (1986 and 2019)

 

Plus, we have a rock.

And they have a rock.

Time to rock ‘n roll.

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Mikey Robinett is here to crush fools and take names. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Evans Rankings rules, the rest of you drool.

Matt Evans, the seer of Washington state high school football, and his trusty computer, Newman, are the one outlet truly buying in to Coupeville’s gridiron giants being a state tourney threat.

As the Wolves await Sunday’s reveal of who, where, and when they will play in the 12-team royal rumble, a scan of various pollsters and rankers finds a fair amount of disrespect for a 7-1 CHS squad.

Now to be fair, when you’ve just won your first league title, and punched your first ticket to state, in 32 years, it’s easy to see why.

Out of sight means out of mind, and it’s easy for many to just plug in the same old names “cause they were there before.”

It happened to Coupeville boys’ basketball earlier in 2022, when a 16-0 record didn’t always earn the Wolves a full amount of respect.

After CHS hoops made its first state tourney trip since 1988 and played prime-time teams Kalama and Lake Roosevelt tough, however, several rival coaches had nice things to say about the Wolves.

Now they know who we are.

The same thing can happen for football, especially if the Wolves make some noise in the state tourney.

For now, Evans Rankings has Coupeville at #7 among 2B schools (I bow to my computer overlords), while the Associated Press and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association both plunk the Wolves at #10.

SB Live leaves CHS out of its Top 10 but does have it third in its “next teams up.”

So, the Wolves, having punched a ticket to the 12-team state tourney, have already outplayed what is essentially a #13 ranking…

And Ryland Spencer, noted hamburger fiend and prep football savant?

He leaves Coupeville completely out of his Top 10 on Cascadia Preps, which proves Cow Town needs to produce a good enough burger to lure the man, the myth, the meat-eatin’ machine, to Whidbey to watch a game in the future.

Get on it, chefs!

In the end, of course, none of these pollsters or rankers, whether they be man or computer, matter as much as the guys who step on the field reppin’ the red and black.

Win, and they have to give you respect, whether they want to or not.

 

Associated Press 2B poll for Nov. 2:

1. Napavine – (9-0) – 90 poll points
2. Okanogan – (9-0) – 80
3. Lind/Ritzville/Sprague – (7-1) – 70
4. Toledo – (7-1) – 65
5. River View – (8-1) – 45
6. Chewelah (Jenkins) – (6-2) – 41
7. Columbia (Burbank) – (7-2) – 29
8. Pe Ell/Willapa Valley – (6-3) – 24
9. Raymond – (7-2) – 20
10-tie. Coupeville – (7-1) – 9
10-tie. Liberty (Spangle) – (6-2) – 9

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Myca Clarkson and Co. are bound for the state playoffs. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Eight games in, and the future is wide open.

The Coupeville High School football team capped a 7-1 tear through the regular season by claiming its first league title, and first trip to the state playoffs, since 1990.

By this weekend, we’ll be down to 12 teams capable of winning a 2B crown, and one of those will be wearing red and black.

The Wolves find out their opening foe, and when and where they’ll play, when the field is seeded this Sunday, Nov. 6.

Until then, you can marinate in some season-to-date stats offered up by CHS coaches.

 

OFFENSE:

 

Passing:

Logan Downes — 80-133 for 1,155 yards with 17 TDs
Chase Anderson — 4-10 for 31 yards with 1 TD

 

Receiving:

Tim Ursu — 25 receptions for 271 yards
Daylon Houston — 14-262
Scott Hilborn — 18-227
Hunter Bronec — 11-163
Dominic Coffman — 6-133
Anderson — 1-40
Henry Ohme — 1-35
Aiden O’Neill — 1-25
Cameron Breaux — 2-15
Johnny Porter — 1-14
Marquette Cunningham — 1-(-3)
Jack Porter — 1-(-3)

 

Rushing:

Coffman — 76 carries for 680 yards
Hilborn — 47-458
Jo. Porter — 34-141
Downes — 17-66
Ursu — 11-31
O’Neill — 7-20
Ja. Porter — 1-8
Xander Stinnett — 2-5
Anderson — 3-4
Devinion Hill — 2-1
Mikey Robinett — 1-0

 

Total Yards (Rush/Pass/Rec):

Downes — 1221
Coffman — 813
Hilborn — 685
Ursu — 302
Houston — 262
Hun. Bronec — 163
Jo. Porter — 155
Anderson — 75
O’Neill — 45
Ohme — 35
Breaux — 15
Ja. Porter — 5
Stinnett — 5
Hill — 1

 

All-Purpose Yards (Rush/Rec/KR/PR/IR):

Hilborn — 815
Coffman — 813
Ursu — 668
Houston — 433
Jo. Porter — 167
Hun. Bronec — 163
Downes — 91
O’Neill — 52
Anderson — 44
William Davidson — 40
Ohme — 35
Breaux — 15
Ja. Porter — 5
Stinnett — 5
Hill — 1

 

Pancake blocks:

Davidson — 1
Zane Oldenstadt — 1

 

Touchdowns:

Coffman – 13
Hilborn – 12
Ursu – 12
Houston – 3
Jo. Porter – 3
Anderson – 1
Hun. Bronec – 1
Peyton Caveness – 1
Davidson – 1
Downes – 1
Ohme – 1
O’Neill – 1

 

Conversions:

Ursu — 2
Hilborn — 2
Coffman — 1
Houston – 1

 

PATs:

Houston — 18
Anderson — 12

 

Field Goals:

Houston — 1

 

Points:

Coffman — 80
Hilborn — 76
Ursu — 76
Houston — 41
Anderson — 18
Jo. Porter — 18
Hun. Bronec – 6
Caveness – 6
Davidson – 6
Downes — 6
Ohme – 6
O’Neill — 6
Team — 4

 

DEFENSE:

 

Tackles:

Hilborn — 77
Ursu — 59
Coffman — 45
Kevin Partida — 42
Caveness — 41
Jonathan Valenzuela — 36
Davidson — 29
Josh Upchurch — 23
Robinett — 21
Downes — 20
Kai Wong — 13
Houston — 11
O’Neill — 11
Marcelo Gebhard — 10
Oldenstadt — 5
Jo. Porter — 5
Hurlee Bronec — 4
Coen Killian — 3
Ja. Porter — 3
Anderson — 2
Hun. Bronec — 1
Myca Clarkson — 1
Yohannon Sandles — 1
Chris Villarreal — 1

 

Tackles For Loss:

Hilborn — 17
Upchurch — 7
Valenzuela — 7
Caveness — 5
Coffman — 5
Robinett — 3
Ursu — 3
Partida — 2
Davidson — 1
Downes — 1
Killian — 1
O’Neill — 1

 

Interceptions:

Downes – 3
Hilborn – 2
Ursu – 2
Coffman – 1
Davidson – 1
O’Neill — 1
Valenzuela – 1

 

Passes Defensed:

Ursu — 9
Downes — 6
Hilborn — 3
Caveness — 2
Davidson — 2
O’Neill — 2
Valenzuela — 2
Anderson — 1
Hun. Bronec — 1
Partida — 1
Ja. Porter — 1

 

Fumble recoveries:

Caveness — 3
Coffman — 3
Hilborn — 1
Partida — 1
Upchurch — 1
Ursu — 1
Valenzuela — 1

 

Sacks:

Hilborn — 6
Coffman — 3
Caveness — 2
Upchurch — 2
Valenzuela — 2
Killian — 1
Robinett — 1

 

QB Hurries:

Coffman — 4
Davidson — 4
Oldenstadt — 3
Robinett — 3
Hilborn — 2
Jo. Porter — 1
Valenzuela — 1
Wong — 1

 

Blocked Punts:

Valenzuela — 1

 

SPECIAL TEAMS:

 

Kickoffs:

Ezra Boilek — 14

 

Punts:

Downes — 8-282

 

Kickoff returns:

Houston — 4-171
Ursu — 4-155
Hilborn — 5-127
Jo. Porter — 2-12
O’Neill — 1-7

 

Punt returns:

Ursu — 9-169
Hilborn — 1-3

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“We root for everyone!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Girls’ soccer, you’re on the clock.

With Coupeville High School boys’ basketball and football teams having broken 34 and 32-year dry spells in 2022, the Wolf female booters now have the longest active run without an appearance at the state tournament.

Founded in 2004, CHS girls’ soccer has never qualified for the big dance, making it 18 years and counting.

Every other active sports program at the school has been to state at least once since 2010 now that boys’ basketball (1988) and football (1990) are off the schneid.

Plus, wrestling and golf, sports where Coupeville doesn’t have its own program, but solo stars have trained and travelled with other schools, fit the criteria.

Grappler Alex Turner made it to Mat Classic in 2019, while duffer Christine Fields capped a four-year run of state tourney appearances in 2015.

But what about swim, you ask?

While Turner and Fields (plus her big brother, Austin) trained and travelled with other schools, they ultimately competed in CHS colors.

Swimmers like Amanda Streubel, Lily Doyle, and Rachel and Cole Weinstein did not, as they attended Coupeville schools but fully repped Oak Harbor High School in the pool.

So, no countee … in this exercise, at least.

 

Most-recent state tourney appearance:

2022 — Boys Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Track and Field
2019 — Softball, Wrestling
2018 — Girls Tennis
2017 — Volleyball
2016 — Girls Basketball
2015 — Boys Tennis, Girls Golf
2014 — Baseball
2013 — Boys Golf
2010 — Boys Soccer
Never — Girls Soccer

 

While tennis, cross country, and track (plus wrestling and golf) often qualify individual athletes to state, basketball, softball, football, volleyball, soccer, and baseball only advance as a full team.

How those programs compare:

 

State tourney appearances:

Baseball — 9
Girls Basketball — 7
Boys Basketball — 6
Football — 5
Volleyball — 5
Softball — 3
Boys Soccer — 2

 

State tourney wins:

Girls Basketball — 7
Softball — 5
Volleyball — 4
Baseball — 2
Boys Basketball — 2

 

And no, I don’t think baseball’s win total is correct, no matter what the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association web site says.

The Wolves hardball squad finished 3rd at state in 1987, but the WIAA’s online records only credit CHS with one win at that year’s tourney.

Something doesn’t add up.

That being said, one other thing to notice is that, at least on the WIAA website, Wolf girls have a 16-4 advantage in state tourney wins over their male counterparts, despite Title IX not kicking in until the 1970’s.

What’s up with that, Coupeville boys of every sport?

Maybe you’re the ones on the clock, after all.

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