Mikey Robinett scored his first high school touchdown Friday, while also recovering a fumble. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Speed kills.
Facing the fastest-paced offense they’ve seen all season — an offense which didn’t show up on the game film they watched prior to Friday night’s game — the Coupeville High School football team fell 42-13 to visiting Cascade (Leavenworth).
The non-conference loss, coming in their Homecoming game, drops the Wolves to 2-4 heading into the regular-season finale next Thursday, Oct. 28 against Friday Harbor.
Friday’s clash against an Eastern Washington team Coupeville had never played before started with buckets of rain and a hint of fog, though the weather calmed down considerably by kickoff.
But the slick field, and slicker ball, bothered the Wolves in the early going, as they had trouble holding on to the football.
The bigger obstacle, however, was Cascade’s offensive style, as the Kodiaks jumped on the ball the moment the refs put it down and immediately ran plays.
No huddles. No discussion. No pause.
Just wham-bam-and-bam-again, with run after run slashing through the Wolves as they scrambled to catch up.
Cascade put 21 points on the board before Coupeville reached the end zone, and built an imposing 28-7 lead after just one (really long) first quarter.
And the Bruins did it with a variety of weapons, as sophomore quarterback Sam Webb rambled for a 39-yard TD run, before Joseph Wall and Kai Lewman hit pay-dirt on short jaunts.
Coupeville’s defense had its moments in the early going, with Brian Casey blowing up one run and planting the Kodiak ball carrier six feet under.
On another play, Mikey Robinett, playing the best game of his short career on both sides of the ball, crashed through the line, hauling Webb down for a crowd-pleasing sack.
But having to constantly backpedal and scramble with no down time left the Wolves vulnerable, something Cascade took advantage of in the early going.
When Coupeville had the ball, it had trouble holding on to it, and inadvertently gave away its best first-quarter chance.
Scott Hilborn brought a kickoff back 65 yards, shredding tacklers as he ran, then picked up an additional 10 yards thanks to a Cascade penalty at the end of the play.
But blessed with first and goal at the 10-yard line, the Wolves promptly fumbled the ball away, with Kodiak defender Gunnar Balzer sweeping up the suddenly-loose ball.
Down 21-0, Coupeville finally found its groove, with QB Logan Downes flicking a short pass over the middle to Hilborn, who punched it into high gear and outraced a pack of players for a 77-yard catch-and-run score.
The ninth touchdown of the season for Hilborn was followed by a booming PAT off the toe of kicker Daylon Houston, and things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.
Unfortunately, it would be a long time before the Wolves would score again.
Lewman went around the left side for a 17-yard TD run to cap the first quarter, and scoring runs from Wall and Kaston Dillon stretched the lead out to 42-7 by the half.
While they were having trouble on offense — including losing Downes to a knee injury — the Wolves continued to offer up some bright moments on defense.
Kevin Partida decimated the Kodiak line on a sack, while Hilborn picked off a rare Cascade pass to end a drive.
With Downes on the sideline from the second quarter on — lineman William Davidson also left at the half with a hand injury — Houston took the reigns at QB and acquitted himself nicely.
He proved to be an elusive runner, scrambling for nice yardage, while also flipping passes to Jonathan Valenzuela, Coen Killian, and Robinett.
Cascade’s sped-up offense was largely absent in the second half, and Coupeville held firm to blank the Kodiaks after the extended break.
Kai Wong leveled a runner a step behind the line, while Houston and Robinett both recovered fumbles in the second half.
Late in the fourth quarter the Wolves proved resilient, putting together their best drive since the early Hilborn touchdown.
Houston ripped off a 27-yard run, dippin’ and divin’ as Kodiak tacklers reached for him and came up grasping nothing but empty air.
With the Kodiaks on their heels, Houston then went airborne, tossing an 18-yard strike to Robinett, who made a sensational catch on the play before whirling into the end zone with his first high school touchdown.
In doing so, he became the ninth Wolf to score this season.
While the ensuing two-point conversion was denied, Coupeville ended the game on a strong note, and coach Marcus Carr came away largely pleased with how his team did against a school with a roster twice the size of his own.
“It was good to get all the young guys in, and they held up well,” he said. “We just need to keep getting stronger.”
Now the focus quickly turns to next week’s Senior Night game with Friday Harbor.
Kickoff is 4 PM at Mickey Clark Field, and the game is on a Thursday instead of the normal Friday, because if the Wolves win, they tie for the Northwest 2B/1B League title.
If that happens, Friday Harbor and Coupeville will play a half-game Saturday, Oct. 30 at a neutral site, with the winner advancing to the 12-team state football playoffs.
Lose their home finale Thursday, and it’s time to turn in gear and get back in the weight room.
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