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Ben Smith tackles college football dream

Posted in Football, tagged Ben Smith, CHS Wolves, Culver-Stockton College, Edward V. Long, football on December 18, 2020| 1 Comment »

Coupeville senior Ben Smith poses during a visit to Culver-Stockton College. (Photo courtesy Deb Smith)

Ben Smith is Missouri-bound after graduation.

The Coupeville High School senior signed a letter of intent Friday to play football at Culver-Stockton College in Canton.

Repping a private Christian liberal arts college founded in 1853, the Wildcats compete in the 14-team Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Culver-Stockton is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The Wildcats saw most of their season cancelled this fall due to COVID-19 concerns, but plan on being back on the field by the time Smith is in town.

Culver-Stockton’s defining moment this fall came in a 34-17 home win over Evangel (Mo.) in September.

Tom Sallay enters his fifth year as head coach of the ‘Cat program in 2021.

Puttin’ in work since day one. (Photo courtesy Deb Smith)

For Ben Smith, younger brother of former Coupeville track star Jacob Smith, Culver-Stockton just jumped out among the schools he had been in contact with.

“It fits my academic levels,” he said. “And the location of it is such a wonderful, beautiful state, and is a chance for me to get out and see more of the world.”

Smith plans to study Sports Management at the school, and continues to put in work preparing for the jump to another level of football.

He won’t know his spot on the roster until workouts begin, but coaches have talked to him about playing nickelback and running back.

While at CHS, Smith has been a two-way player, layin’ down licks on both sides of the ball.

He was a running back and defensive end last fall during his junior season.

Teaming up with senior Andrew Martin to form a wham-bam rushing combo, Smith had big games in wins over Vashon Island, Kittitas, and La Conner.

Now, like the rest of the Wolves, he’s hopeful the pandemic eases enough for a final high school gridiron season this spring.

Running over folks during his junior season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Smith is headed to a college with a long, rich history.

Originally known as Christian University, it survived several occupations during the Civil War, even after federal troops seized the joint, burning down fences and gutting buildings.

Rebuilt and refurbished, the school changed its name in 1917, in tribute to big-bucks donors Mary Culver and Robert Stockton.

Notable alumni from the school include opera singer Michèle Crider, former United States Senator Edward V. Long –who wrote the final draft of the Freedom of Information Act — and several professional athletes.

Bob Hendren and Jason Kaiser both played in the National Football League, while Harold Kottman hit the hardwood with the Boston Celtics.

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Football coaches, players push for return to play

Posted in Football, tagged Covid-19, football, masks, return to play, West Coast Coaching Alliance on December 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Will Coupeville High School football players return to Mickey Clark Field this spring? (David Stern photo)

High school football coaches from three states are pushing hard for government and health department officials to allow athletes to play this spring.

The West Coast Coaching Alliance organized in November, and represents California, Oregon, and Washington.

The group has been using social media to push its fight, with many football players posting videos to sites such as Instagram and Twitter this week.

Players were instructed to “thoughtfully consider the positive benefits of permitting students to participate in educationally based athletics activities,” use a positive tone, and avoid political messaging.

Unlike other protestors, the Alliance is not calling for education-based sports to immediately begin.

But the coaches want to see each state hold to its schedule for bringing back competition.

In Washington state, the current plan calls for traditional winter sports such as basketball to run from February 1 to March 20.

After that, fall sports would go March 15-May 1, with football beginning practices March 8.

Spring sports would cap a reduced 2020-2021 school athletic year, running from April 26 to June 12.

Each season would be seven weeks in length, with regional championship events likely replacing state tournaments.

However, with COVID cases and deaths spiking throughout the state, one of two things would have to happen for high school sports to start-up Feb. 1 in Washington.

Either case rates will have to rapidly fall over the next month-plus, or state officials will have to re-do (and loosen) current guidelines.

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Director Mick Hoffman pushed for the latter in an op-ed piece — “They’re running out of time to make memories” | Coupeville Sports.

That’s a position favored by the Coaching Alliance, as well.

While acknowledging the reality of the pandemic, it points to other states which have played high school sports — some more successfully than others — as offering a road map the Western states could follow.

Their statement:

West Coast Coaching Alliance Statement (calcoachesassociation.net)

In the meantime, the social media campaign will continue, with coaches and advisors posting videos this Saturday, Dec. 12, followed by family, friends, and neighbors of high school athletes Dec. 19.

An example of the athlete videos:

I am not giving up on my message! #Safe2Play #LetUsPlay #MaskUpWA @Q13FOX @BrandiKruse @IanFurnessSea @RylandSpencer @Seahawks @Damienlewis72 @jjones_74 @DangeRussWilson https://t.co/G9Gzrlpy1G

— Cooper Perez (@CooperPerez77) December 1, 2020

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Once Wolves, always stars

Posted in Football, tagged Alumni, Cade Golden, CHS Wolves, football, Gabe Shaw, sewa on December 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Former Wolf Cade Golden with dad Michael.

While Coupeville High School football players are hoping to play a delayed season this spring, two former Wolves just wrapped seasons in other states.

Gabe Shaw, whose family moved to Florida before this school year, was a junior lineman in the Sunshine state.

Meanwhile, Cade Golden, who suited up for Coupeville Middle School back in the day, wrapped up his prep run as a quarterback in Alabama.

Shaw, who was a crucial part of last fall’s CHS gridiron squad, which captured the program’s first winning record since 2005, now plays at Clay High School in Green Cove Springs.

The Blue Devils, who rep a 5A school, began the year 7-0 and finished 9-2, falling in their third playoff game.

Clay opened the postseason with 43-0 and 35-0 wins over Leesburg and Atlantic (Port Orange), respectively, before coming up on the short end of the stick 38-7 to Vanguard last Friday.

Shaw spent his first season in Florida pulling double duty, working as an offensive tackle and defensive end.

During his time in Coupeville, Golden flung the ball around for CMS, often targeting Jake Mitten.

After a move back to his family’s stomping grounds, the QB played at several schools, finishing his run at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama.

A powerhouse in the state, the Warriors won back-to-back 7A state titles during Golden’s junior and senior seasons.

The second of those came courtesy of one of the most stunning comebacks in recent prep history, as seen in this ESPN clip.

Even @ESPN and Scott Van Pelt led off Sports Center tonight with the miracle finish in the @AHSAA_football 7A title game. pic.twitter.com/0vQU9qGdtl

— Pigskin Pete (@pigskinwnsp) December 3, 2020

Golden was the backup to Thompson QB Conner Harrell, who threw for 3,400+ yards and 40 touchdowns this season, against just three interceptions.

The former Wolf completed five of six passes for 57 yards as a senior, tossing a TD against Sparkman.

While Golden might have preferred more playing time, the experience has been invaluable for his development.

“Thank you Thompson HS for an unforgettable last 2 years of HS Football,” the QB wrote on Twitter.

“I’ve learned so much that will help me in my next chapter of life. I truly appreciate and love my teammates and coaches.”

And don’t think Golden is being overlooked by talent scouts at the next level.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior (who also has a 4.0 GPA) has college offers from schools such as LaGrange College, Clarke University, Norwich University, and Sewanee: University of the South.

Coupeville grad Sarah Wright is currently a sophomore softball player at Sewanee.

Golden also has Preferred Walk-On offers from at least two NCAA D-1 schools, Florida State and Tennessee.

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CHS puts some sports practices on hold

Posted in Basketball, Football, tagged CHS Wolves, Covid-19, football, practice, Willie Smith on November 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Mickey Clark Field waits. (David Stern photo)

Better safe than sorry.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith has been at the forefront of making sure the Wolves remain diligent in how they conduct business in the Age of Coronavirus.

When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association opened the chance for schools to start workouts for their athletes — there will be no games until at least January — CHS took advantage.

But Smith has also been a hawk in making sure Health Department guidelines are followed by his coaches and athletes every step of the way.

So, with that in mind, he put a temporary hold on some activities starting late last week.

While there have been no positive COVID cases publicly reported among participants in the CHS practices, the start of cold and flu season has everyone looking twice as hard at every wayward sniffle.

Which is why some recent practices for sports such as football have been cancelled.

“Some of our student athletes have colds or cold-like symptoms and as an Athletic Department we have chosen to postpone the optional practices that those students participate in as a precautionary measure,” Smith said.

“As soon as we are able, we will begin offering our optional sports practices once again.”

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Big milestone for best-ever Wolf gridiron squad

Posted in Football, tagged 1990, CHS Wolves, football, Home Alone, Ron Bagby, undefeated on November 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Wolf QB Jason McFadyen operates under center during a practice in 1990. (Photo courtesy Carmen McFadyen)

The past is present again.

Next Tuesday – November 10 – marks the 30th anniversary of arguably the second-biggest game in Coupeville High School athletic history.

It’s hard to top the 1970 boys basketball district title game, when the Wolves toppled Darrington in front of 2,000+ fans.

That was the game when Jeff Stone torched the nets for 48 points, without the benefit of the three-point bomb, a single-game CHS mark which hasn’t been matched in 50 years.

Even more importantly, by winning that game, Coupeville beat Oak Harbor and Langley to the promised land, becoming the first Whidbey Island hoops squad to win a district title.

But the anniversary of that titanic hardwood tilt already passed earlier this year, and was talked about back then.

Today, in the time frame when football season would normally be wrapping up, we return to 1990.

Mariah Carey topped the musical charts with Love Takes Time as the morning of Saturday, Nov. 10 dawned.

George H.W. Bush was in the White House, and, at movie theaters, Child’s Play 2 was becoming the third-straight horror thriller to top the box office charts, following hot on the heels of Graveyard Shift and Jacob’s Ladder.

But Chucky’s reign would be a short one, at just one week, as a lil’ juggernaut called Home Alone was days away from release.

America so loved seeing Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern get abused, the film stayed #1 for 12 consecutive weeks, a feat matched by only four other films.

But, while they were home Nov. 10, 1990, the members of the CHS football team were not alone.

Instead, on an especially-gusty day, head coach Ron Bagby and his crew were surrounded by fans, as they took to the turf at Mickey Clark Field to host a WIAA state quarterfinal playoff game.

A win away from a trip to the Tacoma Dome (with a journey to the Kingdome on tap if they made the state final), the ’90 Wolves were, without argument, the most-successful team in program history.

Using a pounding ground attack and a feisty defense, Coupeville was 9-0, and had outscored opponents 258-107.

The Wolves had won a league title, their first on the gridiron since 1974, and the program was making its fourth state playoff appearance, and first at home.

Coupeville had shredded its rivals all year, but the defining win was likely a 10-0 whitewashing of Concrete, which was the reigning powerhouse in the Northwest B League.

Frank Marti capped a 122-yard rushing performance with a one-yard touchdown plunge in the fourth quarter, then Brad Haslam dropped the punctuation mark with a 34-yard field goal.

The stage was set for continued success as the playoffs kicked off, but, ultimately, Coupeville had to accept the role of Child’s Play 2, and not Home Alone, as it lost 34-14 to visiting Rainier.

The Mountaineers would go on to blank Adna 16-0 in the semifinals, before falling 13-3 to Reardan in the state title game.

While it wasn’t the end Coupeville coaches, players, and fans wanted, that 1990 team still towers above any other football squad to wear the red and black.

It’s final 9-1 record remains the best in program history, and, 30 years out, Wolf football has yet to win another league title or return to the state playoffs.

As we roll up on the anniversary of their quarterfinal clash, it would be nice if CHS could do an in-person event to commemorate those players and coaches.

Of course, the ongoing pandemic makes that impossible.

But, we can run through the roll call one more time, and give them an online tribute.

So, 30 years later, still the greatest football team in Coupeville High School history is:

Coaches:

Ron Bagby
Brian O’Hara
Tom Roehl (RIP)
Jon Prater

Manager:

Brent Fitzgerald

Seniors:

Brian Barr
Ben Biskovich
Sean Dillon
Chris Frey
Les Hall
Mark Lester
Frank Marti
Jason McFadyen
Ryan Samplawski
Aaron Williams