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Gridiron action (if not the weather) heats up

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , on June 8, 2019| Leave a Comment »

CHS football players (l to r) Daylon Houston, Dawson Houston, and Ben Smith arrive in Mount Vernon Saturday for their first spring scrimmage. (Deb Smith photos)

A little of that fall football feeling, on June 8.

With their work done, the Wolves head home.

And so it begins.

We’re two-and-a-half months out from the first day of fall practice, but that’s not stopping the Coupeville High School football team from working.

Taking a break from spring practice, the Wolves hit the road Saturday and traveled to Mount Vernon for the first of two scrimmages.

While squaring off with the 4A Bulldogs, Coupeville put the ball in the end zone numerous times.

The details are a little sketchy, but we know Wolf quarterback Dawson Houston netted a touchdown through the air and another on the ground, while Andy Martin and Timothy Ursu crashed in to score while leading the rushing attack.

The Wolves host Concrete 6 PM Thursday, June 13 at Coupeville’s Mickey Clark Field in the second, and final, scrimmage of spring.

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It’s 95 days until kickoff

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Gavin Knoblich and Coupeville football face several new opponents this fall. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

First things first.

There is one way, and one way only, that Coupeville High School football can make the playoffs this fall.

The Wolves go 9-0 for the first time since 1990, or it’s regular season and done.

When CHS opted to bounce from the North Sound Conference for a season and play an independent schedule, school officials made the decision fully aware it closed off most avenues to the postseason.

That being said, Coupeville football hasn’t posted a winning record since going 6-5 in 2005.

Since then, there’s been a 5-5 finish in 2014 and 12 losing seasons.

So, maybe we won’t worry about the playoffs right now.

The biggest stumbling blocks for the Wolf gridiron program have been a lack of numbers, a lack of big bodies among those players actually on the field, and a whole lot of churn on the coaching staff.

Current CHS head man Marcus Carr is starting his second season and seems deeply committed, with a strong staff working at his side. That’s a definite positive.

Still, Coupeville has had five head coaches in the last decade, since Ron Bagby retired after 26 years at the helm of the program.

Part of the rebuilding process for Carr and school Athletic Director Willie Smith is trying to get the Wolves back on a semi-level playing field, allowing the program to grow.

All indications are that CHS will step down to 2B starting with the 2020-2021 school year, which is when new classification counts take effect.

Until then, taking a year off from league play, skipping King’s and Cedar Park Christian and company while allowing Smith to craft a (hopefully) more-favorable schedule, should help.

Looking at what awaits the Wolves this fall, it’s a schedule with four home games and five on the road.

Four games are against 2B schools, and three versus 1A institutions, plus one game apiece against 2A and 3A foes.

Five of the opponents, including the first four, are against schools Coupeville is familiar with. Then are four match-ups which will offer the Wolves a chance to experience new things.

To get you ready, we offer up a little breakdown of the schedule, game by game:

 

Friday-Sept. 6 — Port Townsend

Kickoff: 6 PM

Miles to travel: None

Classification: 1A

Coach: Patrick Gaffney

Mascot: RedHawks

2018 record: 4-6

Players on preseason roster: 20

Past history: Coupeville won 28-18 in last year’s season opener in Port Townsend. The teams have played numerous times, most notably when they were both in the Olympic League between 2014-2017.

Fun fact: Port Townsend and Chimacum combined for 130 points in a FOOTBALL game last season, with the RedHawks winning 79-51.

 

Friday-Sept. 13 — @ Vashon Island

Kickoff: 6 PM

Miles to travel: 73.6 miles

Classification: 1A

Coach: Clay Eastly

Mascot: Pirates

2018 record: 1-9

Players on preseason roster: 21

Past history: Coupeville won 13-0 last year on Whidbey. Wolves have beaten Pirates three straight seasons.

“Fun” fact: Last time Vashon beat CHS came in 2015 … when Pirate running back Bryce Hoisington went off for a state single-game record 573 rushing yards against the Wolves. He also broke the state single-season rushing mark, and, thankfully, has since graduated.

 

Friday-Sept. 20 — @ Friday Harbor

Kickoff: 6:30 PM

Miles to travel: 48.4

Classification: 2B

Coach: Brock Hauck

Mascot: Wolverines

2018 record: 6-3

Players on preseason roster: 19

Past history: Coupeville lost 17-0 last year on Whidbey. First time the schools clashed in several years, but they have been on and off again rivals over the decades.

Fun fact: Friday Harbor finished in a tie with Concrete for the Northwest League title last season, but lost a mini-playoff game 7-6. With a state playoff berth on the line, the difference turned out to be a heavily-disputed two-point conversion run, with the refs ruling Friday Harbor failed to break the goal line.

 

Friday-Sept. 27 — La Conner

Kickoff: 7 PM

Miles to travel: None

Classification: 2B

Coach: Peter Voorhees

Mascot: Braves

2018 record: 1-8

Players on preseason roster: 37

Past history: Coupeville won 33-12 at La Conner last year. Wolves have won two straight against one of their oldest rivals.

Fun fact: Has one of the best home-field National Anthem traditions in Washington state. As the singer finishes with “and the home of the brave,” La Conner football players raise their helmets and scream “Braves” in place of the final word.

 

Saturday-Oct. 5 — @ Kittitas

Kickoff: 3 PM

Miles to travel: 165.3

Classification: 2B

Coach: Dusty Hutchinson

Mascot: Coyotes

2018 record: 1-7

Players on preseason roster: Not available; no roster for last season listed, either.

Past history: Never played (as far as I know).

Fun fact: Won their third-straight boys basketball state title this past winter. Star guard Brock Ravet, who is headed to Gonzaga on a full-ride scholarship, finished his career as the state’s all-time leading scorer.

 

Friday-Oct. 11 — @ Northwest Christian

Kickoff: 7 PM

Miles to travel: 131.9 (School is in Lacey, but game at Tenino)

Classification: 2B

Coach: Mark Smith

Mascot: Wolverines

2018 record: Didn’t play

Players on preseason roster: Not available

Past history: New football program

Fun facts: Private school may not have a football history, but it’s a powerhouse in cross country, with the girls team winning nine straight state titles between 2006-2014.

School was the Navigators (with an alligator mascot known as … Navi the Gator), but are switching to Wolverines. To which I say, why, and, booooooooo.

Football coach Mark Smith is no newbie. He’s in the state hall of fame for track and field coaches, and won 174 games in 23 years as the football coach at Tacoma Baptist, taking that school to the state title game three times.

 

Fri-Oct. 18 — South Whidbey

Kickoff: 7 PM

Miles to travel: None

Classification: 1A

Coach: Mark Hodson

Mascot: Falcons

2018 record: 6-4

Players on preseason roster: Not available. Had 36 last season.

Past history: Coupeville lost 48-20 last year in Langley, allowing Falcons to regain possession of The Bucket. Wolves had won four of previous six clashes against their arch-rivals.

Fun fact: South Whidbey, which won just four games between 2014-2016, went the independent schedule route, and it paid off big time.

Playing 2B and Canadian schools, Falcons rebounded with a 7-2 record, then carried that over into 2018, when they joined the new North Sound Conference.

 

Fri-Oct. 25 — Anacortes

Kickoff: TBA

Miles to travel: None

Classification: 2A

Coach: Chris Hunter

Mascot: Seahawks

2018 record: 0-9

Players on preseason roster: Not available. Had 31 last season.

Past history: Haven’t played football against each other in decades. Used to be a rivalry back when players wore leather helmets.

Fun fact: Anacortes has lost 13 straight games. Seahawks last tasted victory the night of Sept. 29, 2017, when they beat Blaine 36-30.

 

Fri-Nov. 1 — @ Interlake

Kickoff: 7 PM

Miles to travel: 58.6 (Bellevue)

Classification: 3A

Coach: Shawn Hartline

Mascot: Saints

2018 record: 2-7

Players on preseason roster: 45

Past history: Have never played (as far as I know).

Fun fact: Famous alumni included baseball legend John Olerud, as well as musicians Nancy Wilson (Heart), and Chris DeGarmo (Queensrÿche).

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CHS football ready to tackle every challenge

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville QB Dawson Houston, who will be a senior this fall, returns to lead a football team which is transitioning to an independent schedule for a season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There’s a positive buzz in the air.

Coupeville High School’s football coaching staff met with players and parents Wednesday, acknowledging challenges which face the Wolf gridiron program, while focusing on the positives.

With gear being issued Thursday, and spring practice kicking off the next day, 40-50 people were in the stands in the CHS gym as head coach Marcus Carr kicked off his second season at the helm of the program.

“I’m looking forward to getting started!” he said.

Carr is currently hoping for somewhere in the range of 22-25 players, which would be very solid given 10 of the 22 players on last fall’s season-ending roster graduate next week.

The roster should be headlined by next year’s seniors, key contributors such as Sean Toomey-Stout, Andrew Martin, Dawson Houston, and Gavin Knoblich.

Younger players such as Gabe Shaw and Brian Casey have added muscle, while former CMS star Dakota Eck, who returned to town this spring after starting high school elsewhere, was one of several potential new players in the audience.

Coupeville, which started 3-1 last season before injuries steadily chipped away at the team’s depth during an 0-5 league campaign, is switching up the plan this season.

With the school expected to drop to 2B when new classification counts go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year, CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith was granted permission for the football program to go independent this fall.

All other Wolf sports teams remain in the 1A North Sound Conference next school year.

Football, however, will play a schedule made up of schools, ranging from 2B-3A, which are in the same boat as Coupeville’s gridiron squad, which has been small in numbers, and undersized in the trenches.

South Whidbey (and the battle for The Bucket) remains on the schedule, as does Port Townsend, La Conner, Friday Harbor, and Vashon Island.

But Kittitas, Northwest Christian, Interlake, and Anacortes will be new to Wolf fans.

“Most of the teams in our league had lines which averaged 230-245 pounds a guy, and our size just doesn’t match up right now,” Carr told his audience.

“We were looking for smaller schools, schools new to football (like Northwest Christian), or schools closer to us in numbers,” he added. “This will give us a chance to be competitive, get our system in place and help our players prepare for the (likely) move to 2B.”

CHS coaches are putting a major emphasis on player safety, and hope to lessen injuries, keeping players on the field all season and able to compete at a top level.

The school purchased Guardian Caps, soft shell covers which slip over the player’s helmets, and provide another layer of safety during practices.

According to reviews, the caps “reduce the overall buildup of small blows that occur over the course of a season by allowing greater energy dissipation at the point of contact with a pliable material.”

The Wolves will also have “less live tackling” in practice, while teaching proper techniques and utilizing The Tackle Wheel in place of always crashing into live bodies.

“I know some of you are going to try and jump through it while it’s moving,” Carr said of the device, which resembles a giant doughnut.

“And if you do that, you’re gonna feel pretty good about yourself. We’ll see if any of you are that talented…”

The team has also added Iron Neck devices, used to stabilize the neck and help strengthen muscles during workouts.

“You work on your neck muscles, it helps with everything,” Carr said.

The Wolf football coach wants to be able to turn to the sideline and see more than one or two reserves by midway through the season.

“We want to reduce in-practice injuries and have our guys be ready for the season,” Carr said. “We want to make sure we’re being safe and keeping everyone healthy.”

Along with safety, keeping players focused on putting in time in the weight room, which has been key to every successful football program since players wore leather helmets, is a major goal.

“Our summer weight program is very important,” Carr said. “Other teams are in there on a regular basis, and we should be, too, if we want to compete with them.

“We need to make every minute in there count.”

While laying out the day-to-day program for the season-to-come, Carr also took side detours to show off the team’s glossy new helmet stickers and have son/assistant coach Bobby detail a community service project for the Wolves.

The younger Carr is a professional painter, and is arranging for the CHS players to join him in painting the building used by the Coupeville Boys and Girls Club.

Along with the Carrs, returning CHS coaches include Bennett Richter, Tyson Boon, and Gabe Shaw, Sr.

Nathan Bellamy’s schedule won’t allow him to coach this fall, and Kwamane Bowens has moved out of state to pursue his musical career, but Brett Casey is moving up from the middle school to join the CHS coaching staff.

He became available when Smith shut down the CMS football program, citing a severe lack of players.

The middle school had to cancel half of its six-game schedule last fall.

Coupeville’s stated plan is to replace tackle football with flag football before high school, but little is known about the new proposal, which would reportedly include athletes in grades 3-8.

Smith was at a different meeting Wednesday, so issues such as whether the Boys and Girls Club will be involved, and whether the Wolves will play other schools, or just compete in-house, were tabled for another day.

Instead, the focus remained on the high school program (and the free pizza the players were eyeballing) and with Marcus Carr working the room like a pro, projecting a calm confidence, things seemed pretty good.

“We have to be in the weight room and dedicated to putting on muscle,” the CHS head coach told his audience. “And most of all, we need everyone putting in the effort in the classroom. That’s the big thing.

“We’ll go forward and tackle all our challenges, get bigger and better, get people in the right spots, and do our thing.

“We’ll be just fine.”

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“Soccer is my life”

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Football, tagged , , , , , on May 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Daylon Houston, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, plans to play soccer, football, and possibly basketball. (Photo courtesy Houston)

Daylon Houston doesn’t hesitate.

While he plans to play two, and possibly three, sports next year as a freshman at Coupeville High School, the lure of the pitch is something he embraces.

“Soccer is my life, soccer has always been my first choice,” Houston said. “It gives me the rush of being in nonstop play; the constant movement and aggression is awesome, and it motivates me to push myself.”

Daylon plans to join older brother Dawson, Coupeville’s starting quarterback, on the Wolf football team this fall.

After that, he may lace up his shoes with the basketball program, as well.

But when next spring rolls around, Houston is most looking forward to keeping his run as a soccer player going strong.

A veteran of four seasons of select soccer, the sport has helped him grow through elementary and middle school years.

“Being an athlete helps me stay on track; it’s a big part of me,” Houston said. “I enjoy being an athlete because when I’m out of sports I have no guidance, but in sports I have a strong sense of guidance.”

He’s looking to make an immediate impact for the Wolves on the soccer pitch, and is confident in his ever-growing skill-set.

“I have a high enough skill level to be a starting freshman on our varsity soccer team,” Houston said with conviction. “My goals are to go out on the field and push myself.”

The young booter credits the many coaches he’s worked with for helping support and guide him.

“When I was about eight, I had a soccer coach named Miguel, and he has helped me because I was going into that season saying I wanted to quit due to a bad coach from before,” Houston said. “But he guided me through a great season and put my soccer life back on track.

“Also, my current coach, Ben, who has led me and taught me the deeper concepts of the game of soccer.”

Along with his coaches, Houston praises his mom, Alia, for being the ultimate sounding board and support crew.

“She told me I should try out for select and so I did,” he said. “She helped me enter select and she was there every step of the way.

“These three people (my mom and coaches) all play a crucial role in making me the player I am today,” Houston added. “Without any of them, I probably wouldn’t be playing soccer to this day.”

When he’s not on the pitch, Houston enjoys working out, listening to music and spending time with his dog.

But, like his older brother, who will be heading into his senior season, he comes alive when playing sports.

“My strength as an athlete is that I never give up,” Houston said. “Even in the hardest of times I keep pushing myself.

“I can be in the last game of a season with absolutely no wins and go out there and give it my all,” he added. “The only thing I can think of to improve is be a part of a team and build strong chemistry with my teammates.”

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CHS football sets informational meeting

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on May 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »

If you’re a Coupeville High School football player or parent, head coach Marcus Carr wants to see you Wednesday night. (Photo by JohnsPotos.net)

Spring has just sprung, so it’s time to think about football.

With recent announcements concerning the Coupeville High School team moving to an independent schedule, and the CMS program being shut down and replaced with flag football, there may be plenty of questions lingering in the air.

CHS head coach Marcus Carr will speak to the people this week, and here’s a letter he sent out Monday:

I would like to invite the parents/players of the 2019 Wolves Football Team (grades 9-12) to a mandatory informational meeting to be held on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 PM.

The meeting will be held at Coupeville High School’s gym, in the health room.

This meeting will be held only once this year and it is very important that at least one parent of the athlete attend this meeting.

We will be covering practice requirements for spring/summer football activities, which impact student athlete participation starting on May 31.

We will also be covering everything you need to know about the upcoming season — parent involvement, events, practice schedules, summer camp, summer weight program, and changes that have been made to the football program.

Lastly, I will be covering how we are making Wolves football the safest it has ever been through our use of the Seahawks tackling techniques, Guardian Caps, and other equipment.

Even if you do not have a child in football or may be on the fence of allowing them to play, I encourage you to attend.

I look forward to seeing you!

Respectfully,

Marcus Carr
Head Football Coach

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