Coupeville Sports

   Jacob Martin (top, right) is joined by Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows and grandpa/grandson combo Murph Cross and Carson Risner.

Scrappers, one and all.

The four athletes who make up the 82nd class inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall of Fame have radically different personalities, but they are bound together by the fight they showed on the playing field.

Whether charging after a loose ball on the hard-court, blowing up a foe on the gridiron or blocking the plate, the quartet made a sizable impact with their refusal to bend to their foes.

So, with that, we welcome Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows, Jacob Martin, Murph Cross and Carson Risner to these hallowed digital hallways.

After this you’ll find them at the top of the blog under the Legends tab.

We’re going to kick things off with a 2-for-1 deal for the Cross family, as Jennie (Cross) Prince, who’s already in the Hall, gets joined by dad Murph and son Carson.

Murph, whose brother Corey is also enshrined in the Hall, is the kind of guy who, even long after graduation in 1965, is remembered as the “orneriest cuss I ever played with” by multiple former teammates.

Built like a brick wall and capable of hitting like a hammer, he anchored the line for the Wolf football team, did the work down in the trenches for the hoops squad and defended the plate as a catcher for the baseball team.

If you were an opposing player, or, sometimes, even his own teammate, Murph put the fear of God into you, and left dents in both your biceps and psyche, a true “old school” athlete who lived and breathed Wolf pride.

His grandson wasn’t quite as imposing, in attitude at least, as he was always his team’s leading jokester, but Carson could lay a whuppin’ on folks between the lines, and often did.

Anchoring both sides of the Wolf line on the gridiron, he played through pain and injury and never lost the mile-wide smile he always sported, except for a time or two where he came up swinging while protecting his teammates.

On the basketball court Risner played during a rough stretch where wins were few and far between and where he was often asked to spend most of his time taking the brunt of the abuse from other team’s bruisers.

Again, the mix of a sunny, upbeat attitude (smiling while elbowing a 6-foot-5 King’s player in the kidneys) and a willingness to get chippy and never cede ground helped give his squad someone to rally around.

Often showing a soft touch on the offensive end, as well, Carson may be best remembered for the infamous opening night game when all but one Wolf player was laid low by severe food poisoning.

Refusing to give in, Risner can be found in at least one photo from that night sitting on the edge of the bench, garbage can in hand, white-knuckling through the 30 seconds before he charged back on the court.

His team needed him, he was there. Every day.

The same could be said of Martin, one of the most underrated Wolf gridiron stars of the past decade.

A four-year player, he did whatever the coaches asked him to, without fail, a true warrior who left his soul on the field every play of his career.

In the early days, he was asked to block for other runners like Josh Bayne, Jake Tumblin and Lathom Kelley, before getting the chance to be the featured back as a senior.

He hit every block like his life depended upon it, giving his guys a chance to break free and pile up yardage.

Then, when it was his chance, he fought through injuries to roll up close to 1,000 yards across his prep career while also being a big hitter on defense.

Through it all, Martin remained the most low-key of players, a young man who grew from being a supporting player to being a team leader.

Always more intent on making his teammates shine rather than focusing on his own stats, he was a coach’s son, through and through, and the lessons learned from dad Jonathan were always evident.

After wrapping up his prep career, Jacob summed up his time on the field perfectly:

Football is a brutal sport: I broke my toe, pinky, thumb, and had two concussions. It was worth it.

I learned that no matter how physically and mentally tore I was, I’d get up and hit back harder.

Not because I had to, but because I knew it would benefit me; no matter what I face in life, I’ll always bounce back stronger.

Our final inductee, Burrows, was the blue collar warrior for the first CHS girls hoops teams to make a statement at the state tournament.

The 1998 squad was the first in program history to make it to state, the 2000 team the first to win a game at the big dance, and Jaime was one of just two players (along with Rachelle Solomon) to be a part of both.

A scrappy ball-hawk who hit the boards with a vengeance and believed deep in her soul that every loose ball rightfully belonged to her, Burrows was the perfect complement to big-time scorers like Tina Lyness and Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby.

But while defense and doin’ the dirty work was her calling card, Jaime could also drop buckets when needed, and showed no fear in the biggest of big game situations.

It was her last-second free throws Mar. 2, 2000 in fact which sealed the deal on Coupeville’s first-ever state win (a come-from-behind 46-42 thriller against Freeman).

Possibly the best barista to ever work at Miriam’s Espresso (let the epic fight begin…), Jaime has gone on to become a mom and now four-time inductee into the Hall.

While her first visits were for crafting a moment (the state tourney free throws) and as part of the ’98 and ’00 teams, this time the spotlight falls squarely on her.

As it always should.

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