Freshman quarterback Matthew Gilbert saw extensive playing time in the fourth quarter Friday night. (Andrew Williams photo)
It was Friday the 13th after all.
In between the action and the falling rain drops, there were highlights for Coupeville High School football fans, from the announcement of Homecoming royalty to freshly cooked hot dogs and birthday sing-a-longs.
On the field, however, things turned fairly grim during a game in which the refs slowed things down to a crawl to throw 10,047 flags, and visiting Forks proved that when it spells class, it sometimes drops the C and L.
The Wolves were missing multiple key senior starters on offense, including quarterback Logan Downes, who is battling tonsillitis.
Logan Downes can’t feel his face. (Angie Downes photo)
Meanwhile the Spartans chose to leave their primary weapons in until the game’s final seconds, merrily racing the clock to pad stats in a lopsided 67-9 win.
The non-conference loss drops Coupeville to 1-6 on the season but hope lives.
The final two regular season games pit the Wolves against Northwest 2B/1B League rivals La Conner and Friday Harbor, and CHS can still claim a share of the league title and punch a return ticket to state.
To do so, Coupeville, which is 1-1 in conference action, needs to beat the Braves (0-3 in league, 1-5 overall) and Wolverines (3-0, 4-2).
The first game is on the road Oct. 20, the second in Cow Town on Senior Night Oct. 27.
Sweep those two tilts and the Wolves finish in a tie with Friday Harbor at 3-1, with the teams splitting their two-game season series.
That would set up a tiebreaker mini game, with the winner advancing to the state tourney.
But that’s still a way off.
Friday night brought a strong Forks team to town, carrying a 5-1 record and a #6 ranking in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association RPI rankings.
And yet it took the Spartans a bit to pull away, as a scrappy Coupeville team led by sophomore QB Chase Anderson, making his first start under center in place of Downes, hung tough.
Forks signal caller Emmanuel Hernandez, just a freshman, ripped off a 36-yard scoring run three minutes into the game to stake the visitors to an early lead, but the Wolves countered.
Chewing up six-plus minutes of clock, Anderson and his crew methodically moved downfield, with the slippery sophomore scrambling out of danger three times to keep the drive alive.
Anderson’s biggest burst was a 19-yard bolt to the right side, weaving and bobbing, daring anyone to tackle him, then ducking under the outstretched arms of would-be tacklers.
Mixing in a couple of passes to Jack Porter, Hunter Bronec, and Malachi Somes, the Wolf QB proved to be a killer with his arm as well as his feet, but penalties finally stalled out Coupeville.
Facing a fourth-and-15, CHS coach Bennett Richter put the ball on Anderson’s toe, and he blasted his first field goal of the season, a 33-yard bomb into the twilight.
Casey Masters (holding helmet) and other Wolf linemen gave it their all against Forks. (Jackie Saia photo)
Forks scored again before the looooooong first quarter ended, with Brody Lausche rumbling in from 10 yards out for the first of his five TD’s, but Coupeville again had an answer.
Anderson connected with Bronec on a pass by accident to open the second quarter, as the ball hit another receiver’s arms and popped up into the air only to be snagged by the lanky junior.
Very next play, a 29-yard heave into the night air landed on the fingertips of Jack Porter for his third score of the season.
It was Anderson’s first TD pass this year, and the second of his prep career.
While a two-point conversion run was snuffed out just short of the line, Coupeville was down just 14-9 at that point, with almost three full quarters left to play.
Unfortunately, Porter’s trip to the end zone was the last time the Wolves would score on this evening. At least if you believe the refs.
A 73-yard bolt to freedom by Hernandez made the score 20-9 in favor of Forks, but a muffed snap on the PAT attempt spurred hope.
Even down 28-9, after a short scoring run by Lausche and a successful conversion attempt, the Wolves seemed like they would make it a battle royal.
Anderson lofted a pass over the defense, dropping the ball into Porter’s hands, and several big steps later, the Coupeville speed demon had broken off an 80-yard TD pass play.
Except…
A lonely flag sat nestled in the grass, and after a prolonged conversation among the refs — perhaps wondering who had misplaced their rule book and bifocal glasses — the zebras overturned the touchdown, driving a stake through the heart of Wolf Nation.
From that point on, Coupeville’s offensive attack deflated, while Forks went on a rampage, ramming in an additional six touchdowns.
Five scores came on the ground, while another was courtesy of a blocked punt, the ball plucked off the ground by Walker Wheeler, who strolled in for a quick six.
With the lead cracking the 40-point barrier, a running clock went into action, and the Spartans answer was to hunker down with their starters and keep battering away.
Hernandez scored his third touchdown of the night very late in the fourth, sweeping in behind most of the same guys blocking for him back at the start of the game.
While Coupeville didn’t score over the game’s final 35 minutes, it did get several strong kickoff returns from Davin Houston and Aiden O’Neill, plus a blocked PAT by Adrian Cunningham.
If there is a sour taste to Forks willingness to run up the score, there is an answer.
Take care of business the next two weeks, get back to the state playoffs, and maybe earn a rematch with the Spartans.
This time with the full lineup in place.
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