Shane Losey threw for two touchdowns, ran for another, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble during a busy Monday night of football. (John Fisken photo)
It was a night for trying new things.
With visiting La Conner not able to field a full JV squad, Coupeville agreed to play 8-man football Monday, then went out and waxed the Braves to capture the program’s first win in three years.
Sparked by a sensational game from sophomore quarterback Shane Losey, the Wolves rolled to an 18-6 win and evened their record at 1-1.
“This was a great win for these young kids,” said CHS coach Ryan King. “It gets their confidence up and rewards them for all the work they put in this summer and at practices.
“It’s a credit to all the coaches and all the players in the program.”
The win was a perfect example of teamwork, as King called the defensive scheme and fellow Coupeville assistant Brad Sherman pulled the strings on offense.
Working with three less players than usual took a bit of time for both teams to get used to, but Losey, who split time at QB with freshman Dawson Houston, adapted well.
He opened the scoring by plunging in on a short run on the final play of the first quarter, then came back to toss a pair of touchdown strikes in the second half.
The first was a 75-yard catch-and-run to Teo Keilwitz in which the Wolf running back ended up leaving not only the defenders, but his own shoe, behind him.
With one Brave still hot on his trail, Keilwitz hit the turbo jets, shed his shoe, and still took the ball to the house.
Not content to stop there, Losey moved Coupeville down the field one more time, then rifled a picture-perfect pass into the left corner of the end zone, putting the ball right on Jacob Zettle’s fingertips for the score.
Other than a few plays (including a four-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter that knotted things at 6-6), the Wolf defense also adjusted to the different style of play.
They kept La Conner’s QB scrambling for his life most of the night and pulled off several takeaways.
Losey picked off a pass to ice the game in the fourth, after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff.
So, basically he checked about every box possible on this night.
Jacobi Pacquette-Pilgrim had another fumble recovery, though the ball was jarred loose at the last second as he came dangerously close to turning it into a defensive touchdown.
Luke Carlson was a rampaging beast, in on what seemed like every other tackle, while Losey, Jake Hoagland, Ulrik Wells and Co. all chipped in with scrappy defensive play.
Coupeville stayed on the ground for much of the night, with Zettle, Keilwitz, Pacquette-Pilgrim and hard-charging Andrew Martin sharing the rushing duty.
Losey and Houston also showed a flair of holding on to the ball and grinding out yardage themselves.
One late carry from Pacquette-Pilgrim, in which he spun three defenders around as he reversed field, brought his varsity teammates to their feet for a round of sideline hysteria.
“Everyone played well,” King said. “I’m really, really proud of them all.”
