Wolves, incoming. (Julie Wheat photo)
Throw out the records.
When Coupeville High School football heads down to Langley this Friday to clash with South Whidbey, it doesn’t matter that the Falcons are 0-3 and the Wolves 0-5.
The annual non-conference rumble between next-door neighbors is for bragging rights, and an actual trophy, “The Bucket,” which comes complete with noticeable dent, thanks to a miffed South Whidbey coach who kicked it after losing it a few years back.
The “original” bucket once held licorice, but was filled with water by a Coupeville student, who dumped it on the South Whidbey crowd at a volleyball match, setting off a near-riot.
Looking to turn a negative into a positive, athletic directors Willie Smith (CHS) and John Patton (SWHS) transformed the weapon of mass hydration into a trophy, which is held for a year by the winning football program.
With Wolf coaches Tony Maggio and Jon Atkins each winning twice, Coupeville, with a smaller student body, kept the rivalry intense for the first decade.
But now, South Whidbey, which is currently a 1A school, has reeled off six straight wins against its 2B neighbors, stretching the lead out to 11-4 overall.
The Falcons, who will also be celebrating Homecoming this Friday (7:00 PM kickoff), are coming off a bye week, thanks to a rival which cancelled.
The last time they were on the gridiron they were whacked 63-0 by Friday Harbor, coming on the heels of losses to Brewster (55-6) and Bellevue Christian (43-15).
Coupeville, which will be playing a 1A foe for the fifth time in six games, has fallen to Annie Wright (25-7), Cascade (30-19), Granite Falls (58-27), Cedar Park Christian-Bothell (31-7), and Friday Harbor (28-14).
Wolf foes — not counting South Whidbey — are a combined 15-10 so far this season, with both Annie Wright and Granite boasting 4-1 records.
As we head into the 16th edition of the Battle for the Bucket, here’s a look at how things have gone:
2009 — SW 28-6
2010 — SW 33-7
2011 — SW 35-0
2012 — CHS 18-13
2013 — SW 57-33
2014 — CHS 35-28
2015 — SW 27-14
2016 — CHS 41-10
2017 — CHS 18-0
2018 — SW 48-20
2019 — SW 35-7
2020 — No game (Covid)
2021 — SW 33-7
2022 — SW 47-28
2023 – SW 48-28
2024 – SW 30-26
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