Cameron Dahl heads for the end zone Monday as the Coupeville JV walloped Vashon. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Jean Lund-Olsen ran for two touchdowns (one was called back on a penalty) and a pair of two-point conversions.
Dawson Houston stood tall in the pocket, throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown.
Vashon’s offense sputtered under the onslaught of Gavin Knoblich (71) and Co.
Dawson Houston can kill you in many ways.
Whether he was flinging balls through the air or scampering for yardage on the ground Monday, the Coupeville High School QB was a man on a mission.
By the time he was done, Houston had rolled up close to 300 yards of offense, with more than 200 coming in the passing game, powering the Wolf JV football squad to a 16-8 win over visiting Vashon Island.
With both teams dealing with rosters which were already thin long before injuries started to further cut numbers, the game was played as a fast-moving, no-special-teams-play, eight-man game.
For a Coupeville JV squad which had gone seven weeks into the season before getting to play a game of its own, just hitting the field was a victory.
Once on the gridiron, the young Wolves seized the moment.
Brian Roberts blunted Vashon’s opening drive with a resounding sack, then Houston and the offense went to work.
Starting at the 50-yard line, the Wolves only needed one play to break the game open. Almost.
Houston hit Koa Davison on a pass over the middle which turned into a 35-yard rumble.
Unfortunately, a Vashon player coming from behind poked the ball free, forcing a fumble. As the Vikings converged on the ball, what had seemed like a sure-thing Wolf TD vanished as quickly as it was set up.
It turned out not to matter too badly, however, as Coupeville’s defense was in lock-down mode throughout the game.
Dewitt Cole recovered a fumble, James Vidoni and Trevor Bell drove the opposing QB batty and most of the Vashon possessions resulted in “punts.”
With no special teams play, teams could elect to go for it or have the ball moved a set number of yards on fourth down, surrendering without having players fly around on a kicking play.
Coupeville broke the scoreless tie late in the first quarter, getting a short touchdown run from Jean Lund-Olsen, who then added two more points on a conversion scamper.
Lund-Olsen ran unchecked most of the night, with another longer TD run, this one of the 84-yard variety, called back when one of his teammates got caught applying an illegal block way, way behind the speedy Wolf runner.
Picking apart Vashon’s defense, Houston peppered the Pirates, hitting Davison, Lund-Olsen and Gavin Straub, while saving his biggest heaves for the fingertips of Cameron Dahl.
The game-winner came late in the third quarter, with Houston double-pumping, then nailing “Rodeo” in full stride down the right side of the field.
Dahl, having beaten his defender, snagged the bomb as it dropped over his head, cut back inside and was off to score, with the cheers of Wolf fans ringing in his ears every step of the way.
Another two-point conversion run from Lund-Olsen, who shot around the right side and was untouched until he was three steps deep in the end zone, stretched out the final scoring margin.
Not that Houston and Dahl were done, as they connected on two more passes, a 35-yarder and a 25-yarder, before the final whistle blew.
That 25-yarder was Wolf JV coach Jerry “No Worries” Helm at his best.
Facing fourth-and-five with a little over a minute left to play, Coupeville got the first down when Houston faked a pass, then pulled the ball in and sprinted up field for seven yards.
The Wolves could have taken a knee on the next two plays and called it a win, but Helm was looking to get his young guns as much playing time as possible in what could be their only JV game of the season.
So, instead of a victory formation, Coupeville let it fly, with Houston pegging the ball in between two defenders to Dahl for a game-capping reception.
What if the pass had been picked, and heaven forbid, run back for a touchdown? And then, what if Vashon had gotten the two-point conversion?
“Well, then I guess we would have played overtime!,” Helm said with a big grin.
Week after week this season, the JV games have been cancelled, and, going forward, only one of the three remaining varsity foes is still on the schedule for a JV clash as well.
And that will depend on Klahowya’s willingness to play some 8-man football.
With that in mind, getting in as many plays as possible was first and foremost on the Coupeville coaching staff’s minds.
“You want to get the young guys reps,” Helm said. “To give them the chance to see what the difference in speed is like between practice and a game, to get them ready for those Friday Night Lights.
“I was very happy with how they played.”
To see more photos from this game (purchases help fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes), pop over to:
http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/2017-Coupeville-Football/2017-10-16-JV-vs-Vashon/
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