Johnny Porter, Coupeville’s top running back, found himself playing QB Saturday as options dwindled. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Next man up.
Saturday’s matchup between unbeaten high school gridiron teams took a painful swing for Coupeville.
Hosting non-conference foe Granite Falls, the third-straight 1A school the 2B Wolves have squared off with, CHS was without starting quarterback Chase Anderson and senior receiver Hunter Bronec.
Then, Coupeville lost the electric Aiden O’Neill and Anderson’s backup at QB and kicker, Davin Houston, midway through Saturday’s clash.
Finishing the rumble with running back Johnny Porter moved under center, with the senior making his debut as a high school gunslinger, the Wolves fell 43-6.
But while the loss to a now 3-0 Granite squad drops Coupeville to 2-1 on the season, the score doesn’t tell the complete story.
Missing their primary offensive weapon in Anderson, who had tallied five touchdowns across the first two games, the Wolves still jumped out to a lead.
And still stayed close until the second half, even with O’Neill and Houston exiting, leaving Coupeville with limited offensive options.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” said CHS coach Bennett Richter. “They played hard, and a lot of the time, played really good.
“There are a lot of positive things we can build on from this game as we move forward,” he added.
Richter praised the effort of everyone who saw the field — many of whom played out of position or inherited new duties with the Wolves sideline filling up.
Two, in particular, were freshman Liam Blas, who came up big on both sides of the ball, and Johnny Porter, a bruising back who found himself flicking passes when he wasn’t crashing through the defense.
He connected on a Porter-to-Porter pass with twin brother Jack at one point and kept Granite honest even with the team’s top two QB’s out of commission.
“Johnny had a big game, and really stepped up for us,” Richter said.
Have a helmet? You’re going to play. (Bailey Thule photo)
The game started with Anderson in street clothes as he works his way back from early-season injuries, and Houston making his debut at QB.
The sophomore, following in the footsteps of older brother Dawson, a two-year Wolf starter at the position back in the day, capped Coupeville’s opening drive with a one-yard scoring plunge.
The Wolves had forced and recovered a fumble to start the game, then marched 63 yards down the field in 10 plays.
Johnny Porter carried the ball five times during that drive, but it was Houston who scampered around the right side and beat the Granite defense to the end zone to open the scoring.
While Coupeville was unable to convert a two-point conversion play, the defense was locked in and held the visitors scoreless in the first quarter.
The Wolves recovered a second fumble deep in their own territory, and later blocked a field goal try, but were unable to generate the same level of offense after the opening drive.
That gave Granite a chance to get untracked, and the Tigers responded with a pair of scoring runs from Rydon Kuahuia, before tacking on a third touchdown on an unfortunate play.
O’Neill, on his way to breaking off a big run on a kickoff return, went down awkwardly while trying to cut away from a defender, and the ball popped free and was returned for a defensive score.
While Houston and Malachi Somes stopped back-to-back conversion tries by picking off passes, Granite still had an 18-6 lead at the half, and O’Neill’s injury took a lot of the air out of the stadium.
Coupeville’s best scoring chance in the second half came after a strong kickoff return from Houston set them up at midfield.
But while the Wolves got down to the three-yard line, they were stuffed on both third and fourth down, also losing their backup QB after he got blown up while blocking for a teammate in the open field.
Granite tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to stretch out the lead, then cemented the game with two more scores in the fourth.
The one thing the Tigers couldn’t do very well was add on a PAT or conversion after their touchdowns, with Coupeville’s defense stopping six of their seven tries.
Marcelo Gebhard and Jack Porter chased down Granite’s QB several times, while Blas and Marquette Cunningham knocked down several passes.
Coupeville hits the road for another non-conference game next Saturday, Sept. 29, when it travels to Juanita High School to play Cedar Park Christian-Bothell.
The 1A Eagles opened with a win over Friday Harbor, then have been manhandled in back-to-back losses to Blaine and Napavine.
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