Adrian Cunningham (left) and Jaje Drake flexed big time as Coupeville thrashed La Conner. (Sophia Broderick photo)
Party like you’re in first place.
After opening with three straight games against bigger schools, the Coupeville High School football team finally faced off with a fellow 2B rival Friday night.
Advantage Wolves, in a big way.
Sparked by a dominant ground attack, even with its top rusher sidelined, Coupeville whacked visiting La Conner 48-6, with the victory lifting the red and black to 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 1-3 overall.
That sets up a major showdown next Friday, Sept. 29, when the Wolves travel to Friday Harbor to play the Wolverines (1-0, 2-1) for sole possession of first place.
With another game against both of their 2B compatriots left on the schedule, La Conner (0-2, 0-3) isn’t eliminated from playoff contention yet, but the Braves have a lot of ground to make up.
Friday’s victory keeps Coupeville undefeated in league play under second-year head coach Bennett Richter, as the Wolves try and win back-to-back conference titles for the first time in program history.
Back on their home turf for the first time in three weeks, the Wolves controlled the game on both sides of the ball.
Even missing key starters Johnny Porter and Peyton Caveness, who were in street clothes and nursing injuries, Coupeville’s offense punched in six rushing touchdowns.
Flip it to defense, and the Wolves were equally ferocious, swiping four passes, including one for a pick-six, recovering several fumbles, and blocking a punt deep in La Conner territory.
CHS struck first, taking the opening kickoff and promptly driving down the field to open the scoring.
Wolf QB Logan Downes hit Hunter Bronec and Chase Anderson on quick passes, while Aiden O’Neill slashed the Braves on a double reverse.
Mikey Robinett doesn’t go down easy. (Nikki Breaux photo)
But it was big, bad bruiser Mikey Robinett who carried the biggest load, thumping through the line five times on the drive, reminding viewers of former Wolf great Dominic Coffman as he ran over, and not around, defenders.
Plunging into the end zone from 10 yards out, carrying multiple screaming Braves along for the ride, the CHS senior racked up his first varsity touchdown.
And liked it so much he came back around to repeat the accomplishment twice more before his night was done and he turned rushing duties over to younger brother Dylan.
Tack on a booming PAT off the foot of Anderson, and the Wolves were up 7-0, but far from finished.
Forcing a three-and-out in about 2.7 seconds, Coupeville got the ball right back and once again slammed its way down the field, a bruising carry at a time.
Downes vaulted in from the two-yard line for his second rushing touchdown of the season, a mere moment after threading a pass through a pack of players, dropping the ball into the waiting fingers of Jack Porter.
La Conner, a proud program with a storied past, is currently struggling, but the Braves remain chippy, as they demonstrated late in the first quarter.
Scrappy QB Ivory Damien, who spent much of the game scrambling for his life, flung a bomb down the right sideline, the ball splashing into the arms of Logan Burks, who had gotten behind the Wolf defense.
The result was a 79-yard scoring strike — coming before La Conner had a single first down in the game — and it momentarily sent a ripple of excitement through the visitor’s side of the field.
And then we returned to our normally scheduled beatdown.
Coupeville’s defense stuffed the two-point conversion attempt, and the rest of the evening largely formed a perpetual highlight reel for the folks reppin’ Cow Town.
Mikey Robinett added the second of his three scoring runs to open the second quarter, before CHS stretched the lead to 28-6 on a sensational bit of defensive teamwork.
Shedding would-be tacklers, Wolf lineman Marcelo Gebhard suddenly got up close and extremely personal with Damien, wrapping his arms around the squirming gunslinger as he went for the sack.
Trying to get rid of the ball, La Conner’s leader flung the pigskin away, and right into the hands of Jack Porter.
Cradling the ball as he slashed his way through the defense for a game-busting pick-six, one half of Jenny and Jeff’s set of twin sons notched his second TD of the season.
While causing the CHS student section to make a noise not unlike a really loud fire alarm.
Jack Porter (88) is a star on both sides of the ball. (Bailey Thule photo)
The first half scoring may have been done, but the half itself wasn’t, as the clock crawled to the break, thanks to a never-ending series of penalties and misdirected La Conner passes.
Off to the side, 101(!!) junior cheerleaders, all likely jacked out of their lil’ minds on sugar and adrenaline, nervously waited to rush the field for their halftime performance.
On that patch of gridiron meanwhile, O’Neill picked off a pass, while Anderson came dangerously close to drilling a long field goal attempt.
The second half, while moving at a slightly faster pace, was much of the same — which was fine by most Wolf fans.
Mikey Robinett left one last trail of tears as he carved his way to his third, and final, trip to the end zone, before sophomore Adrian Cunningham exploded on the scene to score back-to-back touchdowns.
Getting his biggest chunk of playing time yet, while freshman Matthew Gilbert subbed in for Downes at QB, Cunningham was the full package.
He was nimble, he was explosive, he was dang hard to bring down, and he was flat-out electric, whether zipping away from grasping hands or churning away, pulling tacklers down the field with him.
Coupeville’s defense was equally hyped-up, and everyone on the field contributed, whether it was Zane Oldenstadt, Cameron Breaux, or Skylar Sand.
Casey Masters crushed the last bit of spirit from La Conner’s QB on a dynamic sack, while Jaje Drake knocked fools out of his way as he blocked a punt that the Wolves recovered.
Picks #3 and #4 came from senior lineman William Davidson — who went airborne to snag a ball after it bounced off the pads of a La Conner receiver — and fab frosh Davin Houston, making older brothers Dawson and Daylon proud.
Coupeville lineman William Davidson (blue shirt), a snappy dresser and a defensive dynamo. (Bailey Thule photo)
With the clock ticking down the final seconds, Wolf students continued to rock the joint in their best Barbie and Ken-inspired spirit outfits.
Neal Diamond vied with John Denver on the soundtrack, even as the stadium’s sound system threatened to stop working and deny Coupeville fans the velvet tones of PA announcer Willie Smith.
Not that the man who gave us the immortal “Balls … balls … balls” seemed to mind, as he multitasked — eating a hamburger, wailing about the Mariners annual September collapse, and planning a sprint down to the field to set up soccer nets for a noon Saturday game.
But first, one more “ADDDDRIAAAANNN CUNNINGHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!” as the rising star closed the scoring, and the sound system survived for a few more moments.
Afterwards, with the man, the myth, the legend already transforming a football gridiron into a soccer pitch as a million people milled around, taking photos and marinating in the moment, Smith’s son-in-law, CHS football coach Bennett Richter, basked in the afterglow.
Like the smart man he is, Richter made sure to say good night to his mom and check in on wife Megan first, but then cracked a smile as wide as the field itself.
“The young guys really stepped up and showed us they’ve earned the playing time,” he said. “And now we control our own playoff destiny, man!
“That’s the way we like it!”
Wolf football coach Bennett Richter is 5-0 in league games. (Cole White photo)
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