Nathan Ginnings (1) and Nicholas Guay are ready for kick-off. (Charlotte Young photo)
Scott Hilborn (7) streaks for yardage. (Gary Shelly photo)
Your 2018 Coupeville Middle School football squad. (Michael Davidson photo)
One step at a time.
With a roster low in numbers and jam-packed with 7th graders making their gridiron debut, new Coupeville Middle School football coach Brett Casey is operating very much in teaching mode right now.
While Wednesday’s home opener against Sultan was a bit rough at times — with the Turks using a considerable size advantage to run their way through the Wolf line en route to a 41-0 win — progress was made.
“It was the first game our kids got to hit someone else besides their teammates,” Casey said. “First time we’ve gotten to play 11-on-11 as well, after practicing mostly 6-on-6, or 7-on-7.
“You can see them starting to come together, which is what we want to see.”
Coupeville has 14 players, and all but one were able to play Wednesday, with a couple making a sizable impact.
Scott Hilborn, younger brother of CHS standout Matt, was the primary offensive weapon for the Wolves, and he did his best to slash through the Sultan defense.
His best run came on Coupeville’s first offensive play, as Hilborn cut back, then shot down the right sideline, popping a couple of defenders in the mouth as he rambled for 26 yards.
While the opening drive failed to get into the end zone, it was the longest, most consistent stretch the Wolves put together on offense, with Hilborn and Dominic Coffman sharing running duties.
CMS stayed mostly on the ground, though Alex Murdy snagged a second-half screen pass under great duress, pulling the ball in while he had two defenders draped all over him.
Nathan Ginnings and Hilborn rotated behind center, keeping Sultan guessing as to who would take the snap.
While Sultan pounded away for six touchdowns, the Turk scores came courtesy of their strong play, and not Wolf errors.
The Coupeville defense, other than one play in which Sultan pulled off a 60-yard catch-and-run for a score on the final play of the first half, did a decent job of tracking down the guy with the ball and laying down some hits.
The best stand by the Wolves came on Sultan’s second possession, when they forced the Turks to turn over the ball on downs.
Owen Shelly got things started when he obliterated the hapless soul who was supposed to be blocking him.
Roaring up on the Turk QB like a freight train going downhill with no brakes, Shelly pounced on the rival gunslinger, flinging him to the turf for a solid five-yard loss.
Sparked by his play, his teammates pulled off back-to-back sweet take-downs.
Coffman, tabbed “The Dominator” by CMS Athletic Director Willie Smith, flattened a Turk runner several steps behind the line, before Murdy chased down the QB for a sack.
The game’s biggest pop might have come courtesy Mike Robinett, however.
The second-generation Wolf gridiron star caught a Turk runner in mid-stride, lowered his shoulder and sent him halfway back to Sultan, without the use of a bus.
While the final score on the board wasn’t quite what the Wolves might have wanted, plays like Robinett’s KO softened the loss.
The future of Coupeville football is coming, and while there is much work left to be done, there is also much cause for hope.
Coupeville Sports 