The South Whidbey High School football team turned three Coupeville mistakes into first-half touchdowns on the way to defeating the Wolves 48-20 Friday, Oct. 12, in Langley.

The Falcons exploded for 34 second-quarter points, 28 coming in the final three minutes of the half and 14 in the last 94 seconds.

After winning three of its first four games this season, Coupeville has now dropped three in a row, all league games.

It won’t get any easier for the Wolves (0-3, 3-4). Next up is a trip to face North Sound Conference leader Cedar Park Christian (3-0, 5-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Juanita High School in Kirkland.

The trend in the South Whidbey game was established early.

In the Falcons’ first possession, a errant snap in the shotgun formation flew over the South Whidbey quarterback’s head. Several players, some from Coupeville, got their hands on the ball but the Falcons recovered at their own half-yard line.

South Whidbey was forced to punt from its own end zone, but the Coupeville return man muffed the catch and the Falcons recovered.

The Falcons turned that miscue into seven points when they drove 70 yards for the game’s first score.

South Whidbey made it 14-0 on a 56-yard scoring run later in the first period.

Coupeville scored on a fourth-and-five play early in the second period on a 20-yard pass from Dawson Houston to Sean Toomey-Stout. The PAT kick was blocked, but the Wolves were back in the game, 14-6.

Things sent downhill from there.

The Falcons scored on a 34-yard pass play, making it 20-6 with 8:37 left in the half.

South Whidbey then buried the Wolves with an avalanche of points.

Twice on fourth down plays, with the clock at 3:04 and 1:34, the Falcons tallied touchdowns.

South Whidbey cemented the game with a pair of defensive touchdowns. First came a 35-yard fumble return at the 1:00 mark, then a pick-six with one second remaining in the quarter.

That put the Falcons up 48-6 at the break and put the mercy rule into effect. The second half was played with a running clock.

Coupeville finally got going in the fourth period. On the first play of the quarter, Houston connected with Toomey-Stout for a 69-yard touchdown.

With 1:28 left, Houston passed to Matt Hilborn for another TD, and then tossed to Gavin Knoblich for the two-point conversion.

Not a lot went right for the Wolves in the game, but coach Marcus Carr liked how his club “passed the ball around.”

“We have been run heavy; we were able to get more out of the pass today,” he said.

He said that his team “is just trying to get better.”

“We are still trying to put in our system,” he added.

Carr lauded the play of Toomey-Stout on offense and Alex Turner on defense.

“We are going to keep getting after it, getting better,” he said in conclusion.

Coupeville quarterback Dawson Houston scrambles out of the pocket Friday. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)

Sean Toomey-Stout (1) snags the ball from South Whibey’s Billy Rankin (21) and takes the ball in for a touchdown. (Photo by Steve Smith)

Coupeville defenders Matt Stevens, left, and Gabe Shaw take down South Whidbey’s Clay O’Brien. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)