The Coupeville High School tennis season came to an abrupt end when all four of the Wolves’ entrants fell in the loser-out first round of the Emerald City League and bi-district tournament Friday, Oct. 19, at the Amy Yee Tennis Center in Seattle.

Jakobi Baumann (6-4, 6-2) and Drake Borden (6-0, 6-2) both lost in singles play.

In doubles, Jacob Burke and Zach Ginnings (6-0, 6-0) and Tiger Johnson and Jaschon Baumann (6-1, 6-0) dropped their first-round matches.

Despite the quick exit, coach Ken Stange said he is “more than pleased” with the season.

“Going into the ECL was scary,” Stange said. “They are loaded with talent and have a reputation for winning state titles. I thought we’d be lucky to win two matches. We ended up winning seven league matches, including two over South Whidbey. That was exciting.”

Stange noted that that the Wolves struggled against the league’s three powerhouse programs — Seattle Academy, University Prep and Overlake — but were highly competitive with the other four schools.

Coupeville had a knack of pulling out closing matches, winning five of the six contests that finished 3-2.

“I am proud of the team’s effort this year,” Stange said. “Effort is somewhat of an intangible commodity, but my team had it in great supply. All season, my mantra has been to tell the guys to try hard on every point, in every game, in every match, regardless of the score.

“In the big losses, that allowed us to stand tall and even pick up a few individual match wins. It also caused the other coaches to notice the kids’ effort.”

That effort, according to Stange, also helped Coupeville come out on top in its many close matches.

“They tried,” he said. “They believed, even when my belief wavered.”

Stange said he will miss his senior players, the Baumann brothers and Johnson.

Jakobi Baumann “set the standard for what solid effort looks like,” Stange said.

Johnson and Jaschon Baumann, who won their final seven regular season matches, knew how to have fun, Stange said.

“They were the ones who kept it light while still giving maximum effort,” he added.

Despite the loss of the three varsity players, the future is bright, according to Stange.

“I also look forward to next year,” he said.

Regulars Borden, Ginnings, Burke, Mason Grove and James Wood will return with “a lot of experience and quite a few wins in their pockets.”