The breakout season started with a shutout.
Coupeville High School football coach Tony Maggio said several weeks ago this should be a breakout season for his club. The Wolves backed up that statement with a 32-0 thumping of Bellevue Christian Friday, Sept. 6, at Mickey Clark Field.
“The boys had a pretty good game,” Maggio said.
Pretty good, indeed. Coupeville received strong play along many fronts and featured a stingy defense. “I don’t know the last time Coupeville had a shutout,” Maggio said.
The big “D” was led by Big Nick. Nick Streubel, the Wolves’ 280-pound tackle, terrorized Bellevue Christian with three sacks, three tackles for losses, seven solo tackles and five assists.
“He was dominant,” Maggio said.
Maggio added that Streubel and the Wolves’ rush forced the Vikings to one-step drops in their passing game because they couldn’t hold back the Coupeville surge.
Maggio called Jarrod Dickson’s game at outside linebacker “outstanding,” and noted that Tyree Booker and Matt Hampton hauled in interceptions. Wade Schaef had another wiped out by a penalty.
Jake Tumblin, Josh Bayne and Carson Risner were also among the leaders in tackles.
“Our defense was great,” Maggio said. “The kids did everything they were taught.”
Offensively, it took awhile for the Wolves to get over first-game nerves and to figure out how to handle BC stud lineman Tate Razor and the Viking linebackers.
“We had a problem moving the ball in the first quarter,” Maggio said. “We had problems blocking Razor and picking up their linebackers.”
Once they got Razor and the BC defense under control and Coupeville quarterback Gunnar Langvold got over early jitters, it was all Wolves.
Maggio said Langvold was “a little hyped up” and “a little bit off” in the beginning. After settling in, Langvold threw for two scores and ran for another.
Langvold’s first TD toss was a 20-yarder to Schaef for the game’s first score. Bayne kicked the extra point.
Brett Arnold, who led CHS runners with 56 yards on 11 carries, scored on a four-yard run later in the second quarter. The PAT failed and Coupeville went into the locker room up 13-0.
Langvold scored on a quarterback sneak in the third quarter; the 2-point PAT failed.
Two big plays finished the scoring. In the fourth quarter, Bayne returned a punt 54 yards to put the game out of reach, and then Anthony Bergeron put an exclamation point on the win with a 70-yard TD catch from Langvold.
Joel Walstad kicked the PAT after Bayne’s score.
Langvold overcame the slow start and three dropped passes to finish 6-for-17 for 155 yards.
Bayne caught three of the passes for 56 yards.
Langvold also rushed four times for 37 yards, and Bayne carried the ball three times for 35 yards.
Tumblin, Coupeville’s leading rusher last year, finished with 15 yards on three carries in limited action because of a hamstring injury.
The Wolves head to Port Townsend at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, for game two.
Port Townsend, behind Jacob King’s three touchdowns, defeated Granite Falls 28-13 Saturday.
“Now we will be tested,” Maggio said.
