The injury bug and King’s took another bite out of the Coupeville High School football team in the Wolves’ 28-0 loss in Shoreline Friday, Oct. 25.
Injuries are a fact of life for every football team, but Coupeville has been extraordinarily crippled the past three years. Friday, injuries cut down star running back and defender Jake Tumblin, running back and linebacker Lathom Kelley and center Joey Edwards.
Edwards was playing in place of Carson Risner, who injured a knee earlier this season. Risner, however, returned for limited duty Friday, playing about a dozen snaps, according to coach Tony Maggio.
Also back was Nick Streubel, the key on both lines. Streubel played defense against King’s and saw a few offensive snaps. Maggio said Streubel may start both ways this week when Coupeville (3-4) hosts Sultan (4-2, 4-4) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Every starting back has missed time this fall, including Tumblin who sat one game and was hampered in several others with a hamstring injury. Back to full strength, he collected several 200-yard rushing games only to be cut down by a concussion in the third quarter against King’s.
Coupeville needed all hands on deck to keep up with the Knights. King’s is 5-0 in Cascade Conference play and 7-1 overall, losing to 2A defending state champion and second-ranked Lynden.
Maggio’s assessment of the King’s game: “The offense was horrible; the defense was wonderful.”
“Offensively we did the best we could,” he said. “We just didn’t have the bodies.”
The Knights held Coupeville to only a couple of first downs, Maggio said.
Except for a few blown coverages on defense, Coupeville did a good job slowing the high-scoring Knight offense, according to Maggio. “The kids came to hit.”
The Knights came in averaging 35 points per game, including surpassing 50 points twice and 60 once.
King’s scored twice in the first quarter, then put the game away with a touchdown seconds before halftime to go up 18-0.
“I thought we went out and competed,” Maggio said. “Having Nick back really helped.”
He added, “Wiley Hesselgrave stood out. He pressured the quarterback and made several good stops.”
