Orting eliminates Coupeville
Published 11:08 pm Tuesday, November 6, 2007
OAK HARBOR — This wasn’t the way the Coupeville Wolves wanted it to end.
The Orting Cardinals took a 10-6 lead just before halftime, then turned the defense on full throttle in the second half, running away with a 30-6 victory in the 1A Tri-district football playoff game Tuesday in Oak Harbor.
“They had a little more speed than we thought and they’re a pretty good football team,” Coupeville head coach Ron Bagby said. “They jumped on us early and backed us up and we couldn’t do anything offensively.”
Orting opened the scoring toward the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals forced Coupeville to punt after a three-and-out on the Wolves’ first possession, and began their drive at their own 44-yard line. John Thompson capped the nine-play, 56-yard drive by scoring on an 8-yard run, then kicked the extra point to put Orting on top 7-0 with 4:32 left in the opening period.
Coupeville responded on its first possession of the second quarter. Quarterback James Smith rushed for 15 yards and threw a 20-yard pass to Steven McDonald before a personal foul on Orting put the Wolves at the Cardinals’ 9-yard line.
Facing third down after a holding call against Coupeville, Smith spotted McDonald the end zone and delivered. Smith’s pass was tipped up by the defensive back, but McDonald made a sprawling catch for the score with 5:03 to play in the first half.
Orting made it 10-6 with 30 seconds to go in the half, when Thompson connected for a 35-yard field goal.
Things didn’t get any better for Coupeville after the intermission, as the Cardinals’ defense took over, allowing just 37 total offensive yards in the second half.
“It’s not like we made a lot of adjustments at halftime,” Orting head coach Marty Parkhurst said, “but I think we really just brought the intensity in the second half and kind of put (Coupeville) in a position they didn’t wanna be in and have to throw.”
Orting also showed the ability to make the big plays when it mattered. Grant Angle broke loose for a 24-yard pickup to put the Cardinals at Coupeville’s 10 on Orting’s second possession of the second half. Three plays later, Orting quarterback Kye Winter scampered from 7 yards out to make it 17-6.
“We’ve struggled with (making the big play) this season,” Parkhurst said. “Tonight we had guys knocking balls down, getting the key sacks or a big play in the running game to sustain a drive, so that was great.”
The Cardinals wasted no time upping their lead to 18 in the fourth quarter as Winter found Jesse Bechtold for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 8:27 to play.
Orting made it 30-6 with 2:38 left, when Angle took a pitch from Winter up the sideline and dove inside the left pylon for the game’s final margin.
Orting improved to 7-4 and advances to the next round of the state playoffs. Coupeville finished 5-6, but Bagby was still proud of the way his team fought all season.
“We went through a lot with this team — we had injuries all year long and played in a really tough 2A league,” he said. “The kids just kept believing and fighting and coming out with a positive attitude everyday at practice and you really can’t ask anything more from a team than that.”
At Oak Harbor Memorial Stadium
Orting73713—30
Coupeville0600—6
Orting—Thompson 8 run (Thompson kick)
Coupeville—McDonald 6 pass from Smith (kick failed)
Orting—FG Thompson 35
Orting—Winter 7 run (Thompson kick)
Orting—Bechtold 23 pass from Winter (Thompson kick)
Orting—Angle 8 run (kick failed)
Records—Coupeville 5-6 overall. Orting 7-4.
