Coupeville Sports

Kiara Contreras, a scrappy ball-hawk for the Wolves, makes her high school debut this fall. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Contreras flies in a relay this spring.

Kiara Contreras is a scrapper.

The fast-rising young athlete, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, always played with a wild abandon during her middle school days.

Whether jousting on the volleyball or basketball court, or zipping around a track oval, Contreras never gave less than her best.

And her best usually involved things like diving between rival players to snare a loose ball on the hardwood, then spinning away and leading a mad charge to the net for a breakaway layup.

She might not be the biggest player on the floor, but Contreras always has one of the biggest hearts on display.

It’s a trait she shares with her cousins, CHS juniors Willow and Raven Vick, who Contreras hails as role models, along with mom Angella.

“I’m very competitive,” Contreras said, though she admits, “I need to work on being confident in myself.”

The young warrior, who enjoys math class, hanging out with family and friends and “practicing to get better,” plans to stick with basketball and track as she enters high school.

While she enjoys both sports, it’s hoops which claims her greatest devotion.

“Basketball is my favorite sport because of the adrenaline and meeting new people,” Contreras said. “(I like) the work you put into it and the competition.”

Regardless of what she’s doing, she will approach every day, every practice, every game, filled with a desire to make sure people remember her name, and her dedication, long after the final whistle.

“My goals are to work hard and hopefully make it to state before I graduate,” Contreras said.

Don’t doubt her.