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Nope, it’s still weird!!

Posted in Baseball on June 9, 2013| 2 Comments »

Aaron Trumbull tracks the flight of the ball off his bat.

Kurtis Smith beats the throw back to first.

Aaron Curtin guards the line at third.

The left side of South Whidbey’s infield — Curtin and shortstop Morgan Payne — on loan from CHS.

Curtin awaits the pitch.

Yes, yes, Island unity and all, it’s a beautiful thing.

But in the end it’s still weird to see Coupeville High School baseball players wearing South Whidbey colors, even if it is a summer American Legion team.

I guess at some point I’ll adjust to seeing Aaron Curtin, Kurtis Smith, Aaron Trumbull and the Payne boys — Morgan and Cole — in the blue and white.

Photo ace Shelli Trumbull, who shot almost 300 photos as South Whidbey split a doubleheader with Burlington Saturday, will make sure of that.

By then, the season will probably be done, though. I’m a slow learner…

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Wolf linemen wage epic war for Athlete Supreme honors!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Boys Tennis, Football, Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Golf, Softball, Track, Volleyball on June 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The leaders of the pack, Nick Streubel (left) and Caleb Valko (right) with Wolf football coach Tony Maggio. (Rebecca Lord photo)

Breeanna Messner (left) and one of next year’s strongest contenders for Athlete Supreme, Amanda Fabrizi. (Robert Bishop photo)

You knew Caleb Valko wasn’t going down without a fight.

But not even a considerable rally late in the game from Team Valko, which marshaled its voting bloc in the late hours Thursday night, could upend Nick Streubel, who started strong and finished even stronger.

By the time the week-long voting for our inaugural 2012-2013 Athlete Supreme had reached the finish line Friday morning, 429 votes had been cast, with nearly 200 coming after I went to bed Thursday night.

What had been a two-person battle between Streubel, a junior who starred on the Coupeville High School football, boys’ basketball and track teams and Breeanna Messner, the school’s only four-sport (volleyball, cheer, basketball, softball) athlete turned into a three-way tussle.

Valko, a senior captain on the football and basketball squads, rallied his troops hard and he shot past Messner and made a run at Streubel, pulling within three votes.

Then The Big Hurt surged, spurred by a campaign led by big sis Amanda Streubel, and crushed everyone in sight, garnering 40.56% of the vote total in a 12-athlete field.

There was actually a 13th option, to vote for Other, which didn’t work the way I thought it would, as the results didn’t actually show the names people typed in for those votes. Which would have been awkward if Other had won.

But, in the end, NO ONE beats Team Streubel. NO ONE.

Final vote totals:

Streubel (174)
Valko (111)
Messner (72)
Bessie Walstad (13)
Makana Stone (12)
Madison Tisa McPhee (10)
Other (10)
Jake Tumblin (6)
Aaron Curtin (5)
Austin Fields (5)
Hailey Hammer (5)
Ben Etzell (4)
Christine Fields (2)

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Wolves and Falcons playing together, oh my!!

Posted in Baseball on June 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Cousins play together, as Wolf Aaron Trumbull backs up Falcon hurler Campbell Albertsen. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Wolves and Falcons in the same uniform. My stars.

Cole Payne

Aaron Curtin

It’s weird.

But get past that first feeling that hits you when you see Coupeville High School baseball stars like Aaron Curtin and Aaron Trumbull wearing South Whidbey colors, and it’s also kinda neat to see the Whidbey Island schools unite on the diamond.

Since Coupeville is not fielding an American Legion club this spring and summer, five Wolves — Curtin, Trumbull, Kurtis Smith and the Payne boys, Morgan and Cole — are playing with their Falcon counterparts.

The unified team kicked off its season with a pair of losses to unbeaten (6-0) Anacortes, losing 7-2 and 8-2 Wednesday and Thursday.

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Diamond men hit road to play legion ball!!

Posted in Baseball on June 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Aaron Curtin and Co. will take their game to a different town this summer. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Cole Payne

The Wolves have scattered.

With no Coupeville American Legion baseball team this year, five CHS players are trekking to the South End of the Island, while a sixth is commuting to Skagit County.

Juniors Kurtis Smith and Morgan Payne, sophomores Aaron Curtin and Aaron Trumbull and freshman Cole Payne are teaming up with their rivals from South Whidbey High School, playing for a legion squad led by Falcon coach Tom Fallon.

That team kicks off league play Wednesday and goes through mid-July. Find the schedule at: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/team_schedule.html?teamid=51296&seasonid=21969.

It’s still in flux a bit, as Fallon is trying to possibly schedule a few games in Coupeville, so his Wolf contingent can play in front of their home fans.

While that five-pack is staying on the Island, junior Ben Etzell is hitting the road to play with the Skagit Sox. He opened his new season by laying down a gorgeous drag bunt for a single — while facing a college pitcher — as the Sox won 8-0.

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Happy Birthday: Episode 1 — The Ol’ Ball Coach!!

Posted in Baseball, Happy birthday on June 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The master at work. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

“You can pout all you want, Tumblin, it’s my birthday and I’ll eat all the cake if I want to!!”

Old school Willie style.

Left to right, sons Ian and James, wife Cherie and daughter Megan.

Every community needs a Willie Smith.

Coupeville High School’s longtime baseball guru — who was also a pretty dang successful basketball coach back in the olden days — is the kind of coach who it’s easy to get behind.

Always positive yet willing to demand a high level of play, he’s beloved by his players and fans alike.

Plus, he has never dodged a question, ever, when cornered for post-game interviews. He tells you the truth, good or bad, and then, sometimes, steps back, smiles and chuckles, “Yeah, better not write that!!”

May his grin light up the diamond for many years to come.

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