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Archive for the ‘Football’ Category

A new generation arrives!!

Posted in Football, Middle School, tagged , , , on June 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Photo courtesy Bob martin)

“We are the Wolves!! Fear our bite!!” (Photo courtesy Bob Martin)

This is the future.

Take a look at the beautifully-crafted black and white photo at the top of this article (go ahead, click and enlarge it) and you’re seeing the faces that will one day shine under Friday night lights.

They are the newest edition of the Coupeville Middle School football squad (or, at least the ones who were there for spring practice and a group photo) and they are hungry.

Hungry to get better.

Hungry to win.

Hungry to pick up the mantle laid down by Nick Streubel and Josh Bayne and Jake Tumblin, and by Jason McFadyen and Virgil Roehl before them, and by Mitch Aparicio and Chuck Hardee and Kit Manzanares and Brad Sherman and Murph Cross and Jack Sell and every Coupeville gridiron warrior that came before them.

They are the Wolves.

They are the present and the future, and they’re ready to begin their journey.

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Quick hits: Matt Hilborn roars onto the field!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , on June 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Matt Hilborn

Matt Hilborn

With a new high school football season ahead of us, let’s take a look at some of the young men who will play for Coupeville High School for the first time this fall.

He’s quick, but loves to hit.

Wolf freshman Matt Hilborn, who first picked up the game as a middle schooler, enjoys the crunch of helmets on shoulder pads that makes football such an explosive game.

“I like the sport because it is a contact sport,” Hilborn said. “I started because I thought it would be fun to play with my friends, also because I like tackling and I like to learn and always love to get better at the game.

“I enjoy working with teammates and my coaches.”

Of course, being quick enough not to get hit as often by the other guys is also a plus.

“I think that my strength is speed,” Hilborn said. “I would like to work on becoming a better wide receiver and a better line backer.

“Become better at the game and my positions,” he added. “Also, I would like to help my teammates.”

Away from the gridiron, he enjoys playing XBox and hanging out with friends, while also finding time to put in work in the weight room and play baseball.

He was on a Babe Ruth diamond squad in Oak Harbor this spring, continuing a love affair with a game sparked by his dad Steve, who has put in time as a baseball coach.

His parents have been instrumental in the development of the young Wolf, both as an athlete and, more importantly, as a young man coming into his own.

“My dad has made a big impact on my baseball career since I was only six or seven; he always helped my pitching and hitting,” Hilborn said.

“Another person that has helped me is my mom (Wendi),” he added. “She helps me with school and she is always there when I need something.”

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Quick hits: Shane Losey abides!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , , on June 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Shane Losey has got this. (Scott Losey photo)

Shane Losey has got this. (Scott Losey photo)

With a new high school football season ahead of us, let’s take a look at some of the young men who will play for Coupeville High School for the first time this fall.

If there is pressure in living up to the family name, it doesn’t seem to have affected Shane Losey.

A gunslinger at quarterback who will move up and join big brother Mitchell in the fall, following in the footsteps of their father and other relatives, he remains low-key and ready to learn.

“I would like to work on being a better receiver and quarterback,” Losey said. “Understanding the plays. They are a lot different this year.

“I want to start every JV game and perfect my skills.”

He’ll be a freshman, while his older brother will be a senior.

Having the chance to learn from Mitchell, and other Wolf veterans, whether on the field or in day-to-day life, has been valuable.

“My brother and his friend Josh Bayne, they crack me up!,” Losey said. “Fun times at our house.”

This will be his third season on the gridiron, having picked up the sport when he entered middle school.

“I started because I like football, thought it would be fun to play with friends,” Losey said. “I enjoy tackling people, playing with my friends, understanding the game and working hard.”

When he’s not on the football field, he can be found hanging with friends, playing XBox, going to water parks and movies and out and about on family camping trips.

Losey also spends a fair amount of time playing baseball, having just finished a season of Babe Ruth in Oak Harbor. He was one of six future Wolves to play for the squad.

“That is fun, playing with guys you don’t know from another school and you get to know them through the season,” Losey said.

A lot of that baseball time has been spent with dad Scott.

“My dad has been a big impact for me. He has coached me through most of my baseball career this far,” Losey said. “This year was the first he wasn’t there to coach since we played in Oak Harbor. So that was a little weird…

“He and I have had many road trips from Coupeville to parts all over different places playing ball,” he added. “Lots of nights getting home at 10:00 and up to school the next day.

“Texting mom on the way home the score. And call her to fill her in on my AWESOME game I had tonight!”

And, whether texting or talking in person, his mom, Melissa, is the one who is always there for him.

“She is great; I can talk to her about anything secret or not,” Losey said. “She listens and cares a lot. I have great support around me.”

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Quick hits: Mike Rice puts in work!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , on June 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Mike Rice

Mike Rice

With a new high school football season ahead of us, let’s take a look at some of the young men who will play for Coupeville High School for the first time this fall.

Mike Rice is putting in the time in the weight room.

And why not? That’s where the Coupeville High School freshman-to-be has gotten a lot of the encouragement which made him want to be a football player.

“I really think coach (Brett) Smedley has helped me to become who I am,” Rice said. “He always helps me to push myself and get better.

“If we’re in the weight room and I’m using a certain weight that looks easy, he’ll tell me to push myself and go up 10 pounds.”

Smedley is entering his first year as head coach of the Wolves, while Rice will be playing in his second season, having started as an eighth grader.

He first strapped on the gear because the sport, which is the only one he’s currently planning to play, seemed like a good time.

“I enjoy football because it’s so well organized and it’s just a fun contact sport,” Rice said.

As he adjusts to the quicker pace and increased power of high school football, Rice is always looking to fine-tune his game.

“I’m not sure what my strengths are, but I do need to improve on my speed a bit,” he said. “My goals are to try to work hard enough to get playing time in varsity games.

“I’m gonna try and be the best every minute of practice to show the coaches I could do it!”

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Quick hits: Coleby Fleming returns!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on June 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Coleby Fleming

Coleby Fleming

Fleming brings down a runner during his middle school gridiron days.

Fleming brings down a runner during his middle school gridiron days.

With a new high school football season ahead of us, let’s take a look at some of the young men who will play for Coupeville High School for the first time this fall.

This is not Coleby Fleming’s first rodeo.

While the Coupeville High School sophomore didn’t play football last year, he has four years of experience and is following in the footsteps of a brother who once starred for the Wolves.

That older brother, Bryce, was a top receiving threat during his time at CHS and is now in the Army, but his impact on Coleby can still be seen.

“My brother has made me a tougher kid,” Fleming said. “I thank him for everything and I look up to him.”

Add in the support he gets from his parents (“my mom and dad are always here for me, and it’s nice”), his proper choice of a favorite NFL team (Fleming is a proud member of Steeler Nation), and the toughness he’s gathered from commercial fishing, and he’s a well-rounded young athlete.

Bryce’s example led him to the gridiron in the start.

“I decided to start playing cause it just seemed like something fun and I seen my brother playing it and was like I should try this,” Fleming said. “When playing football I enjoy the big adrenaline rush.

“The feeling of making tackles, and completing the play is the best.”

After some thought he picks his wheels as his top asset (“I got speed, I guess,” he said with a laugh), while wanting to work on the complete game.

“I need to work on catching and learning how to work around players on the field,” Fleming said. “My goals for this season are to catch as many balls and get as many yards as I can.

“Just to be better in general.”

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