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Archive for the ‘Girls Soccer’ Category

Wolf booters roll to big win

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on April 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Genna Wright, seen here during tennis, netted Coupeville’s first soccer goal of the season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She’s back.

It’s been 585 days since Genna Wright left the soccer pitch in agony, suffering a devastating injury in the season opener of her junior season.

Chucked hard from behind while sprinting towards the sideline in pursuit of a ball, the effervescent star went down awkwardly, tearing her ACL, MCL, and meniscus.

In the blink of an eye, her season was done, and then the hits kept coming.

Surgery. Recovery. A worldwide pandemic shutting down prep sports just as she was set to return.

Jump forward to Wednesday night, though, and a lot of that melted away.

Wright, running free in front of family and friends once again, slashed through La Conner’s defense to open her senior campaign with a much-more positive result, and her smile, and those of her teammates, lit up Mickey Clark Field.

By the time the Wolves were done ripping up the turf, they had a tidy 4-0 win over the visiting Braves, putting Coupeville atop the Northwest 2B/1B League standings a game into a pared-down six-game schedule.

With two more games against La Conner, and three against Mount Vernon Christian, CHS is chasing the first league title in program history.

Play like they did Wednesday, and the Wolf booters will soon have a place on the Wall of Fame in the CHS gym.

Coupeville struck quickly, with Wright going on a rampage barely four minutes into the game.

Fed a ball by Carolyn Lhamon, the resurgent one went coast-to-coast, then slapped a shot left to right, burying the ball in the corner of the net for the year’s first score.

It was the 18th prep goal for Wright — she had 10 as a freshman, and seven as a sophomore — allowing her to break a tie with Lindsey Roberts as the #3 scorer in CHS girls soccer history.

Mia Littlejohn (35 goals) and Kalia Littlejohn (33) sit at #1 and #2 all-time.

The Wolves stayed on the attack the rest of the first half, keeping the ball on La Conner’s side of the field, but narrowly missed on a couple of prime scoring opportunities.

Up 1-0 at the break, with goaltender Mollie Bailey able to spend much of her time quietly basking in the sun, Coupeville broke things open in the second half.

Sophie Martin crunched a shot which should have been a goal, only to have it be redirected by the La Conner goalie’s knee, while Audrianna Shaw and Wright also had strong looks which didn’t quite pay off.

But then the dam broke, as the Wolves whacked home three scores in the final 22+ minutes.

Eryn Wood was first up, punching in a ball off of a feed from Shaw, before Lhamon and Reese Wilkinson buried shots in the back of the net.

It was Wood’s second career high school goal, and the first for both of her teammates.

Coupeville continued to hammer away, with Lily Leedy putting together a nice run on goal which fell just short, while the Wolf defense was virtually lights out.

Bailey was her usual calm self in goal, flicking away the few shots La Conner mounted, but watched as her defenders did much of the dirty work.

Nezi Keiper, Anna Myles, Katelin McCormick, and Mary Milnes were a wall in the backfield, blunting any chance the Braves had to mount a threat.

CHS coach Kyle Nelson has his program in a strong place, with a 17-woman roster which also includes Ava Mitten, Camryn Clark, Sofia Milasich, Noelle Daigneault, and Gwen Crowder.

The Wolves are back at it Saturday, hosting Mount Vernon Christian in a game set to kickoff at 1 PM.

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Veteran Wolves chase soccer history

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on March 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Carolyn Lhamon pushes the ball upfield in pre-pandemic times. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

New league, new dreams.

With the pandemic, it’s been a bit since the Coupeville High School girls soccer team has competed together as a unit.

That would be fall of 2019, and a lot has changed since then.

CHS moved from 1A to 2B, joined the Northwest 2B/1B League, and top scorer Genna Wright has recovered from a devastating leg injury which erased 98.2% of her junior season.

Now, Wright is back to torch nets again, the Wolves are on what should be a more level playing field, and coach Kyle Nelson is only leading one Coupeville soccer program.

The move to 2B brings boys soccer into the same season as girls soccer — technically the fall, but being played this school year from April to May — with the pitch guru opting to step down as boys coach.

While former assistant Robert Wood takes the reigns of that program, Nelson is ready to bound back into action with the Wolf girls as they head into new waters.

“I am thrilled to have left some of those 1A schools behind,” he said. “In soccer we were facing schools that were sending off some of their seniors to go play at Division I schools, not something we were ever able to compete with.

“Now, each school is on a fairly even playing field.”

In this pandemic-shortened season Coupeville will face NWL mates Friday Harbor, La Conner, and Mount Vernon Christian three times each, with five of nine games at home.

“From our past experience with these schools, all the games we have played against them have usually been good contests where either team could have been the winner,” Nelson said. “Looking forward to going into all of our games knowing that we could win that game.

“Friday Harbor and Mount Vernon Christian could both be strong,” he added. “But, since it has been a year and a half since any of us have played, it really could be anyone.”

And there’s no reason to think these Wolf booters can’t be the first CHS soccer team to capture a conference crown.

“Our first goal is not any different than any other year, and that is to have some fun,” Nelson said. “Since there will be no playoffs, a league title will be our team goal.”

Sophie Martin shows off some wicked skills.

Leading the pursuit of that goal will be a group of players with years of experience on the pitch.

Nelson’s three captains are seniors Mollie Bailey and Genna Wright, along with junior Mary Milnes.

Bailey anchors the Wolf defense in goal, with Milnes and sophomore Nezi Keiper holding down the back line.

Midfielders Sophie Martin, a junior, and super sophomore Carolyn Lhamon will be joined by Wright and junior Eryn Wood, who lead the Coupeville attack.

Martin rattled home four goals in 2019, while Wright enters play this season tied for third-place all-time on the CHS girls scoring chart.

With 10 goals as a freshman and another seven as a sophomore, she sits with 17 goals, the same figure thrown down by former Wolf star Lindsey Roberts.

Wright is chasing Mia (35 goals) and Kalia Littlejohn (33 goals) for the career record.

While he has a strong core of returning players to lean on, Nelson also looks forward to seeing which other Wolves accept the challenge and rise to prominence.

“I am sure we will have some athletes that will be stepping up for us to cover key positions, but at this point I am not sure I can identify them,” he said.

“It has been awhile since we have really had a full team out there playing, and it will be fun to see who is ready to take it to the next level.”

However the roster spots break down, Nelson is ready to roll.

“We bring back quite a bit of experience all over the field,” he said. “We just need to bring the pieces together to form a cohesive unit.

“This could prove to be tricky in such a short season, but we will give it our best effort.”

Mollie Bailey clears the goal.

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Like trains passing in the night

Posted in Boys Soccer, Boys Tennis, Cross Country, Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on March 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Alita Blouin and other Coupeville High School fall sports athletes begin practice in the next few days. (Brian Vick photo)

We’re ready to … fall … into a new sports season.

In the jumbled Age of Coronavirus, the schedules are a little out of place, with fall sports coming on the heels of spring sports this time around.

Also, with everything compressed into a short time frame, one season begins even as another hasn’t finished.

The final spring sports contests hit next Saturday, April 3, with the first day of practice for at least one Coupeville High School fall sports squad beginning a week before.

Fall sports contests run April 7 to May 8, with winter sports starting practice during the last week of the improvised fall sports season.

Looking ahead to the first cross-over event, CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith exudes the laidback calm of a young Matthew McConaughey.

“It will be an interesting transition as our first week of practice overlaps our last week of competition,” he said.

“Our coaches have worked hard at creating a practice schedule that will benefit both seasons, so our multi-sport athletes can finish strong as well as begin to transition to their next season.”

 

The first day of practice for CHS fall sports teams:

Boys Soccer — March 29 (2:30-4:30 PM) @ Ebey Practice Field
**Coach — Robert Wood — rwood@coupeville.k12.wa.us

Boys Tennis — March 30 (2:30-4:30 PM) @ CHS tennis courts
**Coach — Ken Stange — kstange@coupeville.k12.wa.us

Cross Country — March 29 (2:30-4:00 PM) @ CHS gym
**Coach — Elizabeth Bitting — ebitting@coupeville.k12.wa.us

Football — March 27 (8:00-10:00 AM and 2:00-5:00 PM) @ CHS gym
**Coach — Marcus Carr — mcarr@coupeville.k12.wa.us

Girls Soccer — March 29 (2:30-4:30 PM) @ Ebey Practice Field
**Coach — Kyle Nelson — knelson@coupeville.k12.wa.us)

Volleyball — March 29 (6:00-8:00 PM) @ CHS gym
**Coach — Cory Whitmore — cwhitmore@oupeville.k12.wa.us

 

As the season progresses, expect changes to the schedule. To stay on top of things, try these sites:

Coupeville High School:

Coupeville School District 204 Calendar (tandem.co)

Northwest 2B/1B League:

Coupeville – Team Home Coupeville Wolves Sports (coupevilleathletics.com)

 

CHS will livestream four of its six fall sports, with football, volleyball, and both soccer teams getting the camera treatment.

To watch varsity games, check out High School Sports Online – Stream Live & On Demand (nfhsnetwork.com), which requires a subscription fee through their site.

JV volleyball matches will be streamed through Justgame Web Services (justagamelive.com), which requires an app download and a $4 fee per match.

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Pitch warriors battle for Island supremacy

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on March 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

South Whidbey’s Madeline Racicot triggers a play Tuesday as the Falcons clash with Island rival Oak Harbor. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Occasionally I’ll admit there’s more than one high school on The Rock.

Fast rule — give me free pics to run on the blog, and, lo and behold, Oak Harbor and South Whidbey do exist! Funny how that happens.

Said the guy whose own diploma came from OHHS way back in the day…

Anyways, Tuesday night brought the two Whidbey schools not named Coupeville into conflict, with the 3A Wildcats of Oak Town holding off the feisty 1A Falcons, capturing a 2-1 win on the soccer pitch.

The victory lifts Oak Harbor to 2-4-2 on the season, while South Whidbey dips to 1-3.

Meanwhile, in Coupeville, the Wolf booters don’t take the field until the end of this month, as the Northwest 2B/1B League is playing spring sports first during this pandemic-ravaged school year.

For those wanting a slice of pitch life, the photos above and below are courtesy John Fisken.

To see everything he shot during Oak Harbor’s Senior Night, featuring varsity and JV action, as well as festivities, pop over to the links below.

And PS — Gram and Gramps would probably like a glossy or two for the mantlepiece. Just sayin’.

 

Oak Harbor:

GS 2021-03-09 vs South Whidbey – John’s Photos

 

South Whidbey:

GS 2021-03-09 SW at Oak Harbor – John’s Photos

 

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Learn her name, respect her game

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , , on July 21, 2020| 1 Comment »

Tia Wurzrainer: three sports, 1000% effort. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Numbers don’t always tell the full story.

And that’s why, to fully appreciate what Tia Wurzrainer brought to Coupeville High School athletics the past four years, you needed to see her play in person.

From a distance, she didn’t score a staggering amount of goals on the soccer field, and didn’t net a record-busting number of baskets on the hardwood.

But watch Tia play in person, whether it was soccer, basketball, or tennis season, and you would quickly gain an appreciation of why she was so valued by coaches, and so beloved by her teammates.

The young girl who once sat quietly eating her sandwich back in a corner at her family’s restaurant, Christopher’s on Whidbey, emerged as one of the hardest-working, far-tougher-than-expected athletes to ever pull on a Wolf jersey.

Tia did the dirty work, and then asked for more, always with a smile.

On the soccer field, she sacrificed her body game after game, a defender who seemingly feared no scoring ace, and wasn’t gonna take no crap from no one, no matter how fancy the rival school might be.

She protected her side of the field with a burning intensity, slamming into frays, chasing down breakaways, fighting for every 50/50 ball, making life considerably easier for the CHS goalkeepers who camped out behind her.

Give her a chance to score, and she could, but Tia made her name holding down the backline, where she netted All-Conference honors and earned mad respect from anyone foolish enough to challenge her.

As fall faded into winter, she would move from the pitch to the basketball court, but her persona as a quietly tough-as-nails roustabout never changed.

Tia slices to the hoop for a bucket in a big win over arch-rival South Whidbey.

The kind of “glue” player every coach needs, she was that rare teen athlete who not only accepted her role, but openly embraced it.

Need a lock-down defender?

A hustler and a scrapper?

A pass-first player who could help keep her team flowing under big-time pressure?

A staunch supporter of each and every one of her teammates?

Tia was the answer for all those needs, and she always seemed to play with the same intensity and effort regardless of whether she was starting or coming off the bench.

Proving she was a true three-sport star, she never skipped a season, joining Avalon Renninger to form a deadly doubles duo on the tennis court each spring.

Always a deadly assassin on the tennis court.

The pair meshed almost flawlessly, both in playing style, and with the grace and drive they exhibited match after match.

Team leaders, captains, and stellar competitors, the duo were on the fast track to make it to the state tourney, only to see their senior season derailed by COVID-19.

While Tia and Avalon didn’t get the chance to make a run at glory in Eastern Washington, that shouldn’t detract in the slightest from what they accomplished when given a chance to play.

While reflecting on their net careers, CHS tennis guru Ken Stange marveled at what Wurzrainer had brought to his program.

“Tia … calm, cool, and collected.

“She would probably argue with me, but I think Tia is perfect.

“Kind, intelligent, intuitive, and hard working. I don’t think I ever heard a single negative word pass through her lips.

“Her work ethic was second to none. Anyone would be happy to have her as a partner, me included.”

Some athletes get a chance to put up big numbers, making it easy for people in far-off states or other countries to have at least a loose idea of what they accomplished.

But it’s those like Tia, the ones you need to be camped out in the bleachers, or on the bench, or out there on the floor with her, to really appreciate, who make an impact which can’t be matched.

If you know, you know.

And, if you don’t know, you really, truly missed out.

Today, we swing open the doors at the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame and welcome Tia to our hallowed digital hideaway, where she is reunited with Avalon, her tennis doubles partner.

After this, you’ll find them at the top of the blog, hanging out under the Legends tab.

All in all, a very appropriate choice of words to describe two of the best, as athletes and as people, to ever emerge from Coupeville.

Wurzrainer and Renninger? They were kind of a big deal.

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