Our patron saints, Brittany (left) and Lexie Black. (Shelli Trumbull photos)
Coach V’s son dunks!
Orange peel soccer art. (Kenzie Perry photo)
Wolf Nation supports Hayley Newman. (Shelli Trumbull photos)
Victory!!
Still no response from Milla Jovovich’s people, so I’m back as host of the winter edition of the BLACKies.
What are the BLACKies, you ask? Only the only awards show that matters … well, at least until Feb. 24 and that whole Oscars thingee. That kinda, sorta matters too.
But the BLACKies, named in honor of former Wolf stars Lexie and Brittany Black, celebrate the season that just passed in Coupeville sports. So with that, we look back at what was, what was said, what was done and what went down during the winter.
KOLE KELLISON MEMORIAL BEST QUOTE: “The team being rambunctious, we broke the hot tub.” — Josh Wilsey. Runner-up: “Don’t forget to pre-lube for chafing.” — Sean LeVine.
MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT: Breeanna Messner took a shot to the eye during a rough-and-tumble game against Orcas Island, then bounced off the floor to destroy the visitors, raining down 10 points (including two three-point bombs) during a game-changing 21-0 run.
NO, MAMA REALLY SAID KNOCK YOU OUT: Wolf sophomore Micky LeVine may be the smallest girl on her GU17 Whidbey Islanders select soccer team, but she will not abide her teammates being roughed up.
Twice she stared down opponents, once challenging both an opponent who had lit-up her running mate and the ref who had let it happen without calling a penalty. When Micky blows on her fists, bullies run.
REST? WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ REST: With their team decimated by food poisoning, Wiley Hesselgrave, Anthony Bergeron, Jared Helmstadter, Isaac Vargas and Oscar Liquidano played all 32 minutes in a boys’ basketball JV game against Blaine, which ran 27 players into the game, with their first sub showing up at the one-minute mark. Wimps.
STEVE NASH BEST PASS: Six-foot-one post Monica Vidoni, trapped on the sideline, suddenly pivots and whips a note-perfect pass through three defenders, dropping the ball into the outstretched fingers of Kacie Kiel, who is cutting through the paint. Bing-bam-boom, the prettiest bucket of the year.
BEST DUNK: After most of the crowd had left, Wolf basketball players were goofing around on the court and eating cupcakes from Senior Night. Then six-foot-four Nick Streubel hoisted boys’ JV coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh on his shoulders, while Coach V hoisted his little boy over his head. The trio staggered forward, a ball was produced and a little boy dunked on a regulation rim for the first time in his life. Beautiful.
BEST UP YOURS: After whining like a baby, Taylor Ebersole ran away to La Conner after playing for Coupeville as a freshman. When the Wolves met the Braves this season, Ebersole went up for a shot in the JV game and got soundly rejected by Joel Walstad. Nice.
BEST BASKET: Julia Felici is your classic hard-working, fight-to-the-last-second basketball player. She is not a scorer. Until one moment in a game against Sultan, when the pass-first Felici suddenly pump-faked her defender out of her shoes, shot past her and nailed a running one-hander in the paint that dropped about 117 jaws. Her first high school points, on a move that would have made an NBA player proud. Classic Felici.
STONE-COLD KILLER: Coupeville Middle School gunner Luke Merriman lit up King’s, hitting not one, but two, buzzer-beaters in the same game. More impressive — they weren’t desperation heaves, but perfectly-timed, planned affairs, as Merriman brought the ball up and knocked down both shots in people’s faces. Fear the faux-hawk!
THE FUTURE IS NOW: CMS 8th grader Gabe Wynn was the go-to man for his squad all year, but never more than against Sultan, when he completely shut up the single most annoying visiting fan section ever by rampaging for 13 of his 17 points after halftime, sparking a 22-2 run, a Wolf win and a big, fat shot to the over-active mouth of Turks everywhere.
ONE LAST RIDE: Bessie Walstad carrying her squad on her back during a brilliant third quarter in the playoff game that would turn out to be the last in her splendid hoops career. Mixing three-pointers with inside buckets, she went out a champion, regardless of the score.
BEST MOMENT I MISSED BECAUSE I’M A FRICKIN IDIOT AND WENT TO THE MOVIES: As I was watching “Gangster Squad” and “Zero Dark Thirty” in Oak Harbor, the Wolf boys’ basketball team went to Mount Vernon Christian and broke a 33-game, 702-day losing streak. Ben Etzell rained down points, Streubel crushed all of coach Anthony Smith’s vertebrae in a post-game hug, Liquidano lost his freakin’ mind in the stands and, oh yeah, the movies were pretty good.
I will be needled for years about that decision. Which is only right.
BEST SMALL MOMENT: It’s a 7-way tie.
Kacie Kiel cradling Wynter Thorne on the bench, calming her down as she hyperventilated.
Madeline Strasburg bellowing like a mad-woman to rev up the JV squad, then stopping and softly patting a very-sick Miranda Engle on the top of the head.
Drew Chan sprawled out behind the bench on opening night, a bright green and seemingly dead, suddenly coming to his feet and playing virtually the entire game against Blaine.
Caleb Valko NOT punching a ref in the face after the ref shoved Valko, then called a technical on Valko.
Danny Savalza sauntering past the South Whidbey student section, gently waving his “We love Hayley #35″ sign” at the height of the whole “South Whidbey’s best player quits her team” affair.
Wolf sharpshooter Amanda Fabrizi “accidentally” kicking a girl in the face. You do NOT mess with a cheerleader.
Every single time the Wolf basketball squads, boys or girls, JV or varsity, took the floor in 2012-2013. They fought through broken legs, severe concussions, black eyes, sprained wrists, stitches, food poisoning, viral crud, staph infection, inconsistent fan support, the reality of being the smallest school (by far) in their conference and much more and did it as teammates.
They carried each other, they picked each other up, they stood by each other, they left it all on the floor for the red and black. They made their town very proud.
