Coupeville Sports

Brandon Kelley

The first day is all about strategy.

So while the big guns may have paced themselves a bit during the prelims at the 1A District 1 track meet in Lynden Wednesday, saving their big burst for the finals on Friday, that gave a few others a moment to catch some of the spotlight.

While Makana Stone and Madison Tisa McPhee didn’t bust out any PR’s, Josiah Campbell and Brandon Kelley did.

The junior duo, who have drafted in the spotlight of the transcendent Wolf female runners this year, ran their best times in the 100 and the 300 hurdles, respectively. Kelley smashed his PR by more than two seconds.

Most finals take place on Friday, but one Wolf, sophomore distance runner Erin Rosenkranz, competed in hers Wednesday, finishing 11th in the 3200.

Tisa McPhee blitzed the 100 hurdles prelims, while positioning herself right in behind heavy favorite Kieya Villers of Blaine in the 300 hurdles.

Stone, in her only event of the day, finished second in the 200 prelims to fellow freshman Anna Parker of King’s. Parker’s winning time, however, was short of Stone’s best time this season, leading one to think the speedy Wolf might be saving something for the final.

The district meet pits Cascade Conference schools Coupeville, South Whidbey and King’s against Northwest Conference schools Blaine, Nooksack Valley, Mount Baker, Meridian and Lynden Christian and free agent Friday Harbor.

Complete results:

GIRLS:

100 — Marisa Etzell (10th) 13.89

200 — Makana Stone (2nd) 26.91; Sylvia Hurlburt (5th) 27.62

3200 — Erin Rosenkranz (11th) 13:17.30

100 hurdles — Madison Tisa McPhee (1st) 16.49; Courtney Allard (15th) 20.88

300 hurdles — Tisa McPhee (2nd) 49.23

BOYS:

100 — Josiah Campbell (3rd) 11.65; Jared Helmstadter (15th) 12.41

200 — Campbell (9th) 24.51; Lathom Kelley (13th) 25.35; Helmstadter (14th) 25.48

400 — Sam Landau (9th) 56.47

800 — Matthew Hampton (9th) 2:11.12

300 hurdles — Brandon Kelley (4th) 44.57

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The fast and the not-so-furious. (John Fisken photo)

    Freshman phenom Sylvia Hurlburt gets congratulations from her dad, Troy. (Kristin Hurlburt photo)

High noon approaches, and the gunslingers are ready.

One of the fastest groups of track stars to ever wear the red and black will head into the 1A District 1 meet this week as nothing less than favorites.

Coupeville High School freshman sprinter Makana Stone (200, 400), senior hurdler Madison Tisa McPhee (100 hurdles) and the girls’ 4 x 200 relay squad (Tisa McPhee, freshman Sylvia Hurlburt, Stone, senior Jai’Lysa Hoskins) are ranked #1.

Stone is also ranked #2 in the 100 (based on times) but to a girl, Ashley Driscoll of King’s, who she whipped head-to-head at the Cascade Conference meet. Tisa McPhee is #2 in the 300 hurdles, and both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams are seeded #3.

To qualify for districts (Wednesday and Friday), the first of three postseason showdowns (tri-districts and state follow), athletes have to be in the top 16 in their event.

Tisa McPhee qualified in six events, while Stone, Hoskins and junior Josiah Campbell each qualified in five.

Things can still get topsy-turvy, however, as some athletes may opt out of events they have qualified for, which would allow some lower-ranked competitors to get called up to the big time.

With that in mind, here are the CHS athletes who currently have qualified for districts, with their current seedings:

GIRLS:

100 — Makana Stone (2nd), Jai’Lysa Hoskins (10th), Sylvia Hurlburt (16th)

200 — Stone (1st), Hoskins (8th), Madison Tisa McPhee (12th), Hurlburt (15th)

400 — Stone (1st)

3200 — Erin Rosenkranz (11th)

100 hurdles — Tisa McPhee (1st), Emma Sullivan (12th)

300 hurdles — Tisa McPhee (2nd), Sullivan (11th)

4 x 100 — Tisa McPhee, Marisa Etzell, Hurlburt, Hoskins (3rd)

4 x 200 — Tisa McPhee, Hurlburt, Stone, Hoskins (1st)

4 x 400 — Hoskins, Kirsten Pelroy, Etzell, Stone (3rd)

Shot Put — Heni Barnes (13th)

Discus — Barnes (16th)

Javelin — Rachel Wenzel (12th), Barnes (15th)

High Jump — Tisa McPhee (5th)

BOYS:

100 — Josiah Campbell (7th)

200 — Campbell (6th)

800 — Matthew Hampton (13th)

300 hurdles — Brandon Kelley (9th)

4 x 100 — Lathom Kelley, Campbell, B. Kelley, Sam Landau (6th)

4 x 400 — Jared Helmstadter, Landau, B. Kelley, Hampton (7th)

Shot Put — Nick Streubel (8th), Caleb Valko (16th)

Discus — Streubel (5th), Carson Risner (14th), Dalton Martin (15th)

High Jump — Campbell (8th)

Triple Jump — Campbell (8th), Stephen Edwards (14th)

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        Heni Barnes spends some quality time with local farmer-in-training Henry Purdue. (Julieanna Purdue photo)

Barnes at the center of life in the Wolf ASB.

Heni Barnes truly does it all.

Try to list off all the pursuits of the Coupeville High School junior and you’ll be here for some time.

Jazz Band. ASB class president. National Honor Society officer. Science Olympiad. History Day. Produce picker and baby wrangler for Wilbur and Julieanna Purdue.

Hijacker of PA systems, when she commandeered the sound system at the end of a Wolf boys’ soccer game and diverted Holly Craggs‘ attention long enough to give Brett Arnold and teammates time to unfurl a banner asking Craggs to Prom.

And now you can add the words “highly accomplished track thrower” to the list.

Barnes, who throws javelin, discus and shot put, has placed in the top six at every one of her meets and has three times finished second in the shot. Not bad for a newcomer to the sport.

“I joined because it was a sport that I had never really thought about being a part of,” Barnes said. “It sounded fun, I would have a great experience, and I could be with my friends.”

After being talked into the new opportunity by Wolf coaches Randy King and Ron Bagby, Barnes has come to enjoy the sport. Partly for the competition, and partly for the chance to spend more time with her classmates.

“I enjoy being with my friends and getting to stay outside,” Barnes said. “Also, going to the meets, which are fascinating sometimes.

“I’m pretty good at my events, but for all of them I could improve form,” she added. “Especially form and release for discus.”

A big fan of ’70s music, bike riding and collecting agates at the beach, the bubbly Barnes is a 4.0 student who enjoys calculus and science.

“I’m sort of a nerd that way,” Barnes said. “I like trying to stay outdoors but most of my time is spent with History Day.”

No matter what she is doing, be it sports or academics, she has a strong support group of family, friends and teachers to rely on and inspire her.

“My parents have always had a big impact in my life and have really helped me become the person I am today,” Barnes said. “They support me in track, and in a track sense, Mr. Bagby and Mr. King have had a BIG influence because they were the ones who tracked me down to get me to sign up and since then they have always encouraged me to do better.”

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    Nicole Becker, left, seen here with Lucas Etzell and Jai’Lysa Hoskins, ran her best time in the 100 this season Friday.

Emma Sullivan had a good day.

Leading a small band of Wolves at the Last Chance Qualifier in Sultan Friday, the Coupeville High School junior set PR’s in two of her three events. She established her best times in both the 100 and the 100 hurdles.

Mitchell Losey set a PR in the 100, Briess Potter tied her PR in the javelin, Nicole Becker nailed her season-best in the 100 and Konrad Borden won the triple jump, the first victory in his high school track career.

The meet featured all eight Cascade Conference schools.

It was a final shot for athletes to establish a time or distance in an event that would place them in the top 16 performances for District 1, earning them a berth at the district meet May 8-10 at Lynden Christian.

Complete results:

GIRLS:

100 — Emma Sullivan (2nd) 13.98; Nicole Becker (7th) 14.64; Briess Potter (13th) 15.94

200 — Becker (4th) 31.24

100 hurdles — Sullivan (1st) 18.62

300 hurdles — Sullivan (1st) 54.29

Discus — Becker (6th) 58-00

Javelin — Potter (5th) 49-07

BOYS:

100 — Mitchell Losey (14th) 13.92

200 — Losey (16th) 29.52

Javelin — Konrad Borden (14th) 78-11, Losey (15th) 73-11

Long Jump — Borden (10th) 13-07

Triple Jump — Borden (1st) 30-01.50

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