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Archive for the ‘Track’ Category

Mud? Fire? Aidan Wilson fears no obstacle!

Posted in Track, tagged Aidan Wilson, CHS Wolves, Grand Rapids Spartan Sprint, rain and mud, Running on October 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Aidan Wilson, always cheerful, even when he’s about to push himself to the limit.

Aidan Wilson, still kicking fanny and taking names.

The Coupeville High School grad finished 4th out of 134 competitors in his age group Sunday at the Grand Rapids Spartan Sprint in Michigan.

The race sent runners through a course where they had to evade obstacles, diving into mud, climbing up ropes, and jumping over fire.

Spartan Race officials told a local newspaper there were 4,000+ participants, with a 10K, 5K, and kid’s races.

Wilson, competing in his first spartan race, vied in the 5K open division, finishing the course in 41 minutes, 29 seconds.

He was a solid minute-and-a-half ahead of the 5th place finisher in the 18-24 age group, and hot on the heels of the top three racers.

Wilson 1, muddy course 0.

During his time on Whidbey, Wilson more than earned his status as a Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Famer.

He participated in a mind-boggling 16 events as a track and field star, collecting 41 wins across three seasons.

Wilson brought home five state meet medals, earning three 2nd place finishes, and capped his career by placing 7th out of 32 in a two-day, 10-event decathlon featuring competitors from every classification.

One of only eight Wolf boys to earn as many as five state meet medals, it’s likely he would have gone higher on that list if real-world issues hadn’t restricted him to just two trips to the big dance.

The pandemic erased all spring sports when Wilson was a freshman, and the state meet was cancelled during his sophomore season as track officials limited how far schools could travel in the Age of Coronavirus.

Wilson also ran a season of cross country, while raining down goals on the soccer pitch.

He rattled the net for 10 goals as a senior, earning All-Conference First-Team honors, and finished his prep career with 13 scores, putting him #7 on Coupeville’s all-time boys’ soccer scoring chart.

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Two countries, one hammer-throwing dream

Posted in Track, tagged An Officer and a Gentleman, Camryn Rogers, Canada, Central Washington University, Ethan Katzberg, hammer throw, Logan Martin, Richard Gere on October 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Logan Martin learns from Camryn Rogers, reigning world champ in the hammer throw. (Photos courtesy Abbie Martin)

Canada is the place to go if you’re serious about being a top-level hammer thrower, eh.

Coupeville grad Logan Martin, now a sophomore at Central Washington University, continues to work year-round in his pursuit of excellence, and that sent him to Langley, British Columbia last weekend.

Dad Bob, who coaches the CHS track team, was supposed to go along for the trip, but the family dog brought that to a skidding halt, eating the elder Martin’s passport.

Rumors abound that papa, a former Marine Drill Sergeant, is currently making the persnickety pooch run laps.

Is the hangdog hound dog responding by doing a note-perfection imitation of Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman, whining “I got nowhere else to go!”

One can only hope so.

World champ Ethan Katzberg informs Martin all of his power comes from his ‘stache.

Meanwhile, back in reality, Logan Martin spent his time in maple syrup country training with world champion hammer throwers Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, as well as coaches Dylan Armstrong and Garrett Collier.

The first of those coaches is a former Olympian who trained with the sport’s top guru, Dr. Anatolij Bondarčuk, while the latter mentors throwers at the University of British Columbia.

Along with the chance to train with top-level hammer chuckers, Logan Martin also inspired his own throwing coach, Martin Bingisser, to put together a podcast on the subject for his massive HMMR Media network.

That reunited Bingisser, an 11-time national champ, with Armstrong, as the pair were training partners in the old days.

Working with the big boys.

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Big talent, big results

Posted in Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged Aidan Wilson, boys soccer, CHS Wolves, cross country, Hall of Fame, track and field on September 8, 2023| 1 Comment »

Aidan Wilson was a multi-sport star at Coupeville High School. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Aidan Wilson is a jack of all trades, and a master of most of them.

The rare athlete who seemingly could do it all, the Coupeville High School Class of 2023 grad excelled in track and field, soccer, and cross country, putting together one of the best prep careers ever crafted by a Wolf.

Spring seemed to bring out the best in the lanky speed demon, as he participated in a mind-boggling 16 events as a track star, collecting 41 wins across three seasons.

Striding to success at a big-time meet. (Bob Martin photo)

One of only eight Wolf boys to earn as many as five state meet medals, it’s likely he would have gone higher on that list if real-world issues hadn’t intruded.

The pandemic erased all spring sports when Wilson was a freshman.

While competition returned the next spring, the state meet was cancelled as track officials limited how far schools could travel in the Age of Coronavirus.

But once he got a chance to shine on the big state, Wilson made his mark in short order.

That was his normal operating style, as he tore up the course in his one season as a cross country runner, while raining down goals on the soccer pitch.

Wilson rattled the net for 10 goals as a senior, earning All-Conference First-Team honors, and finished his prep career with 13 scores, putting him #6 on Coupeville’s all-time boys’ soccer scoring chart.

Off to score another goal. (Morgan White photo)

A nimble athlete with quick reflexes, he also did some time as a goaltender, holding off rival teams from scoring, while sacrificing a chance to add to his own goal totals.

When it all ended, Wilson brought home one of his school’s big athletic honors, receiving the Cliff Gillies Award as a senior.

Named in honor of a longtime Executive Director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, it goes to athletes for “outstanding scholarship, citizenship, and participation in school activities.”

Hanging out with fellow senior booters (l to r) Grant Steller, Cameron Epp, and Reiley Araceley. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Student/athletes come and go as the seasons unfold, and a relative few are likely to stand the test of time and be remembered in vivid detail years later.

I believe Wilson will be one of those whose exploits will live on in the memories of fellow players, coaches, and fans.

But he doesn’t need to wait to be acknowledged as one of the greats – we can do that today while his time at CHS is still fresh in all of our minds.

Swing open the door to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, because we’re welcoming Wilson to our lil’ digital shrine to athletic excellence.

After this, you’ll find him at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, enshrined for his accomplishments in the red and black, and the way he approached his sports.

Wilson exuded talent, but he also put in the work, day after day, competition after competition, and he earned his spot atop the mountain.

A job well done.

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Work hard, dominate every day

Posted in Boys Basketball, Football, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Dominic Coffman, football, Hall of Fame, track and field on September 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Dominic Coffman will run over you, not around you. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ka-Chunk!

It is the sound I most associate with Dominic Coffman, as he chose to frequently run over, and not around, would-be tacklers on the football field.

During his time reppin’ the black and red for the Wolves, the 2023 Coupeville High School grad piled up his fair share of yards and touchdowns, and he did it by living up to the standard set by the program’s premier running back, Ian Barron.

Like the man who holds every school record associated with rushing, Coffman chose violence, and left a trail of battered and bruised rivals in his wake.

Fancy cuts are fine, sprinting for the sideline, then dodging a tackler to step out of bounds can be effective.

The Dominator, like Barron, was content to leave those moves to others, however.

Give him the damn football and get out of the way.

During his stellar senior season, when he captured Northwest 2B/1B League MVP honors while sparking Coupeville football to its first league title and trip to state in three-decades-plus, Coffman got most of his yards AFTER impact.

It took multiple tacklers to wrestle him to the ground on most carries, and if your grip slipped for a second, you were likely on your back, watching him inflict more carnage downfield.

Not that Coffman was a one-hit wonder.

He also had sticky fingers when it came to catching passes, and was a hellion on defense, steam erupting from his body on fall nights as he scared the bejesus out of rival QB’s.

The 2022 edition of Wolf football can make an argument as the best in program history — though 1990 will want a word — and Coffman, teamed with Scott Hilborn, Tim Ursu, Daylon Houston, and a host of others, were the senior core.

Enjoying Senior Night with his family. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A leader on and off the field, Coffman was rewarded with an invitation to the Earl Barden Classic, the state all-star game for small-school standouts, and he made his presence felt while lining up with a who’s who of gridiron giants.

Now the game is carrying him to Spain, where he will be suiting up for a semi-pro team playing American football.

They will know him soon, by the bruises he inflicts.

As intense as he can be on the football field, Coffman is a fairly soft-spoken dude off of the gridiron, and has always struck me as an intelligent, well-spoken young man.

The first time I came into contact with him was when, as a middle schooler, he informed me that if I had any photos of him playing sports, I should send them to him.

Younger, but already intense. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

After that, we spoke at a tennis match where he was camped out as a fan, and I couldn’t help but come away impressed with him.

He was that kid who grew up loving sports, not in a small way, but in a BIG way.

More than one coach told me stories about him having to be chased inside by teachers as he got every last second of enjoyment out of recess.

I once got detention for purposefully ignoring the bell, and continuing to play basketball — in a driving rainstorm — so I know where Dominic comes from.

As good a football player as he is, he was absolutely what a small-town school needs, playing three sports and playing them well.

On the basketball court, he played like a heat-seeking missile, fighting for rebounds and loose balls like a younger version of Dennis Rodman, while being the loudest member of the Wolf support crew.

Coffman was part of a boys’ basketball team which went 16-0 in the regular season and came dangerously close to toppling top-ranked Kalama at the state tournament.

In fact, he went to the big dance in all three of his sports, also making the trek twice in track and field, while qualifying in both the 4 x 100 relay and high jump both times.

Working with his relay teammates, Coffman brought home a pair of 2nd place medals, helping spur the Wolves to impressive team finishes.

Capping his senior season by shining at the state track meet. (Elizabeth Bitting photo)

As he prepares to head to Spain, let’s take a moment to hail Coffman.

For the high school athletic career he put together, excelling season after season in multiple sports while retaining his joy and drive through difficult times in the world.

And, for always being That Guy — a class act who combined drive and desire, hard work and a refusal to back down, into being one of the most-distinctive student/athletes to ever walk the CHS hallways.

Soon the world will know, but we knew first.

Which is why we’re the first to honor him, but probably not the last.

Today Dominic Coffman throws open the door to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, joining fellow Wolf football legends like Ian Barron and Paul Messner, Brad Haslam and Brad Sherman in our lil’ digital shrine.

After this, you’ll find The Dominator up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, a fitting testament to a dude who never, ever quit working.

The Dominator. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Knoblich a joyful assassin

Posted in Girls Basketball, Hall o' Fame, Track, Volleyball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Ryanne Knoblich, track and field, volleyball on August 29, 2023| 1 Comment »

Ryanne Knoblich gets some love from Mama Mariah. (Karen Carlson photo)

“Nice try, Ry!”

Over the years, as she grew from a plucky young girl fighting to have an impact, to emerging as a full-blown star honored as a Coupeville High School Athlete of the Year winner, that statement took on new meaning.

Ryanne Knoblich may have followed in the footsteps of older brother Gavin, himself a three-sport sensation for the Wolves, but Mariah and Clint’s daughter wrote her own super-successful story.

When she exited CHS this past spring, carrying her diploma (and countless academic and athletic honors), she left as one of the best I’ve ever written about.

As an athlete, absolutely.

As a human being, even more so.

Ryanne was unfailingly joyful during her days repping the red and black, her megawatt personality lighting up gyms and track ovals and winning her a well-deserved legion of fans.

Pick a sport, and she was a huge contributor.

Doin’ what she does. (Jackie Saia photo)

On the volleyball court, she grew into a dangerous sniper, one who crashed from sideline to sideline in pursuit of the ball, before unleashing often-crippling spikes.

Look at her stats from her senior season, and it’s readily apparent how dangerous, and well-balanced, a player she truly was.

Ryanne racked up 108 kills and 109 digs, the rare player to amass top numbers at the net and in the back row.

She could also serve with the best of them, peppering rivals with spikes which tore off arms and deflated players on the other side of the court.

Through it all, while racking up All-Conference honors, she delighted in her teammate’s accomplishments as much as her own, her voice carrying across the gym as she bum-rushed her pals to squeeze the life out of them with a congratulatory hug.

That all-in style carried over to basketball, where Ryanne was her team’s most effective rebounder, while also finishing #3 in scoring.

She could pop a silky jumper, elbow a wayward rival, then dive on the floor to fight like her life depended on her ability to claim possession of the ball.

All while chuckling to herself, an intense warrior who always seemed to delight in just getting a chance to play alongside her friends.

The artist at work. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

When spring rolled around, Ryanne went outdoors for track and field, and it’s there she probably made her biggest impact.

The pandemic denied her a freshman season on the oval, but she more than made up for it in the remaining three years.

From her sophomore through senior year, Ryanne competed in 11 different events, from sprints to relays, hurdles to jumping competitions.

Through it all, she rang up 16 wins, twice finished 2nd at the state meet in the high jump and tied a school record which stood untouched since 1999.

Ryanne touched the skies at five feet, two inches in her premier event, joining Wolf legend Yashmeen Knox atop the record books.

While she may have left the building, her name will live on every time a new CHS athlete enters the gym complex and looks up at the record board on the wall.

And, while that record may one day be toppled, Ryanne’s place among the best Wolf athletes ever is still assured, as her photo will join others who have been tabbed as a CHS Athlete of the Year winner.

That honor is forever.

Not that she needs it, as “Nice try, Ry” will also live on in the memories of those who watched her play while fueled by her unique mix of intensity and joy.