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“I love the feeling of accomplishment”

Posted in Softball, Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, freshman, scouting, Softball, track and field, volleyball, Zariyah Allen on June 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Zariyah Allen keeps the play alive. (Julie Wheat photo)

Bang.

Zariyah Allen made an immediate impact on the softball diamond this spring, despite having limited previous experience in the sport.

As an 8th grader, she stepped on to the field with a Coupeville High School squad coming off to a trip to state, hefted a bat and promptly earned her way into the starting lineup, lacing hits and scampering around the basepaths en route to helping the Wolves return to the big dance.

Even more impressively, Allen did so while balancing two schools and two sports, as she also wrapped up her middle school track and field career, adding four wins and a league title and school record in the discus.

All in a day’s work for one of the most-talented next gen Wolves, a quietly confident young woman who is winning over coaches and teammates with her commitment and work ethic.

And it’s just the start.

“One of my favorite parts of being an athlete that I strive for is the good feeling and satisfaction that I get when I get a good contact on a ball or a perfect swish or a nice catch,” Allen said.

“I also love the feeling of accomplishment after a game or a race.”

Older brothers Ezekiel and Isaiah and lil’ sis Jasmine are all strong athletes and students as well, and like them, Zariyah has stayed busy.

A fan of “being outdoors, listening to music, and sketching,” she has played school and club volleyball, basketball, track and field, and softball, and plans to continue with most of them as she makes the official jump from CMS to CHS starting this fall.

An assassin with the bat in hand. (Jackie Saia photo)

The hardest choice will come next spring, when she will likely have to choose between track, where she won 10 times across three middle school seasons, and softball, where she hit at a .500 clip in her debut, rapping out nine hits, scoring 10 runs, and playing rock-solid defense in the outfield as the Wolves went 19-4.

Allen smashed the CMS girls record in the discus, flinging it 95 feet, 10 inches, and was a league champ in the event as both a 6th and 8th grader.

But on the diamond, she often astonished her coaches with how fast she picked up the intricacies of the game.

Maybe softball mastermind Aaron Lucero and track and field gurus Elizabeth Bitting and Bob Martin work out a co-op agreement and share her? Come on people, let’s do this!

For Allen, the easiest choice comes in the fall, when she plays volleyball, which she picks as her favorite of her athletic pursuits, and one she might like to pursue after high school.

“Volleyball is my favorite sport,” she said. “I have learned so much from every season whether it was school or club volleyball.

“I learned how to be coachable and how to be confident in myself, which has helped me in every sport on and off the court or field.

“It’s also just the sport that I am most passionate about.”

Exploring nature’s wonders. (Kelly Powers photo)

Allen, who is also involved in scouting along with her many sports, has proven to be very adaptable, someone who listens to her coaches and takes their input to heart.

“I think my main strength as an athlete is being coachable and willing to adjust, which has really helped me grow,” she said.

“I definitely need to work on coming out of my shell and being loud and confident with new teams and coaches that I’m not entirely familiar with.”

Taking advantage of all her opportunities, Allen has a bright future ahead of her and is committed to reaching her full potential.

“I want to work hard to make as many teams as I can and improve as much as possible,” she said.

“My family, coaches, and teammates throughout my sports career have had such a large impact on me, encouraging me when times were tough.

“Every one of them has helped me to become the person I am today.”

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Stellar start, fantastic future

Posted in Girls Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, tagged Cami Van Dyke, CHS Wolves, freshman, girls basketball, Softball, volleyball on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Cami Van Dyke, off to kick butt and take names. (Julie Wheat photo)

She was made for the spotlight.

From a young age, Cami Van Dyke has often played above her age group, showcasing the same skill and inner drive that big sis Sydney brings to all her sports.

Given the chance to breakout this year as an 8th grader, Cami took advantage, finishing second in scoring for the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team, before putting together a stellar year as the starting shortstop for the Wolf varsity softball team.

Starting from day #1, the second of Grant and Colleen’s four children was a force to reckon with on the diamond, spraying hits to all fields while gunning down runners from deep in the hole with laser-like throws.

Cami was a Second Team All-League pick and the CHS Rookie of the Year, helping fuel a run in which the Wolves finished 19-4, won league and district titles, and played three games at the 2B state tourney.

She whacked the ball at a .483 clip in her debut performance, piling up 28 hits, 26 runs, 11 walks, 14 stolen bases, and 23 RBI while forming an impenetrable defensive wall on the left side of the infield with Sydney, who plays third base for the Wolves.

All before officially reaching high school as a student, which will happen this fall, when Cami begins her freshman year.

Van Dyke, who was also a strong middle school volleyball player, stalking the floor in pursuit of balls while providing leadership to her squad, wants to keep the good times rolling across the next four years.

“My goals for my high school sports career are to improve my skill level, become a stronger teammate, work hard in practices and games, while also continuing to grow as an athlete while helping my team succeed,” she said.

Van Dyke uses her Jedi mind skills to freeze the basketball in midair. (Teagan Calkins photo)

While still young, Van Dyke has a pretty clear-eyed view of her best traits and areas she’d like to improve.

“My strengths are being athletic, having strong hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, and working well with a team,” she said.

“Playing sports has helped me become a well-rounded athlete who can adapt to different challenges and use a variety of skills.

“Areas I can improve on include increasing my speed and strength, building confidence, and becoming more consistent in my performance.”

Away from sports Van Dyke likes “spending time with my friends, listening to music, and staying active,” while hailing PE and science as her favorite classes, with the latter being because she “enjoys learning how things work.”

While she’s deeply committed to whichever sport is in season, softball is her favorite, she admits.

“It’s mainly because of the positive environment around me and because I have been playing it my whole life,” Van Dyke said. “Also I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

“What I enjoy most about being an athlete is the opportunity to compete against other teams, stay active, and continue improving my skills.

“I also enjoy being part of a team and spending time with people who share the same passion and love for sports as I do.”

As she continues to grow as an athlete and student, Van Dyke will continue to look towards her mentors for guidance.

“My family and coaches have had a big impact on me by always supporting and encouraging me to work harder every day and never give up when times get hard,” she said.

“They have taught me the importance of responsibility, teamwork, and having a positive attitude.

“Their guidance and belief in me have helped shape me into the person and athlete I am today.”

Van Dyke and Emma Cushman kicked off their varsity softball run with a trip to state. (Grant Van Dyke photo)

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Big spikes, fast rides

Posted in Rodeo, Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, freshman, Rhylee Inman, rodeo, volleyball on June 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Rhylee Inman, chasing dreams every day. (Photos courtesy Carissa Peters)

“Rodeo is my home!”

Rhylee Inman, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, is fairly unique among her peers in Wolf Nation.

She’s a very talented volleyball player who showed great promise at the net during her middle school days, while also playing little league softball and participating in 4-H.

But it’s rodeo, the high-energy sport made famous by country music legends like George Strait and Garth Brooks, which truly sets Inman apart.

There just aren’t a ton of teenage athletes on Whidbey Island who can work magic from the back of a horse, but she’s that rarity.

Inman has been chasing the dream since she was old enough to first sit astride her trusty steed, and she is fully committed to pursuing the sport for years to come.

“My goals for my high school career are to get a scholarship to Nebraska in volleyball and join a college rodeo team,” she said.

Rodeo has taken her across the state, with competitions in goat tie, barrels, poles, and breakaway roping.

Inman and her partner fly into action.

“This is not just a sport to me,” Inman said. “This is a community and my best friend.

“I grew up on my family’s farm on the back of a horse doing simple speed events, but I later got introduced into rodeo. Rodeo is a completely different world compared to anything I have ever done.

“The community is your competition but also your family.

“You fail and fail but they bring you up and help you. We all are going through something, but we help each other.”

While chasing her volleyball and rodeo dreams, Inman also hopes to play high school softball. She was ready to make the jump as an 8th grader, but a shoulder injury sidelined her this spring.

Regardless of which sport she’s playing at the moment, the young Wolf approaches each of them with an open heart.

“Enjoying being an athlete for me isn’t just the sport,” Inman said. “It is the team/community that surrounds you.

“If I didn’t have my people around me, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the pressure under the performance. And the intensity that I thrive in.”

Controlling the action on the volleyball court. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Inman, who enjoys “ripping the ATVs around, spending time with my horses, and going into the mountains,” credits her mom for her support and guidance.

“I owe my mom for my entire athlete career,” she said.

“If my mom wasn’t here for me, I wouldn’t have continued to play sports after I got in my head, I wouldn’t have been able to attend to any sports, and she pushes me to keep going when the game gets intense.”

When in action Inman seeks to find inner balance, something she is still working on.

“My best strength as an athlete is ignoring my emotions on the court no matter how many mistakes I make,” she said.

“If you dwell and show how sad or mad you are, you bring your team down with you. So, I learned how to control this.

“But I do have a lot of areas to each of the sports I play that need to be improved and tuned up,” Inman added. “One thing I would like to improve is the way I hold myself AFTER a loss.

“There has been countless nights after a bad race that I talk down on myself because I know I could have done better or when I let a ball drop on the court.

“I know if I feed good things into my brain after a loss and think of ways to not let it happen again, I will be a better leader to my team or horse.”

Ready to take on the world.

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Joltin’ Jada a joy juggernaut

Posted in Girls Basketball, Hall o' Fame, Softball, Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, girls basketball, Hall of Fame, Jada Heaton, Softball on June 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Jada Heaton, one of the most-joyful athletes to ever wear a Wolf uniform. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Joy, absolute unbridled joy.

There have been Coupeville athletes who seemed happy to be playing, whether on a field or a court, but few have exuded the consistent level of bliss that Jada Heaton brought to everything she did.

That positivity, through every game, every at-bat, every sideline interaction, made her a valuable linchpin to very-successful Wolf volleyball, basketball, and softball squads.

Ready to tear up the softball diamond with running mate Mia Farris. (Jennifer Heaton photo)

Jada, who graduated from CHS in 2025, was part of what always seemed to be an especially tight-knit group of young women, a band of sisters from other misters who played together from when they were pee-wees to their final Senior Night moments.

That group went to state in multiple sports, earning league titles and both team and individual honors along the way.

Maybe more importantly, however, they genuinely seemed to like each other, taking delight in both their own praise-worthy accomplishments, but also in the achievements of their teammates.

A lot of that, in my opinion, seemed to spring from the bright, beating heart of joy at the center, one Jada Rose Heaton, whose positiveness never seemed to wane, win or loss.

Up to shenanigans. (Bailey Thule photo)

During her athletic career there were moments where she was a key contributor, stepping up and seizing the spotlight, and others where she was the perfect supporting crew.

A rebounder and a scrapper and a hustler on the hardwood, she lit up Orting one Saturday afternoon in front of her hometown fans.

Coupeville had lost a key league game to Friday Harbor just hours before, ending any playoff dreams for the Wolves, who needed a spark.

Enter Joltin’ Jada, who suddenly became a rampaging offensive dynamo in the game’s final moments.

Kickin’ butt and takin’ names. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Demanding the ball (well, OK, politely asking for it…), she scored on three consecutive trips down the floor in the fourth quarter to ice the victory, the bounce in her step getting bigger after every play.

First Jada took a lob from Katie Marti, slapping the ball off the glass for a quick bucket.

Then, wham, bam, thank you ma’am, she scored on a power move down low, muscling her way through a mass of players trying to viciously elbow and knee her tender regions.

Capping things, Jada elevated to snatch an offensive board — as she so often did — before using a quick dip to get past a defender for the put-back.

There were other spotlight reel moments as well, especially on the softball diamond, where she lashed extra-base hits and mentally scarred Darrington pitchers for the next three generations.

Or when Jada made this game-saving catch during her little league days, captured in one of my all-time favorite images from 14 years of doing this blog.

“And just where do you think you’re going, Mr. Softball? Get in my glove!!” (Jackie Saia photo)

When she got magical, she celebrated with all her heart.

But, and this is huge, when her teammates, her lifelong friends, her compadres, got magical as well, Jada celebrated even harder.

Her kindness shone through in the toughest of moments.

Her inner strength and resilience amazed when she ripped a nasty foul ball off her own chin at the state softball tourney, then tried to stay in the game even with a chipped tooth and badly swollen jaw.

And that joy?

It washed over every teammate she ever had, and it was the secret super glue which bound together one of the most-successful band of sisters to ever grace the Coupeville sports scene.

The smiling assassin. (Corinn Parker photo)

Jada is a good athlete and a great human being, and she was an absolute joy to write about.

Diploma in hand, she went off to find new challenges and impress new people, and I hope all of her dreams come true.

In this moment, though, we want to take Jada back for a second to her school days and make sure she knows how highly she is regarded.

Today we swing open the doors to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame and induct a smart, graceful, kind, and joy-filled young woman who made even the stormiest of prairie days seem sunnier.

After this, Miss Heaton will reside in the Legends section at the top of the blog, never forgotten and always remembered, her joyful presence absolutely guaranteed to light the joint up.

She does like to celebrate. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Spikers praised for leadership skills

Posted in Volleyball, tagged Arianna Cunningham, CHS Wolves, leadership, Rhylee Inman, volleyball on June 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Arianna Cunningham (left) and Milly Somes

They’re the leaders of the pack.

Eight Wolf spikers were honored by Coupeville High School volleyball coaches this week as the program held a development camp.

The players, a mix of veterans and relative newbies, were hailed by Scout Smith and her staff for modeling the program’s core strengths of “leadership, excellence, accountability, and discipline.”