Coupeville Sports

No retreat. No surrender.

There has been a lot of discussion in the past months about whether Coupeville High School can be competitive in the Cascade Conference.

Every sport is different, and it’s certainly true that a football team can take far more physical punishment when an undermanned team comprised largely of freshmen and sophomores finds itself facing large squads dominated by juniors and seniors who have been hitting the weight room for several years. Injuries happen, and, as we saw last season, a chain reaction can be set off with no end in sight.

Taking that into consideration, I still see no reason why Coupeville can’t be competitive in ANY sport it plays. We have had a state champion little league team come from this town recently and the Wolves have a long tradition of success, even if it’s not always as openly celebrated as what you see at other schools.

Natasha Bamberger and the King boys (Kyle and Tyler) won multiple state titles as runners. There was a time period when the Wolf girls’ basketball team went to state every year behind the play of players such as Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, Tina Lyness, Brianne King and the Black ‘n Blue sisters (Lexie and Brittany Black).

What did those athletes share in common? They didn’t back down, regardless of the competition.

Every athlete and coach in town should listen to the words of CHS volleyball coach Toni Crebbin. Her teams are consistent, they are competitive, they are successful and they represent the red and black as well as any squad.

It’s true. I was baiting her a bit when I asked her why her teams succeeded year-in and year-out against the cream of the conference seemingly against the odds. As usual, though, she was too smart for me, and declined to say anything juicy and controversial that I could have turned into a mini-scandal.

She’s very good at her job, and the reasons are reflected in what she had to say.

A big help would definitely have to be consistency in coaches and expectations. I am going into my 20th year of coaching volleyball here at CHS, so being consistent in my expectations and in treating athletes with respect year after year, the girls come in knowing to bring their best every day.

The older students really do a great job at holding the younger students accountable, and are great at modeling “team.”

For example, just today we were doing a conditioning drill that some of the younger students were struggling with accomplishing. Instead of watching them struggle and/or standing around talking to teammates who were finished, the older girls ran over to encourage their teammates, and even finished the drill a second time so that the other kids don’t feel alone.

Did I tell them to do that? No, but they know my expectations of everyone finishing strong, and the team only being as strong as the weakest player. I love seeing the girls living this out!

We always strive to better ourselves, which every player can do, no matter what their skill level is. We don’t back down to being challenged, and believe that every night we play, no matter win or lose, we can have a successful night.

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In this photo by Shelli Trumbull, Wolf volleyball coach Toni Crebbin, far right, intently watches her team at work last season.

There are two ways to look at this.

On the one hand, the Coupeville High School volleyball team lost a considerable chunk of talent from last season, with four key seniors (Katie Smith, Taya Boonstra, Alexis Trumbull and Chelsea Hudgins) having graduated and three-year veteran Madison Tisa McPhee opting to return to soccer for her senior year.

On the other hand, Mess ‘n Bess and Hammer Time are back and locked and loaded to shred a Cascade Conference that’s primed to be plucked. This is hardly the time to start feeling sorry for Wolf coaching guru Toni Crebbin, who, regardless of what her roster looks like, always finds a way to produce a super-competitive squad year in and year out.

While she doesn’t have a roster set in stone, what she does have are three stars in senior Bessie Walstad, junior Breeanna Messner and sophomore Hailey Hammer. Two heavy hitters (Walstad and Hammer) and a jack-of-all-trades (Messner), perfect for anchoring what may be a young team overall.

“Bessie is my most experienced returner, having been a starter for me since her sophomore year,” Crebbin said. “She was also a team captain for me last year, and so her leadership skills will be just as important as her athletic skills this year.

“Hailey is my only other returning starter. I am anticipating even more powerful blocking and hitting from her in the middle,” she added. “Breeanna was my utility player last year, who will definitely play a more dominant role this season. From just the first two days I can see more self-confidence and leadership coming from her. I know whatever I ask of her, she will do it whole-heartedly.”

As she tinkers with lineups during the first week of practice, Crebbin will take a look at a string of younger players who she hopes will mesh with her big three. Setter Megan Oakes, outside hitter Madeline Strasburg and defensive specialist Amanda Fabrizi have already made an impact.

“Megan plays with confidence and is quite vocal on the court, something we need from a setter, especially with our inexperience at the varsity level,” Crebbin said. “Of course, all the girls have been playing hard and with heart, and since there are so many positions open, there are plenty of opportunities for girls to step up.”

For the players who do step up, they will find a fairly wide-open league awaiting them. Both Archbishop Thomas Murphy and King’s have first-year coaches, Lakewood graduated nine players from a powerhouse team and South Whidbey lost several key players as well.

“We should really be in the mix of things to finish top four,” Crebbin said. “It won’t be easy for us, but if we play with heart and as a team, it’s an attainable goal. I’m looking forward to surprising a few teams again.”

The playoff options are also a bit more wide open, with South Whidbey, Mt. Baker and Blaine dropping from 2A to 1A after schools were re-classified this year. They will join Coupeville and King’s at districts, which will swell from six teams to nine, with four teams (up from three) advancing to tri-districts.

Ultimately, though, it’s about more than wins and losses for Crebbin, who, like any veteran coach who has put in a fair amount of time in the gym, knows the importance of the small things.

“As usual, our goal is to better ourselves as individuals and a team, every practice, every game. Leave the gym better than you came, is what I tell the girls,” Crebbin said. “That is how we judge our success, not wins and losses.

“Of course the wins are nice too, but if we strive to always get better, then the wins come.”

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