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No more spikes, just awards

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on November 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Mia Farris (left) and Taygin Jump both played key roles for a successful CHS varsity volleyball squad. (Jackie Saia photo)

Another successful season in the books.

Coupeville High School varsity volleyball coach Cory Whitmore made it seven straight winning seasons, guiding the Wolves to a 10-6 mark this fall.

That includes a third-consecutive 2nd place showing in league play — behind just four-time defending 2B state champ La Conner — and a strong showing at the bi-district tourney.

Coupeville thunked Northwest Christian in straight sets, then put together their best performance against the Braves in a tough championship match.

Next year promises great upheaval, with La Conner coach Suzanne Marble having retired after 30 seasons, and the District 1/2 tourney set to send two teams, and not just one, to state.

While the Wolves lose key seniors, they can return four letter winners, plus several other players who were vital to the JV going 12-2 and beating La Conner under the guidance of Ashley Menges.

But the future is the future, and the present was what was honored Tuesday, as the Wolf spikers capped the 2022 campaign with an awards banquet.

Coupeville’s five All-League players — Maddie Georges, Alita Blouin, Grey Peabody, Ryanne Knoblich, and Jill Prince — were acknowledged, while both the varsity and JV handed out multiple honors.

Maddie Georges plans out her next 27 moves. (Jackie Saia photo)

 

Varsity awards:

 

MVP:

Maddie Georges

 

Spirit of the Wolf:

Jill Prince

 

Most Improved:

Grey Peabody

 

Most Inspirational:

Ryanne Knoblich

 

Captains:

Maddie Georges
Ryanne Knoblich
Jill Prince

 

4-Year Award:

Alita Blouin
Maddie Georges
Ryanne Knoblich
Jill Prince

Taylor Brotemarkle prepares to unleash a scorcher. (Bailey Thule photo)

 

JV awards:

 

MVP:

Katie Marti

 

Most Improved:

Taylor Brotemarkle

 

Most Inspirational:

Jada Heaton

 

Varsity letter winners:

Alita Blouin
Mia Farris
Maddie Georges
Taygin Jump
Ryanne Knoblich
Madison McMillan
Grey Peabody
Jill Prince
Lyla Stuurmans

 

Participation certificates:

Taylor Brotemarkle
Carly Burt
Teagan Calkins
Oktober Frost
Jada Heaton
Issabel Johnson
Katie Marti
Chloe Marzocca
Grier Mooney
Aby Wood

Chloe Marzocca is part of a bright future for the Wolf spiker program. (Delanie Lewis photo)

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Former Wolf rules volleyball universe

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on November 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Breanne Smedley won her second state volleyball title Saturday. (Valen Trujillo photo)

She’s a two-timer.

Former Coupeville High School volleyball coach Breanne Smedley led Columbia River to the 2A state title Saturday, successfully defending a crown won last year.

With the back-to-back championships, the Rapids have won four state volleyball titles all-time.

Smedley and her crew have the 2021 and 2022 wins at the 2A level, while Columbia River also won a 4A title in 1991 and a 3A crown in 2000.

The Rapids plowed through Ephrata (3-0), Enumclaw (3-0), Burlington-Edison (3-1), and Ridgefield (3-0) at the Yakima SunDome.

The championship win was sweet revenge for Columbia River, as it suffered its only loss during a 23-1 season while playing Ridgefield for a district title.

Smedley coached select and high school volleyball during her time on Whidbey, fronting the CHS varsity program during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Her second Wolf squad toppled Seattle Christian in the playoffs, the first postseason win for Coupeville’s volleyball program in a decade.

That helped set the path for success achieved by her successor, Cory Whitmore, who has guided CHS to seven straight winning seasons and a trip to state in 2017.

Breanne and husband Brett, who coached high school football and middle school basketball in Coupeville, moved to Vancouver in 2016.

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La Conner spikers four-peat

Posted in Football, soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Ellie Marble, unleashed. (Photo property Washington Interscholastic Activities Association)

The final chapter was a best seller.

La Conner High School volleyball coach Suzanne Marble capped a 30-year run Friday, guiding her squad to a fourth consecutive 2B state title.

The Braves knocked off Okanogan, Lind-Ritzville-Sprague, Manson, and Colfax to claim the crown, the seventh overall in program history.

Marble and La Conner claimed titles in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

There was no state tournament in 2020 because of the ongoing pandemic.

The Braves finished 18-3 in Marble’s final season and dropped just one set at state.

Seeded #3 in the 12-team 2B field, La Conner upset #2 Manson in the semifinals, revenge for a late-season non-conference loss during an Eastern Washington road trip.

Top-seeded Kalama, which was 22-0 entering play Friday, also suffered an upset, falling to #4 Colfax in the semifinals.

It turned out to be back-to-back losses for the Chinooks, as Manson spiked them in the 3rd/4th place match.

Adna (5th), Lind-Ritzville-Sprague (6th), Okanogan (7th), and Tri-Cities Prep (8th) also brought home trophies.

While the 2B championships were a 12-team affair, with La Conner beating Coupeville in the bi-district finals to claim the one ticket to state available for Districts 1 and 2, it was a much-bigger draw in 1B.

Three Northwest 2B/1B League rivals which Coupeville blitzed in the regular season made the 20-team field in that tourney.

Mount Vernon Christian was seeded #6, Orcas Island #16, and Darrington #19, but it was the lowest of those three seeds which surprised everyone by claiming a trophy.

Darrington won three of five matches to finish 8th, while the two other NWL schools went 1-2.

Neah Bay, another school Coupeville scorched during the regular season, beat the Loggers in the 7th/8th place game, while top seeded Oakesdale won the 1B title.

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Wolf spikers notch All-League honors

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on November 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville volleyball aces Grey Peabody (8), Maddie Georges (5), and Ryanne Knoblich (back) earned All-League honors. (Jackie Saia photo)

They were honored individually, and as a team.

When Northwest 2B/1B League coaches handed out All-Conference awards, Coupeville High School volleyball players were named six times.

The Wolves shared the league’s Team Sportsmanship honor with Orcas Island, while five CHS spikers were singled out for their play.

Jill Prince awaits the serve. (Jackie Saia photo)

Seniors Alita Blouin and Maddie Georges were named First-Team All-League picks, with junior Grey Peabody and senior Ryanne Knoblich landing Second-Team honors.

Jill Prince rounded out the Wolf honorees, earning Honorable Mention for her senior season.

In the year’s biggest non-surprise, La Conner senior Ellie Marble repeated as league MVP, while mom Suzanne Marble was named Coach of the Year in her 30th, and final season, with the Braves.

Alita Blouin launches a serve. (Bailey Thule photo)

 

First-Team All-League:

Alita Blouin – Coupeville – Senior
Bethany Carter – Orcas Island – Junior
Maddie Georges – Coupeville – Senior
Josie Harper – La Conner – Senior
Makayla Herrera – La Conner – Senior
Morgan Huizenga – La Conner – Junior
Claire Wright – Darrington – Sophomore

 

Second-Team All-League:

Mia Blackmon – Friday Harbor – Senior
Kelsey Edwards – Concrete – Sophomore
Allie Heino – Mount Vernon Christian – Junior
Kenadie Hoglund – Darrington – Senior
Ryanne Knoblich – Coupeville – Senior
Grey Peabody – Coupeville – Junior
Milana Schneider – Orcas Island – Junior
Abby Udlock – La Conner – Junior

 

Honorable Mention:

Ava Ashcraft – Orcas Island – Sophomore
Ayana Berube – Friday Harbor – Senior
Jill Prince – Coupeville – Senior

Ryanne Knoblich, comin’ at you. (Jackie Saia photo)

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Bow to our league, one and all

Posted in Football, soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on November 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville football is one of nine NWL fall sports teams still chasing state title dreams. (Bailey Thule photo)

Support your school, but also support your league.

While most of the readers of this blog want Coupeville High School sports teams to whomp on their rivals, there is some small satisfaction in seeing fellow Northwest 2B/1B League schools do well when they play outsiders.

Listen, all the titles should be hanging in the CHS gym, end of story.

But, if they can’t, when La Conner wins a state volleyball crown, or Orcas Island captures a boys soccer title, or Mount Vernon Christian girls’ basketball rules the hardwood, it helps builds a rep for the NWL.

We want people from far-flung locales to stop chattering about their own leagues and realize, “Hey, maybe we should learn some facts about the upper left corner of the state, cause those teams are kickin’ our sweet fannies.”

Coupeville comes first, but every time a fan from say, Kalama or Liberty (Spangle) goes quiet as their team loses to someone from our league, it’s a win for all of us in this region.

With that in mind, there are nine teams from six NWL schools still in there swinging for a state title.

Mount Vernon Christian (girls’ soccer, volleyball, boys’ soccer) tops the list, while Concrete is the lone league school with no shot left at hanging a new banner this fall.

Where NWL teams stand heading into this weekend:

 

BOYS SOCCER:

The NWL has three of the eight teams in the 2B/1B state tourney, with Friday Harbor seeded #1, defending state champ Orcas at #3, and Mount Vernon Christian at #7.

Orcas won the regular-season league crown, but Friday Harbor toppled the Vikings 2-1 in the bi-district championship game to claim front-runner status.

Fun fact – the top-seeded Wolverines have lost twice this season, and one of those was a 3-1 defeat while visiting Coupeville in late September.

Our seven-team league expands to nine schools for boys’ soccer, with Concrete and Darrington avoiding the pitch, while Grace Academy, Providence Classical Christian, Lopez Island, and Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood join the party.

Grace almost gave the NWL a fourth team at the season-ending tourney, but the Eagles were nipped 2-1 by Puget Sound Adventist in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.

 

FOOTBALL:

Coupeville stands alone, the league champs and seeded #7 in the 12-team 2B tourney.

The Wolves first state playoff game in 32 years is Saturday against Onalaska at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Darrington fell a game short of the big dance on the 1B side, blown out by Mossyrock in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.

 

GIRLS SOCCER:

The 2B/1B state tourney has 12 teams in the draw, with NWL champ Mount Vernon Christian seeded #2, behind just top-ranked Kalama.

Friday Harbor had a shot at joining the Hurricanes, but came up a win short, KO’d by Crosspoint Academy at bi-districts.

 

VOLLEYBALL:

Three-time defending 2B state champ La Conner heads back to Yakima, ranked #3 in a 16-team field after beating Coupeville in the bi-district final.

While there was just one ticket to state available for 2B teams in this region, it’s a far different tale over on the 1B side of things.

With a 20-team(!) state tourney, three NWL schools which were all handily beaten by Coupeville during the regular season advance to the SunDome.

MVC (#6), Orcas Island (#16), and Darrington (#19) are still alive, though the latter two teams do have to open with a loser-out match.

Win those rumbles, and the Vikings and Loggers join the double-elimination portion of the state tourney like the Hurricanes and La Conner.

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