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Archive for the ‘Wrestling’ Category

Wolf grappler a star on the mats

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , on December 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grappler Jaje Drake awaits his next foe. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Lone Wolf is howling.

Coupeville High School senior Jaje Drake, a one-man Cow Town wrestling crew training and traveling with South Whidbey, is off to a strong start.

He split a pair of matches against Oak Harbor Thursday, Dec. 7, then went a crisp 10-0 Saturday, Dec. 9 during a tournament held at Chimacum High School.

Drake returns to the mat this Wednesday when South Whidbey plays host to Friday Harbor and Concrete.

A captain during the football season, he is following in the footsteps of former Wolf Alex Turner, who has followed up his time on the mat by working as a football coach at CHS.

Since Coupeville is one of the few schools in Washington state not to have its own grappling program, Drake had to find another school to join up with as a part of a co-op.

He will remain with South Whidbey, but rep Coupeville, during the regular season, then go his own way once the postseason arrives.

That’s because the Falcons are a 1A program, while CHS is a 2B school.

Drake goes to work.

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Wolf big man chases mat glory

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on December 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

CHS football players Adrian Cunningham (left) and Jaje Drake show off weight room work. (Sophia Broderick photo)

Here I go again on my own,

Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.

The heyday of ’80s rock gods Whitesnake came long before Jaje Drake was born, but the words of their biggest song, Here I Go Again, ring true as the Wolf senior chases his wrestling dream.

Coupeville is one of the few high schools in the state not to have its own grappling program, so any athletes wanting to hit the mat have to do so through another school.

For Drake, that reunites him with South Whidbey — where he attended middle school.

This time around, he’s training and traveling with the Falcons through the regular season, while competing as a one-man Coupeville wrecking crew.

When the postseason arrives, he’ll go his own way, since CHS is a 2B school and SWHS is a 1A one.

It’s a path similar to that followed by one of Drake’s Wolf football coaches, Alex Turner, who made the same trek during his own senior season.

Drake, who has put in considerable time in the weight room and was a captain for Coupeville’s gridiron squad, is currently slated to wrestle in the 220-pound class.

Dreaming about state meet glory. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

When football ended, the Wolf big man decided to find a different outlet, looking to add more success to his senior year.

“What led me to do this decision is just the fact that I was not done showing people what I can do before they may never see me in action again,” he said.

Getting a strong reaction from mat fans is nice, as well.

“What I enjoy about wrestling is just seeing people’s faces when they see me come onto the mat,” Drake said.

“Shocked faces and little comments, like “Holy crap, that man HUGE.”

His season gets fully underway Thursday as South Whidbey hosts Oak Harbor in a match which starts at 6:00 PM.

After that, Drake has his eyes set firmly on the prize.

“My goals are to go to state,” he said. “And be the only one walking down the state giveaway line with all the people wishing me luck.”

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Run, scream, cry — she’ll still pin you!

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , , , on December 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Izzy LeVine can’t be stopped, won’t be stopped. (Photo courtesy Sean LeVine)

Don’t get between Izzy LeVine and a championship medal.

The former Coupeville supernova is now the queen of the wrestling mats, terrorizing grapplers in a new city seemingly every day.

This weekend, Micky and Jae’s (not so) lil’ sister was at the 50th Annual Jerry Benson Tournament in Buckeye, Arizona, and all anyone could hear was the scream of wrestlers trying (and failing) to escape her grasp.

Izzy made a clean sweep of things, winning all seven of her matches, six by pins, to claim a tourney title.

Paced by her performance, Casteel High School’s girls’ wrestling squad finished fourth in the team standings.

While the LeVine family no longer lives in Cow Town, they left behind a towering legacy, with three family members having earned induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

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Izzy LeVine is destroying people out here!

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on October 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Wrestling sensation Izzy LeVine and her head of security/chauffer/that dude who buys her snacks. (Photos courtesy Sean LeVine)

She’s known nationally now.

Former Coupeville student Izzy LeVine, youngest in a family of athletic superstars, continues to plant people on their head and go for the pin.

Now living in Arizona, Mickey and Jae’s lil’ sis is prone to bouncing around the country, decimating folks on the wrestling mat.

This past weekend Izzy was at the 2023 Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned All-American status.

Sean and Joline’s ferocious youngest daughter — who used to give me rocks at Jae’s softball games — finished 6th in the 120-pound weight class.

Izzy opened on a three-match winning streak, before falling to eventual champion Sierra Chiesa in the semifinals.

Chiesa is the one they speak of in hushed tones, the first female grappler to qualify for the Pennsylvania state high school championships.

Bouncing right back, Izzy fought hard in her remaining matches against highly ranked foes from Oklahoma and Wisconsin to earn her All-American status.

They rule the mat.

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Her mat, her time to shine

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , , on August 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Izzy LeVine (right), sporting her newest wrestling medal. (Sean LeVine photo)

Another day of grappling, another oversized medal to add to the ever-growing collection.

Former Whidbey wonder Izzy LeVine, youngest member of a family which has landed three inductees into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, continues to terrorize the wrestling mat.

Continuing a torrid run of pins and technical falls, “The Izzinator” claimed third-place Saturday at the MWP Grand Canyon Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Competing in the 132-pound division, LeVine fought her way back after being narrowly nipped in the championship rounds.

Sweet revenge was hers in the final bout, as she won by major decision over the same foe who had beaten her earlier in the tourney.

“Long, but fun day!” said dad Sean.

LeVine, whose older sisters Micky and Jae are joined by pops in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, has had a busy, super-successful summer.

Her last time out, in mid-July, she finished in the top half of competitors at the 16U Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota.

Izzy followed that up by earning 3rd place at the USMC/USA 16U Junior Nationals Beach Bash the same weekend.

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