Coupeville Sports

Bus revs, big dance calls

November 7, 2025 by David Svien

Coupeville seniors (l to r) George Spear, Aleksia Jump, and Ezekiel Allen ponder their place in the universe. (Photos courtesy Elizabeth Bitting)

Off to Pasco they go!

But first, photo ops for the 12 Coupeville High School cross country runners headed East for Saturday’s 2B state championship meet.

Both the Wolf boys and girls are advancing to the big dance as teams, as Elizabeth Bitting’s harriers continue to hit new heights.

Wolves (l to r) Devon Wyman, Mikayla Wagner, Coach Elizabeth Bitting, Jump, Allie Powers, and Ivy Rudat.

The rock represents.

Trailblazers (l to r) Spear, Ezekiel Allen, Isaiah Allen, Kenneth Jacobsen, Ossian Merkel, Beckett Green, and Cyrus Sparacio.

Dressed for success.

Posted in Cross Country | Tagged CHS Wolves, cross country, Cyrus Sparacio, Ivy Rudat, sendoff rally, state meet | Leave a Comment »

Lions Club honors Calkins, Spear

November 6, 2025 by David Svien

Teagan Calkins tosses candy to her fan club. (Julie Wheat photos)

It’s been a busy fall for Teagan Calkins and George Spear.

The Coupeville High School seniors have been at the forefront of the sports world, starring for the Wolf volleyball and cross country teams respectively.

Plus, the duo has been showcasing their big brains with their in-class performances and side gigs.

All that hard work is paying off, however, as Calkins and Spear have been tabbed as the Coupeville Lions Club Students of the Quarter.

They’ll be honored by the club at a meeting Nov. 19.

The local Lions Club, which has been chugging along awarding scholarships for 87 years, honors two CHS 12th graders each quarter during the school year, before picking two as the Students of the Year come graduation time.

School staff votes for the students, while considering things such as community service, effort, character, social relationships, leadership, scholarship, and sportsmanship.

Teagan Calkins, daughter of Jackie Saia and Shawn Calkins, is a multi-sport star for the Wolves, playing a leading role for CHS volleyball, basketball, and softball squads. She’s been to the state tourney as both a spiker and diamond ace.

“The Red Dragon” is also busy in the community, working as a volunteer ref and coach for youth sports while participating with the Lions Leo Club, Exec, Captain’s Club, and the National Honor Society.

Calkins works in the school library, is part of the Green Team environmental club, and has been a Race the Reserve volunteer.

And she’s also a popular nanny who enjoys puzzles while frequently hopping around the country to pursue life as a home run-mashing club softball player.

In the classroom, she gravitates towards science, math, and sports medicine, while maintaining a flawless 4.0 GPA.

The future? It includes plans to attend a four-year university to pursue a Biomedical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering degree.

George Spear runs between the raindrops.

Her fellow honoree, George Spear, is the son of Ward Sparacio and Teresa Stewart.

The president of the Coupeville High School Leo’s Club, he’ll be in Pasco Saturday to run in the state cross country championships for the third time.

Also an accomplished track and field athlete, Spear is involved in ASB, is a library volunteer, and a member of the National Honor Society.

Staying busy at all times, he’s worked in the catering business, as a farmhand at the Whidbey Equestrian Center, and as a pool attendant at the Sierra Country Club.

Spear enjoys math, reading, and playing Dungeons and Dragons, carries a 3.959 GPA, has been active in local food drives and beach cleanups, and is part of the Coupeville School District Facilities Task Force.

He plans to attend a United States service academy or attend college through the ROTC scholarship program, with designs on becoming a military officer.

Posted in awards | Tagged CHS Wolves, George Spear, Lions Club, Students of the Quarter, Teagan Calkins | Leave a Comment »

A final spike, a last set

November 6, 2025 by David Svien

Olivia Martin fires off an ace. (Julie Wheat photo)

Time to add up the numbers and call it a day.

With the final Coupeville High School volleyball match in the books for 2025, we can present a complete look at individual stats for the Wolf spikers.

The numbers came from stat sheets collected by CHS coaches, and hopefully I added correctly.

Ari Cunningham filled up the stat sheet during her first season as a varsity player. (Jennifer Camarena Herrera photo)

Final season stats:

Varsity
(16 matches):

Kills:

Teagan Calkins – 185
Haylee Armstrong – 100
Tenley Stuurmans – 47
Dakota Strong – 39
Ari Cunningham – 35
Lexis Drake – 16
Capri Anter – 2
Adeline Maynes – 2

Digs:

Calkins – 176
Armstrong – 140
Stuurmans – 91
Maynes – 59
Drake – 46
Anter – 38
Cunningham – 36
Strong – 10
Sydney Van Dyke – 5

Assists:

Stuurmans – 320
Maynes – 30
Armstrong – 16
Calkins – 12
Cunningham – 9
Drake – 8
Strong – 4
Kennedy O’Neill – 1

Solo Blocks:

Stuurmans – 5
Armstrong – 2
Drake – 2
Cunningham – 1
Strong – 1

Block Assists:

Cunningham – 9
Drake – 8
Armstrong – 3
Calkins – 3
Strong – 3
Stuurmans – 3
Maynes – 1

Service Aces:

Stuurmans – 62
Calkins – 37
Maynes – 20
Armstrong – 19
Cunningham – 18
Drake – 15
Anter – 7
O’Neill – 2
Van Dyke – 2
Strong – 1

JV
(13 matches):

Kills:

Sydney Van Dyke – 40
Kennedy O’Neill – 31
Isa Mc Fetridge – 25
Chelsi Stevens – 24
Cassandra Powers – 12
Emma Leavitt – 8
Willow Leedy-Bonifas – 5
Adeline Maynes – 4
Olivia Martin – 3
Hailey Grijalva – 2

Digs:

Leedy-Bonifas – 46
O’Neill – 44
Mc Fetridge – 41
Stevens – 26
Van Dyke – 13
Maynes – 11
Martin – 7
Powers – 7
Grijalva – 4
Leavitt – 2
Kee’Arya Brown – 1
Mary Western – 1

Assists:

Maynes – 50
Leavitt – 27
Leedy-Bonifas – 15
Powers – 13
Van Dyke – 8
O’Neill – 5
Grijalva – 4
Mc Fetridge – 3
Stevens – 3
Martin – 1

Solo Blocks:

Van Dyke – 2
Leedy-Bonifas – 1

Service Aces:

Powers – 30
Van Dyke – 26
O’Neill – 24
Leavitt – 19
Mc Fetridge – 18
Stevens – 18
Maynes – 14
Leedy-Bonifas – 7
Martin – 4
Grijalva – 3

Posted in Volleyball | Tagged CHS Wolves, Dakota Strong, Isa Mc Fetridge, season stats, volleyball | Leave a Comment »

Forever friends, sometimes rivals

November 6, 2025 by David Svien

Lyla Stuurmans (left) and Mia Farris catch up with super fan Kim Brotemarkle. (Susan Farris photos)

It was the reunion rumble redux.

Facing off for the second time at the college level, Coupeville High School volleyball alumni Mia Farris and Lyla Stuurmans (and their current teams) clashed Wednesday night in a five-set thriller.

Back on Oct. 10, Stuurmans and Skagit Valley College beat Farris and Whatcom College in straight sets, but this time around, the Orcas rallied from two sets down to pull out a 12-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-10 win on their home floor.

The fab frosh duo, who shared CHS Female Athlete of the Year honors as seniors, both played strongly in their second reunion.

Farris finished with 12 digs and two service aces, while Stuurmans piled up 11 kills, four digs, and a solo block.

With the victory, Whatcom moves into a tie with Skagit at 5-6 in Northwest Athletic Conference play, with one regular-season match left on both school’s schedules.

On the season, Stuurmans and Co. are 16-13, while Farris and her squad are 7-16 overall.

A moment with their high school coach, Cory Whitmore.

The former Wolves, who helped lead CHS volleyball to the best season in program history in 2024, have both seen plenty of floor time in their first college season.

Farris has played in all 23 of her team’s matches, racking up 52 kills, 187 digs, 10 assists, one solo block, seven block assists, and 36 aces.

Meanwhile, Stuurmans has participated in 27 of 29 matches, collecting 165 kills, 69 digs, three assists, six solo blocks, 35 block assists, and 21 aces.

Lifelong friends first and foremost.

Posted in Volleyball, Wolves in college | Tagged CHS Wolves, Lyla Stuurmans, Mia Farris, Skagit Valley College, volleyball, Whatcom College | Leave a Comment »

Wolf spikers denied playoff berth

November 6, 2025 by David Svien

Haylee Armstrong pounds a winner. (Danica Strong photo)

A rebuilding season ended a few days too early.

One year after a veteran-dominated squad went undefeated to the final day of the campaign and brought home a program-best 4th place state trophy, the Coupeville High School volleyball team was denied a playoff berth.

The young Wolves, who had only one senior this time around, fell 25-17, 25-18 to Friday Harbor in a tiebreaker played on a neutral court in La Conner Wednesday night.

With the victory, the Wolverines earn the #4 seed for 2B schools from District 1 to the six-team District 1/2 tourney, which runs Thursday through Saturday.

Coupeville finishes its first season under new head coach Scout Smith at 5-10-1.

The tiebreaker was required because CHS and Friday Harbor finished in a stalemate, both going 2-8 in league play.

La Conner (8-2), Mount Vernon Christian (8-2), and Orcas Island (5-5) are the other playoff-bound 2B schools, while NWL champ Darrington (8-0) and last-place finisher Concrete (0-8), both 1B schools, have already begun postseason play.

Wednesday’s tiebreaker marked the end of the road for Wolf senior Teagan Calkins. A key contributor to last year’s trophy winners, she led Coupeville in kills and digs as a senior.

Teagan Calkins was a rock for the Wolves all season. (Jackie Saia photo)

“We are extremely grateful to our lone senior,” said CHS coach Scout Smith. “Her unwavering dedication and commitment to our program is unmatched and she will be dearly missed.

“However, she has undoubtedly left her mark on this program and has left it better than she found it.”

While she was hoping for a different outcome Wednesday, and a chance to take her squad to the postseason, Smith liked the continued growth she witnessed as a new group of varsity players began to make an impact.

“Obviously not the ending we hoped for, but still a lot of positives to take from this season,” she said. “We will continue to build to come back as an even stronger team next year.

“Hats off to Friday Harbor. They too were against the ropes fighting for a spot in districts and showed great composure in the moment.

“We are excited to have so many players returning for next year,” Smith added. “We will focus on and build off of all the positives from this year.”

Wednesday stats:

Haylee Armstrong — 3 kills, 2 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Teagan Calkins — 4 kills, 2 assists
Ari Cunningham — 2 digs
Lexis Drake — 1 block assist
Adeline Maynes — 4 digs, 2 aces
Dakota Strong — 1 dig, 1 assist, 1 block assist
Tenley Stuurmans — 4 kills, 3 digs, 7 assists