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One win from title town!!

July 13, 2018 by David Svien

Coupeville players head to the field Friday in Ephrata, ready for the start of the Babe Ruth baseball state tourney. (Heidi Roberts photo)

They didn’t buckle.

Facing the defending state champs, down a game after suffering their first loss of the season and enduring temps soaring towards 100 in Ephrata, the Coupeville Babe Ruth baseball squad rallied Friday to keep its dream alive.

After dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker in extra innings to kick off the state tourney, the Wolves roared back to blast Columbia Basin 6-2 in the afternoon tilt.

With the win, Coupeville improves to 17-1 on the season and sits one win from being hailed as the state champs in the 13-15 classification.

The two teams will play a third and deciding game 9 AM Saturday (likely in cooler temps), with the victor punching its ticket to the Pacific NW Regional Tournament in Portland, Oregon.

Columbia Basin is one of the biggies in Babe Ruth baseball, having won three straight and four of the last five 13-15 state titles.

That pedigree didn’t scare Coupeville, however, which wants to capture the town’s first state title since the 2010 Central Whidbey Little League Juniors baseball squad achieved that feat.

The Wolves survived a buzzsaw in game one, whiffing 13 times on pitches by Columbia Basin hurler Kevin Rexes, yet never falling out of the game.

Coupeville flame-thrower Daniel Olson was on point himself, putting nine rivals down on K’s, and the game remained close from start to finish.

The defending champs pushed a run across in the second, but the Wolves responded at the last moment, knotting the game at 1-1 with a run in the top of the seventh.

Olson walked, pilfered two bags, then zipped home on a passed ball to send the game to extra innings.

Things got interesting there, with Coupeville taking its first lead of the game on an RBI single off the bat of Scott Hilborn.

The base-knock brought Cody Roberts home, and brought the Wolf faithful to their feet in anticipation of the team’s 17th straight win.

It wasn’t to be, however, as Columbia Basin rallied for the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the inning, using three walks and two Wolf errors to bust open the game.

The loss came despite Coupeville out-hitting its foes, raining down six hits to four.

Roberts, Gavin Knoblich, Ulrik Wells, Hilborn, Olson and Ashton Leland shared the hot bats, each chipping in with a hit apiece.

With their season on the line, the Wolves responded, with their bats heating up under blazing skies.

A three-run second-inning burst, fueled by singles from Olson and Johnny Carlson and fast feet on the base-paths, put Coupeville ahead to stay and it coasted home behind the one-two punch of hurlers Leland and Roberts.

Once again, the Wolves spread out the love, with eight different batters ringing up a base-knock.

Hawthorne Wolfe and Xavier Murdy, who ran wild on the bases, led the way, with Wells, Carlson, Olson, Hilborn, Drake Borden and Leland chipping in to the team effort.

Coupeville, which is coached by Steve Hilborn and also includes Chelsea Prescott, Andrew Score and Sage Sharp on its roster, roared through the regular season, going 16-0.

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“I knew my sister was walking with me!!”

July 12, 2018 by David Svien

CHS grad Nicole Becker and an athlete share a moment at the Special Olympics USA Games. (Photos courtesy Becker)

The love flows between Becker and the athletes.

Nicole Becker honors her sister every day.

The former Coupeville High School track star and cheerleader was always very close to older sis Victoria, who passed away in 2013.

Both before and after her sister’s passing, Nicole has been deeply involved in working with special needs athletes.

Victoria was a vital part of the Whidbey Island Special Olympics family, and Nicole, after studying Sports Management at Washington State University, has jumped full-bore into working with Special Olympics.

Becker’s passion and commitment were repaid recently, when she had the opportunity to be a part of the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle.

The 50th edition of the event, it ran from July 1-6, bringing more than 4,000 athletes and coaches to town.

Competing in 14 Olympic-style sports, the athletes, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, had the chance to shine in front of tens of thousands of fans.

Becker was part of the staff for Team Washington, which ruled the awards stands, and she recounts for us what the event meant to her:

Twelve days ago, I walked into Husky Stadium to sit in the field of over 4,600 amazing athletes of their sport.

Basketball, bocce, bowling, golf, track and field, swimming, soccer, unified gaming, powerlifting, softball, volleyball, flag football and for the first year ever, stand up paddle boarding.

4,600 athletes in the room, my breath was taken from me.

I was overwhelmed and so incredibly humbled to have been able to share such an experience with Team Washington.

Team Washington over the past six months has become my baby. I lived and breathed this team to make sure everything was perfect.

The uniform sizing, the ordering of the uniforms, the last minute ordering of different sizing. Huge thank you to Ink Inc for getting that all done in time.

But a huge thank you to Team Washington, who went out on their playing fields and brought home 39 gold medals. Which is more than any other state can say.

I have a much better understanding of why I do what I do now, and much more joy in my life due to the 17,500 athletes we have in Washington.

There is nothing more rewarding then walking into Husky Stadium holding an athlete’s hand, not because she’s afraid and needs you to hold her hand, but it is the genuine reason — because we’re best friends.

In that very moment of walking in and seeing my mom and dad, I knew I had made it; I knew that my sister was not only proud of me but was walking in with me.

The long days and the long nights seem like a blur now, but the laughter and the fun and the pure joy that was created throughout the week will last for a lifetime.

Tim Shriver said it best, “Where others see division, show them love.”

Special Olympics Washington has shown me so much love, and I can’t wait to pour that love right on back!

Posted in Special Olympics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Trailblazer earns parade!!

July 12, 2018 by David Svien

   A parade will be held Aug. 5 to celebrate Jean Sherman’s 100th birthday. (Photo courtesy Marilyn Clay)

The legend will be cruising through town.

Jean Sherman, a trailblazer in female athletics in Coupeville, played long before Title IX was a reality.

As she hits the big 1-0-0 next month, local fans will get a chance to celebrate her life and accomplishments.

Sherman will be feted with a parade Sunday, Aug. 5, which will wrap up at Coupeville Town Park around noon.

She’ll be riding in the back of a convertible, allowing her many fans to greet her while she rides in style.

Cake will be on the menu, and a concert at the park will cap the festivities.

The parade is being planned by daughter Marilyn (Sherman) Clay.

“This (parade), in my mind, will allow her to see a LOT of people in a short time, and perhaps they can give her a card to read after, and not exhaust her,” Clay said. “She LOVES seeing people, and has great health and her mind is very sharp.

“Even if you don’t know her, please feel free to come,” Clay added. “I think it’s going to be a blast!”

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A final trip around the base-paths!!

July 10, 2018 by David Svien

Together since t-ball, and still going strong, are l to r, Nick Etzell, Mike Etzell and Jake Hoagland. (Lisa Jenne photo)

Summer baseball is about two things.

One, it’s a chance for the guys who just graduated to have a final farewell.

And, maybe more importantly, it’s a chance for the young guys who still have high school eligibility, to get some more work in while playing with their teammates.

So growth, and not wins and losses, was first on the checklist for Coupeville High School coach Chris Smith at the season-ending Enumclaw 4th of July Bash.

Consider that part of the agenda checked off, as the Wolves, while going 0-4, came within a run in their final two games.

And they did so with six of their 10 players (6 of 9 on the final day of play) scheduled to return next spring.

“Good tournament for us this weekend,” Chris Smith said. “No wins, but good work for our younger guys that are coming up.”

Coupeville opened with a tough draw on the first day of the tournament (Friday, July 6), falling 8-0 to the Puyallup Knights and 8-2 to the Thurston County Saints in a rain-shortened game.

After a day off, the Wolves returned to the diamond for a Sunday twin-bill, minus Olympic League MVP Hunter Smith, who departed for a family trip to Italy.

Playing with no bench (middle school ace Scott Hilborn was in uniform in case any of the starting nine went down), CHS was nipped 7-6 by the Avengers and 5-4 by Mac Baseball.

In both those games, Coupeville fought back from early deficits to reclaim a tie or the lead, only to give up the winning run in the seventh and final inning.

But, while the wins didn’t come, the hits did for the young guns, as potential returning players accounted for nine of the 15 hits rapped out on the weekend by the Wolves.

Matt Hilborn and Dane Lucero, who will be seniors next year, led the way, both collecting four hits apiece.

Lucero walloped a double, while Hilborn had the team’s biggest base-knock, crunching a seventh-inning RBI triple to left against the Avengers.

The recently graduated Jake Hoagland (1B, 2B), Hunter Smith (1B, 1B), Nick Etzell (1B) and Joey Lippo (1B) notched their final hits in a Wolf uniform, while junior-to-be Gavin Knoblich smoked a single.

Underclassmen Mason Grove, Gavin Straub and Daniel Olson rounded out the Wolf roster, with all three coming around to score at least once during the weekend.

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Catch the Stone Cold World Tour!!

July 9, 2018 by David Svien

Coupeville grad Makana Stone is off to Brazil as part of an all-star basketball team. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Basketball has carried Makana Stone from Cow Town to Brazil.

The Coupeville High School grad, who has spent the past two seasons ripping up the floor at Whitman College, has been tabbed to join the USA D-III Women’s Basketball Team.

As a member of the 10-player squad, Stone is jetting off to Brazil and will be overseas July 16-25, playing four games while there.

The trip, set up by USA Sports Tours and Events, has American women and men’s teams playing games against Jundiai, Santa Andre, Queimados and Fluminese.

The Santa Andre women’s squad is a pro team.

When they’re not playing and practicing, the USA hoops teams will have a chance to experience everything Brazil has to offer.

The players will visit schools and sports clubs, and will have a chance to see the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

Stone, who is entering her junior year at Whitman, is the lone player on the tour to hail from Washington state.

The women’s team includes athletes from nine states and a variety of colleges, and will be led by coaches from Luther College in Iowa.

Stone is coming off a sophomore season in which she torched the nets for 12.3 points a game, snatched 7.2 boards a night and was named a First-Team All-Conference pick by the Northwest Conference.

Whitman has advanced to the NCAA tourney in both of her seasons, piling up a 48-10 record in her time in Walla Walla.

While growing up in Coupeville, playing soccer and basketball and running track, Stone put together one of the best individual prep sports careers the town has seen.

A two-time CHS Female Athlete of the Year (who should have been at least a three-timer and I will never stop arguing she was robbed as a freshman), she finished as the #3 scorer in Wolf girls basketball history.

Stone also has the most state meet medals of any Wolf female track competitor, and kicked off her high school career by winning her first 28 races – the best streak in the history of CHS.

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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