Feeds:
Posts
Comments

   Danny Conlisk, seen here at a Ragnar event, opened the high school cross country season Wednesday. (Dawnelle Conlisk photos)

   A splash of red against a sea of blue as Conlisk runs with his South Whidbey training mates.

Where in the world is Danny Conlisk?

The Lone Wolf came to run.

Kicking off a new cross country season by himself, Coupeville High School junior Danny Conlisk finished 18th out of 92 runners Wednesday at The River Meadows Run in Arlington.

He covered the 3,000 meter course in 11 minutes, 2.78 seconds.

That was a PR, though, to be completely honest, it’s partially because every cross country event Conlisk ran in as a sophomore was a 5,000 meter race.

Grant Van Valkenburg of Cedarcrest hit the tape first in 9:44.27.

With five of the first 10 finishers, the 2A Red Wolves strolled to the boys team title, with host Granite Falls a distant second.

The River Meadows Run featured all seven schools from the 1A/2A Cascade Conference, and one guy in a red and black uniform repping the 1A Olympic League.

That was Conlisk, who trains and travels with South Whidbey, but competes as a Wolf, since Coupeville doesn’t have its own active cross country program.

CHS is sending three runners South this year, up from two last season, but Wolf senior Henry Wynn and freshman Sam Wynn didn’t have enough practices to be eligible for the season’s first meet.

The next stop on the schedule for the Coupeville trio is the 32-team Sehome Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 9.

   Payton Aparicio delivered eight aces and three kills Tuesday in an opening night win. (John Fisken photo)

The Wolves aren’t afraid of any Hurricanes.

Raining down laser serves from every angle, the Coupeville High School volleyball squad blew the hinges off the Mount Vernon Christian gym Tuesday night.

By the time they were done, the Wolves had romped to a season-opening 25-10, 25-7, 25-17 non-conference win, kicking off the new year in style.

“It went well last night, as our first game of the season spent on the road, and at the tail end of an exciting first day of school,” CHS coach Cory Whitmore said. “I was pleased to see us perform up to our current potential and not let an opponent dictate the speed and consistency of the game.”

Coupeville, picking up where it left off last year, seized the advantage at the service line.

Senior Payton Aparicio lashed a team-high eight aces, while Ashley Menges dropped in six and last year’s #1 threat, Hope Lodell, whacked five.

Everyone wearing a Wolf uniform seemed to be in a groove when they stepped to the stripe, with eight different CHS players recording at least one ace.

Scout Smith (3), Kyla Briscoe (2), Allison Wenzel (2), Katrina McGranahan (1) and Maya Toomey-Stout (1) rounded out the big guns, as Coupeville racked up 28 aces on the night.

“I was happy to see our serving pick up in contrast to the jamboree,” Whitmore said. “We were tentative on Saturday, but last night we served consistent and aggressive.”

When the ball was in play, the Wolves stayed aggressive, recording a strong .258 hitting percentage on the night.

Menges and Smith combined for 16 assists, while Aparicio, McGranahan and Briscoe connected on three kills apiece.

“Happy with what I saw tonight,” Whitmore said. “We’re looking forward to practice this week to progress.”

Coupeville heads to Langley Saturday for the South Whidbey Invite, a five-team event which will pit the two Island schools against Friday Harbor, Orcas Island and Nooksack Valley.

   Sarah Lyngra (top) and Kimberly Bepler are returning to coach where they once played.

Lyngra (35), back when she was peppering spikes as Sarah Powell.

Before she was a Bepler, #8 was a hard-hitting Stuurmans.

The wave of former Wolves returning to coach at their alma mater continues.

Kimberly Bepler and Sarah Lyngra have been tabbed to co-coach the Coupeville Middle School 7th grade volleyball squad, which starts practice Wednesday.

They replace Alexandra Goheen, who resigned this summer, and will work alongside Casie Dunleavy, who returns as the CMS 8th grade coach.

Official approval of their hires would come at the next school board meeting.

The duo, both star athletes during their younger days (when they went by their maiden names of Stuurmans and Powell, respectively), join an impressive roster of Wolf players turned coaches.

That list currently includes Brad Sherman, Jerry Helm, Megan Smith, Larry Hurlburt, Emily (Norris) Stevens, Amanda (Streubel) Jones and Jordan Ford.

Lyngra graduated from CHS in 1987, while Bepler is part of the Class of ’91.

Both played multiple sports during their time as Wolves, and their children are following in their footsteps.

Ariah Bepler, a senior, is adding football this year to basketball and track.

He matched dad Mark by qualifying for the state track meet last year.

Lyngra’s son, Nikolai, played basketball as a freshman last season, though he has a ways to go to catch his mom, who sits as the 20th best scorer all-time in the history of CHS girls basketball.

He shoots, you score!!

   Joey Lippo whispers a little prayer to the tennis gods, pre-serve. (John Fisken photos)

   CHS cheerleaders (l to r) Jesse Hester, Claire Mietus and Maggie Crimmins dropped by to root on their classmates.

   It’s still hot ‘n hazy outside, but CHS tennis coach Ken Stange knows winter is coming, so he’s keeping his beard game strong.

Jakobi Baumann goes low to rip a winner.

International superstar Mckenzie Meyer, on her way to rule the world.

The CHS tennis squad, small in numbers, big in talent.

John Fisken was a busy man Tuesday afternoon.

With multiple sporting events to hit in two towns, the intrepid photographer had little time to waste.

Get in, click, and get out, was his mantra.

Thankfully for us, before hitting the wild smorgasbord of events going down in Oak Harbor, he swung by the Coupeville High School tennis courts to catch the season opener.

The photos above are courtesy him.

Best way to repay him? Pop over to his site and purchase a glossy pic or two.

It’ll make grandma happy when she gets a photo of the grandchild, and it’ll make Fisken even more likely to return to Cow Town.

Plus, a percentage of each purchase comes back via college scholarships for CHS student/athletes, so, circle of life and all.

To see everything he shot, pop over to:

http://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/2017-2018-Coupeville-Tennis/2017-09-05-Boys-vs-Port-Angeles/

   A new teaching job will prevent Wolf legend Megan Smith from continuing as a CMS basketball coach.

One legend down.

Megan Smith, who made the jump from Coupeville High School hoops star to middle school coach, is stepping away from running the CMS 7th grade girls basketball team.

At least for a bit.

Smith’s new real-world job, as a teacher with Hand in Hand Head Start, which allows her to follow in the footsteps of mom Cherie, requires a detour out of the gym.

“With my new job, the hours just don’t work out,” Smith said. “But I do plan on returning eventually!

“So don’t count me out. I’m not done forever, just for now.”

Smith went 6-4 in her one year at the helm of the 7th grade program.

Her departure means both CMS girls basketball jobs are open, since 8th grade coach Ryan King stepped down after last season.

Before graduating from CHS in 2010, Smith was a 12-time letter winner (volleyball, basketball and softball) who was voted the school’s Female Athlete of the Year three straight times.

She is the fourth-leading scorer in Wolf girls basketball history with 1,042 points.

No word yet on whether her departure from the coaching ranks will make Coupeville Athletic Director (and dad) Willie Smith remove Megan from his will.