Coupeville Sports

One final run!!

March 6, 2016 by David Svien

Julia Jones

Julia Jones is going out with a bang.

The Coupeville High School senior is closing her final semester on campus by stretching out and doing a little bit of everything.

A longtime member of the school’s acting troupe, she’s deep into her final show, with two performances left of “Second Best Bed” (Mar. 11-12 at 7:30 PM in the Coupeville PAC), part of an evening of one-act plays.

In between preparing for her final moments on the CHS stage, Jones is also reigniting a love for track.

After competing for two years early in life, she’s returned to the oval for one last fling this spring.

“I did track in middle school and stopped but decided to pick it back up my senior year to make this year more memorable,” Jones said.

“I enjoy the sportsmanship in track, because even though it’s a more independent sport, everyone still cheers you on.”

She plans to compete in the 100, long jump and javelin, with a goal of getting under 20 seconds in the 100.

Regardless of what time she runs, the joy derived from pushing herself is what drives Jones.

“I really enjoy sprinting because it makes me feel powerful, even if I’m not very fast compared to my teammates,” she said.

A huge fan of “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, Jones enjoys writing and reading in her spare time.

On the track, she is resilient and plucky.

“I think that my strengths are that I continue to try even when I’m having a hard time, as cheesy as it sounds, but even though I’m not the most athletic person on the team I still at least try to push myself,” Jones said.

“I do need to work on my endurance though, I’m still very out of shape,” she added with a laugh.

As she embraces a final athletic challenge before graduation, Jones does so with the support of her family and friends, including one special fellow Wolf track star.

“My friends have had a huge impact on who I am today,” Jones said. “Also my boyfriend, shout out to Jesse Hester, has been there for me since day one and has helped shaped me to be a better person.”

Posted in Track | Tagged CHS Wolves, drama, Jesse Hester, Julia Jones, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, Track | Leave a Comment »

Happy cake day to a bad, bad man!!

March 6, 2016 by David Svien

JR Pendergrass: “I must destroy you!!” (John Fisken photos)

With the parental units on Senior Night.

JR Pendergrass is an American Bad-Ass.

And I mean that in the best way possible.

The Coupeville High School senior, who celebrates a birthday today, was a rampaging force of nature on the gridiron, one of the real bright spots for the Wolves during a tough season this fall.

Anchoring the line, Pendergrass spent his season fighting off hordes of attacking foes, doing his best to give quarterbacks Hunter Downes and Gabe Eck time to learn under fire.

His name rarely showed up in the stats columns, because the positions he held down aren’t the ones where people get their names in the spotlight.

But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t valuable. Far from it.

JR was the glue that held an often-battered Wolf unit together during a year when most of the roster was very, very young and facing off with much more seasoned opponents.

I give Pendergrass a lot of credit.

For standing tall.

For showing up every game, (imaginary) lunch pail in hand and fighting until the final whistle.

For teaching his younger teammates to embrace their roles and to enjoy their time on the field, through good times and bad.

#64 had a heck of a year and I hope he knows it was appreciated.

As the Wolves build towards a brighter future, it’s guys like Pendergrass who are laying the corner stones for the grand structure we all hope to see rise.

He may not have always gotten his just reward (I’m sure he would have enjoyed a few more wins), but his impact was felt this season, and will continue to trickle down for years.

So happy birthday, JR, and thank you for the way you played.

Your school, your town, your fans, tip their hats to you.

You seem like a good dude off the field, and a kick-ass one between the lines, and it was an honor to have you wear the red and black.

Posted in Football, Happy birthday | Tagged American Bad-Ass, CHS Wolves, football, Happy birthday, JR Pendergrass | Leave a Comment »

CHS grads crushin’ it, softball style!!

March 5, 2016 by David Svien

Hailey Hammer (center) is suiting up for Everett Community College. (Photo courtesy Hammer)

Slap-hitting sophomore sensation Madeline Roberts. (Photo property of Shoreline Community College athletics)

Monica Vidoni (back, center) and her team left frosty Minnesota for toasty Florida.

The Wolves are everywhere.

With spring upon us, at least three former Coupeville High School players are suiting up to play college softball.

Madeline Roberts is a sophomore at Shoreline Community College while Hailey Hammer and Monica Vidoni are freshmen at, respectively, Everett Community College and Rainy River Community College.

All three teams are slated to start play this weekend, with Hammer and Vidoni’s squads getting the first games.

Appearing at a tournament in the Tri-Cities, Hammer played two games against Columbia Basin College Friday, then took the field for a double-header Saturday against Yakima Valley CC.

Battling a balky back, she played defense only in the openers, but on day two, talked her coach into letting her swing a bat.

In her first official at-bat as a regular-season college player Hammer blasted a resounding double, then followed that up with a couple singles and a handful of RBIs.

Proving she can hurt foes in multiple ways, she also played small ball when necessary.

“My coach really preaches that it’s a team game and not personal,” Hammer said. “So I bunted to move the runners and hit behind the runners to get them to score.”

Vidoni and her team are in Florida, where the Voyageurs opened with a split against fellow Minnesota teams.

After losing 3-0 to St. Cloud in the opener (Vidoni had the lone Rainy River hit), RRCC rebounded to down Itasca 6-3 in its second game.

She rapped another base hit in the nightcap and hauled in several fly balls while roaming the outfield.

It was a strong opening for the Wolf grad, who also has played volleyball and basketball this season.

“I was excited,” Vidoni said.

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college | Tagged CHS Wolves, college ball, Hailey Hammer, Hammer Time, Madeline Roberts, Monica Vidoni, Softball | Leave a Comment »

Wolf kicker lines up college gig!!

March 5, 2016 by David Svien

Zane Bundy’s big kicking leg is carrying him to college ball. (John Fisken photos)

Bundy passes down wisdom to a younger teammate during the early days of soccer practice.

Number seven is number three.

Zane Bundy became the third Coupeville High School senior to sign to play college ball, joining Makana Stone (Whitman, basketball) and Dalton Martin (track, Everett Community College).

Bundy, who has been a standout soccer player for the Wolves, is actually going to college as a football player, however.

He’s headed to Santa Barbara City College to kick for the Vaqueros.

The school is always on the outlook for “raw talent” and liked what they saw in Bundy and his big leg, said mom Janine.

During his single season of football, Zane led the Wolves in scoring, kicking five field goals and knocking down eight PATs.

Bundy finished his senior season tied for #1 among 1A players for field goals and fourth among Washington state prep kickers in all classifications.

“Zane is all geared up and ready to go. I believe it will be a great fit for him,” said CHS football coach Brett Smedley. “Zane showed great ability and a willingness to learn and get better on a daily basis.

“I am very proud of him and look forward to seeing where this move takes him!”

SBCC plays in the American Pacific Division of the Southern California Football Association and has five league rivals — Antelope Valley, L.A. Pierce, L.A. Valley, Hancock and Citrus.

The league has actually been reformatted for 2016.

Playing in an eight-team conference this past season, the Vaqueros went 5-5 overall, 4-3 in league play.

Santa Barbara is coached by Craig Moropoulos, who has been on the job for nine seasons.

Posted in Football | Tagged college scholarship, football, kicking, Santa Barbara, Soccer, Vaqueros, Zane Bundy | Leave a Comment »

Numbers? Check! Talent? Double check!!

March 5, 2016 by David Svien

Jared Helmstadter, the only senior at CHS to have played a sport in all 12 seasons of his school career. (John Fisken photos)

Jared Helmstadter, the only Class of 2016 senior at CHS to have played a sport in all 12 seasons of his high school career. (John Fisken photos)

Just days after she and the Wolf girls’ basketball team went to state, sophomore Allison Wenzel gets limbered up for the discus.

Sophomore Jacob Smith is one of the key returning runners for the Wolves.

Where did all these people come from?

At the same time softball and baseball have big enough rosters to field JV as well as varsity squads, the Coupeville High School track team has exploded in numbers.

Exploded, I say.

“We are really excited about our track team and what we can accomplish this season,” said CHS coach Randy King. “I’m pleased about all the newcomers that have decided to join us.

“Our coverage of events is going to be better than last year and we should have a bit more depth,” he added. “We have some top notch shots at league number ones, but it is the twos and threes and fours that add up those needed points for winning meets and the league.

“It is early, but I think both boys and girls have a shot to compete for a league title this spring.”

That’s a huge change from recent years, when the Wolves had to aim more at individual accomplishment.

Coupeville, though, kicks off this new season — its last before the school installs a new home track — with 45 athletes (25 guys, 20 girls), almost double from where it finished last season.

A strong middle school program headed up by Elizabeth Bitting has made a huge difference.

“Our middle school program is building and we are going to get excellent help from that group,” King said. “I know it is early, but practice has really been enjoyable.

“We have some excellent leadership from our returning athletes and they are like assistant coaches and advisers to our whole group,” he added. “As we finish up our first week, our coaches are really pleased with team attitude and work ethic.”

King has more help than ever before, as well, with Brett Smedley (conditioning/jumps), Chad Felgar (hurdlers/sprinters), Lincoln Kelley (throwers), Tom Fournier (sprints/jumps) and Laura Luginbill (distance runners) all chipping in.

The coaches have welcomed back 14 of last year’s 15 letter winners (only Marisa Etzell graduated), including five of the six athletes who went to state last spring.

Senior Makana Stone, who has brought home four state medals in three years (two each in the 400 and 4 x 200) heads that list, and she’s joined by senior Dalton Martin (5th in the discus last year) and junior Skyler Lawrence (16th in the shot).

Junior Lauren Grove, senior Sylvia Hurlburt and Stone all return from a 4 x 200 relay unit that finished 3rd at state in 2015, setting a school record of 1:46.64 at Cheney.

Along with Etzell, that quartet also reached state in the 4 x 100, but were disqualified on a bad baton hand-off.

Several younger runners are battling to replace Etzell on Coupeville’s top relay teams, with freshman Lindsey Roberts, who won 22 races across multiple events at the middle school level last year, the early favorite.

Even with his biggest roster in memory, King is still trolling the hallways and classrooms at CHS for more depth.

“We are still working hard to try and convince more to come out and enjoy the group dynamics of kids working on being healthy and having fun competing,” he said. “Us coaches have been excited with this group that we get to work with this year.”

The current roster:

R = returning athlete, L = letter winner

Girls:

Lauren Bayne (middle distance, high jump, throws) R, L
Kyla Briscoe (middle distances)
Jovanah Foote (sprints)
Lauren Grove (sprints, jumps) R, L
Naika Hallam (throws) R, L
Tomi Herrera (javelin)
Sylvia Hurlburt (sprints) R, L
Julia Jones (sprints)
Skyler Lawrence (throws) R, L
Samantha Leese (sprints, middle distance)
Estefanny Liquidano (throws)
Mckenzie Meyer (jumps)
Alexxis Otto (throws) R
Abby Parker (distance, javelin) R, L
Madison Rixe (sprints)
Lindsey Roberts (sprints, hurdles)
Ashlie Shank (sprints)
Emma Smith (throws, sprints)
Makana Stone (sprints, middle distance) R, L
Allison Wenzel (throws, hurdles) R

Boys:

Chris Battaglia (discus, middle distance)
Jakobi Baumann (distance)
Ariah Bepler (hurdles, jumps, throws)
Kyle Burnett (sprints)
Mitchell Carroll (jumps) R, L
Danny Conlisk (sprints, middle distance)
Dominic Dausey (sprints, throws)
Hunter Downes (sprints)
Gabe Eck (sprints)
Jordan Ford (jumps, sprints)
Jared Helmstadter (sprints) R, L
Jesse Hester (hurdles) R, L
Uriah Kastner (sprints)
Ethan Kedrowski (sprints)
Lathom Kelley (sprints, hurdles) R, L
Ryan Labrador (throws)
Nile Lockwood (sprints, throws)
Mitchell Losey (throws) R
Dalton Martin (throws) R, L
Jacob Martin (sprints, throws)
Grey Rische (throws) R
Jacob Smith (sprints) R, L
Keahi Sorrows (throws)
Connor Thompson (jumps) R, L
Henry Wynn (sprints, middle distance)