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JV spikers in a groove

October 8, 2024 by David Svien

Tenley Stuurmans (left) and Chelsi Stevens get pumped. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re on a roll headed for the rematch.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad has only one small ding on its record this season — a three-set loss to Mount Vernon Christian in which the Wolves actually won more points than the Hurricanes.

Now, after shredding visiting Friday Harbor 25-16, 25-15, 15-10 Tuesday, the Wolves have won four straight and are primed for some revenge.

Sitting at 5-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-1 overall, Coupeville’s JV spikers get that rematch a week from now, when they travel to MVC Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Between now and then, the Wolves will practice, some of their players will join the varsity on an Eastern Washington trip this weekend, and the squad will bask in the glow of its current winning streak.

CHS made sure to keep the good times rolling by immediately pouncing on Friday Harbor, seizing the advantage from Adeline Maynes opening serve and never letting go.

With the fab frosh joining teammates Ari Cunningham and Tenley Stuurmans in ripping off torrid runs at the service stripe, the Wolves dictated play all night.

Cunningham craftily snapped off one of her team-high seven aces to key an early run, before coming back around to end the opening set with a six-point run at the line.

She got some help from Stuurmans, who crunched a crosscourt winner at the net, and Dakota Strong, who froze the defense with a well-placed tip for another point.

But Cunningham wasn’t finished there, peppering the Wolverines all night with her serves, while Sydney Van Dyke and Haylee Armstrong also showcased their love of aces during the second set.

The Wolves congratulate their teammates for a job well done.

Friday Harbor stayed scrappy, but the Wolves had a height advantage at the net, with Strong and Stuurmans instituting a no-fly zone for any volleyballs attempting to sneak back over the twine.

The set and match-clinching point came on a rally where Coupeville dug the ball off the floor, then popped it into position for Maynes to get magical.

With her back to the net, the Wolf setter flipped a winner over her head, the ball slicing right through a pack of defenders, before skidding merrily away.

While the third set was for practice, Coupeville didn’t let up, getting big winners from Cunningham and Isa Mc Fetridge to stay close, before finishing things off by scoring the night’s final five points.

The very last one came courtesy Armstrong, who like running mates Chelsi Stevens and Capri Anter, locked the court down from side to side, never allowing the visitors to get in a rhythm.

With work at the service line from Myra McDonald, and bench support from Delilah Castellanos, Willow Leedy-Bonifas, and Lexis Drake, everyone on the roster had a role in the win.

Two in particular earned an extra bit of praise from Wolf coach Ashley Menges, however, with the volleyball guru noting the continued growth and hard work of Stevens and Mc Fetridge.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 1 dig, 1 assist
Haylee Armstrong — 1 kill, 4 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Ari Cunningham — 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 assist, 7 aces
Adeline Maynes — 2 kills, 1 dig, 8 assists, 5 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 3 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 6 kills, 2 digs, 3 assists, 3 aces
Sydney Van Dyke — 5 kills, 3 digs, 1 ace

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Bennett gets his (vocal) close-up

October 8, 2024 by David Svien

Bennett Richter, Renaissance Man. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

He’s an internet star now.

Coupeville High School head football coach Bennett Richter, basking in the glow of a 4-1 start, made his debut Monday on KRKO’s weekly prep sports podcast.

The velvet-voiced leader of the Wolves pops up at about the 45-minute mark, and his segment runs for approximately 15 minutes.

During his on-air run, Richter talks about the stunning late-game comeback win over Cedar Park Christian 10 days ago, Coupeville football’s annual bluff run, his appreciation of beards, and his love for his players.

Plus, Coupeville Sports gets name-dropped by the podcasters, so there’s that.

To listen in, pop over to:

 

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“The girls fought hard”

October 8, 2024 by David Svien

Rhylee Inman (13), seen last season, is making a name for herself as a spike-happy volleyball star. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They passed their biggest test.

Reaching the halfway point of the season Monday, the Coupeville Middle School volleyball teams did so by engaging, and surviving, private-school juggernaut King’s.

Capping a string of three straight home matches, the scrappy Wolves put up a strong effort against the Knights.

“Their team was by far the best team we have played this season so far, but the girls fought hard,” said CMS coach Cris Matochi.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Coupeville came hard at the service line but was tripped up by “details and unforced errors” in other places during a 25-11, 25-20, 15-12 loss.

“We served well and could keep the ball up for most of the game, but we struggled to avoid unforced errors when they were crucial,” Matochi said.

“Our team did a good job with serve-receive, and I think the players are finally getting more comfortable with our rotations. Now, we need to apply the skills from the practices to the games.

“They have been so good at working on them during practices, but we struggle to use them when it matters the most.”

Rhylee Inman paced CMS with two kills and four digs, while Cassie Powers (six aces, two digs, one kill) and Zariyah Allen (six digs, two aces) also came up big.

Cameron Van Dyke and Emma Leavitt peppered King’s with three service aces apiece to help fill up the stat sheet.

 

Level 2 and 3:

The former fell 25-14, 25-11, 15-5, while the latter battled through a 25-14, 25-6, 25-7 loss.

“The level two team played really well during the second half of the first set,” said Wolf coach Kristina Hooks.

“There were a lot of great passes and serves; I was really impressed with Emily (Rains) during one rally in the game — she was ready for every ball that came her way.”

As the season has progressed, Hooks has seen improvement from her spikers, many of whom are fairly new to the game. Now the key is to keep building on the lessons learned.

“Our biggest problem for both teams that we are still working on is moving our feet to the ball and not being scared of the ball,” she said.

“It takes a lot of time and practice in order to determine where a ball is going to go and how to anticipate that.

“My main goal for the level three team is to build their confidence in their abilities and to remember everything from practice during game situations.”

 

What’s next:

After three straight at home, the Wolves now play three straight on the road, traveling to Northshore Christian Academy (Oct. 14), Sultan (Oct. 16), and Granite Falls (Oct. 17).

The season then concludes back at home, with South Whidbey visiting Coupeville Oct. 21.

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Halloween is for football (this year)

October 7, 2024 by David Svien

Davin Houston (2) slows down a rival, as his teammates swoop in to finish him off. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to … tackle.

The regular season football finale, which will see Coupeville High School travel to Friday Harbor, has been bumped up a day.

Originally set for Friday, Nov. 1, it will now go down on Halloween — Thursday, Oct. 31.

Kickoff is still slated for 6:30 PM.

The move is being made to accommodate the possibility the two teams will need to play a tiebreaker to decide which Northwest 2B/1B League school advances to face a team from District 4 for a berth in the state tourney.

Coupeville won the first of two meetings with Friday Harbor this past Friday, squishing the Wolverines 18-5 on Whidbey.

Win the regular season finale, and CHS is the league champ and earns the playoff slot outright.

If Friday Harbor should rebound and earn a split, however, then it would force that tiebreaker.

Between now and Halloween, Coupeville, which sits at 4-1 overall, has non-conference games left to play against South Whidbey, Adna, and Winlock the next three Fridays.

The first and third of those are at home.

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One night, one bucket, one dream

October 7, 2024 by David Svien

Hunter Bronec, man on a mission. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Time to start a new run, Wolves.

This Friday, Oct. 11 marks the 15th time that Coupeville and South Whidbey will take to the high school gridiron to play for possession of The Bucket.

Kickoff is 7:00 PM and the action goes down in Cow Town, with the Wolves (4-1) defending Mickey Clark Field against the Falcons (1-3).

But, while CHS has the better record coming into the non-conference tilt, the South enders have history on their side.

For a moment, at least.

South Whidbey holds a 10-4 advantage in the series since there was a prize attached and has a current five-game winning streak.

With the 2020 season thrown asunder by the pandemic, erasing the annual rivalry clash, that means Coupeville hasn’t held possession of The Bucket since 2017.

Take a look at the series and there are three distinct eras.

South Whidbey won the first three games, before Coupeville rose up and claimed four of six, with Wolf coaches Tony Maggio and Jon Atkins each winning twice.

After that, things, as mentioned before, have shifted back to the Falcons.

But, coming off a Homecoming smackdown of Friday Harbor, a team which ran South Whidbey off the field a week before, Coupeville and current coach Bennett Richter come in on a hot streak.

Coupeville’s seniors want to exit as owners of The Bucket.

And this bucket that they’re chasing?

For those new to the whole thing, the trophy has Wolf colors on one side and Falcon colors on the other and comes complete with a dent courtesy a frosty SWHS coach unhappy about a loss.

The winning school holds possession of the trophy, which is brought out with much pomp and circumstance once a year.

While the two Island schools had played many times prior, the bucket became a thing in 2008 when athletic directors Willie Smith (CHS) and John Patton (SWHS) were looking for a way to defuse an uprising.

The “original” bucket once held licorice, but was filled with water by a Coupeville student, who dumped it on the South Whidbey crowd at a volleyball match, setting off a near-riot.

Looking to turn a negative into a positive, Smith and Patton transformed the weapon of mass hydration into a trophy.

Wolf captains Uriel Liquidano (63), Jacob Martin (32), and Clay Reilly (2) celebrate winning The Bucket in 2016.

 

“Bucket Game” history:

2009 — SW 28-6
2010 — SW 33-7
2011 — SW 35-0
2012 — CHS 18-13
2013 — SW 57-33
2014 — CHS 35-28
2015 — SW 27-14
2016 — CHS 41-10
2017 — CHS 18-0
2018 — SW 48-20
2019 — SW 35-7
2020 — No game
2021 — SW 33-7
2022 — SW 47-28
2023 — SW 48-28

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