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Coupeville’s homer-hitting, shutout-tossing diamond dandies. (Photo courtesy RayLynn Ratcliff)

It’s a rumble between Central and South, played up North.

Oak Harbor’s Windjammer Park will host the championship of the Andy Andrade Memorial Tournament Tuesday night, with baseball supremacy on the line.

First pitch is set for 6:00 PM, and admission is free.

The game pits Central Whidbey Little League’s Majors squad against their counterparts from South Whidbey.

Mia Farris (left) celebrates another big winner. (Bailey Thule photo)

One smashed all the records, while the other was a master of consistency.

Now, Mia Farris and Logan Downes join a who’s-who list of Coupeville High School Athlete of the Year winners and will get their photos added to the collection in the hallway of the school’s gym.

The duo was honored Monday by retiring CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith during the year-end awards and scholarships ceremony.

Farris, a junior, played volleyball, basketball, and softball, and was a captain in all of her sports.

Mia the Magnificent” was a First-Team All-Conference pick in volleyball and softball and helped lead the spikers to the state tourney.

Farris led the Wolves with 204 kills, while also racking up 215 digs, 47 service aces, four block assists, and three solo blocks.

During basketball season, she notched team MVP honors, playing stellar defense while scoring 104 points to tie for #2 on the squad despite missing a stretch of games with an injury.

Tearing up the diamond on a rare sunny spring day. (Parker Hammons photo)

When softball season rolled around, Farris was one of the veteran leaders for a very-young team which went 14-5, won a league crown, and narrowly missed a trip to state.

Chasing down anything and everything on defense, while crashing over the fence more than once, the centerfielder also wielded a wicked bat and fleet feet while hitting.

Farris tied for the team lead in at-bats, hitting a sweet .353 while compiling 26 runs, 21 RBI, 18 hits, 11 walks, four doubles, three triples, and a home run.

Angie Downes and her record-setting son. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Downes, a senior, capped his CHS run by shattering school records as both a quarterback and a hardwood assassin, earning First-Team All-League honors in both sports.

He was also voted Northwest 2B/1B League MVP in basketball and was selected to play in the All-State game.

On the gridiron, Downes owns the CHS mark for most touchdown passes in a game (5), season (20), and career (40), and was key in Coupeville winning a league title and advancing to state during his junior campaign.

That broke a 33-year dry spell for Wolf football in both categories.

He set individual records but played for team success. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Not content to stop there, Downes became the only CHS hoops player, boy or girl, to record two 500+ point seasons.

After pouring in 554 as a junior, he torched the nets for 527 as a senior, the second and third-best campaigns for any Wolf at a school which began playing basketball in 1917.

Downes finished his run with 1,305 points, breaking the Coupeville boys career mark of 1,137 jointly held by Jeff Stone and Mike Bagby.

More importantly for a player who always seemed to care more about team success than individual highlights, he helped lead a senior-heavy squad back to the state tournament, the second time CHS made it to the big dance in the last three seasons.

Kayla Arnold scored big on scholarship night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The hard work paid off.

The Coupeville High School Class of 2024 raked in a hair over $366,000 in local scholarships alone, not counting what individual grads may have received from colleges.

That’s a testament to both the generosity of Central Whidbey residents, businesses, and organizations, and the power of what volunteering accomplishes.

A bevy of awards and scholarships were distributed Monday at a ceremony at CHS headed up by Principal Geoff Kappes.

 

AWARDS:

 

Senior Service Award:

Isabella Schooley

 

Principal’s Legacy Award:

Nehemiah Myles

 

Lions Club Students of the Year:

Ryan Blouin
Cole White

 

“Scholarships for me??? Well, OK.” (Ember Light photo)

 

SCHOLARSHIPS:

 

AOC Whidbey Roost STEM:

Hank Milnes ($6,000)

 

Allen-Phipps:

Kayla Arnold ($1,000)
Logan Downes ($1,000)
Nick Guay ($1,000)
Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim ($1,000)
Isabella Schooley ($1,000)

 

Arise Scholarship:

Brionna Blouin ($2,500)

 

Bayleaf Foreign Study/Travel:

Devin Neveu ($1,000)

 

Bruce Porter:

Kayla Arnold ($2,500)
Brionna Blouin ($2,500)

 

Bud Madsen Masonic:

Wyatt Sylvester ($1,000)

 

Cascade Custom Homes and Design:

Nick Guay ($1,000)
Cole White ($1,000)

 

Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools:

Ryan Blouin ($1,000)
Nick Guay ($500)
Cole White ($500)
Reese Wilkinson ($1,000)
Andrew Williams ($1,000)

 

Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival:

Zane Oldenstadt ($2,000)
Isabella Schooley ($2,000)
Hayley Thomas ($2,000)

 

Coupeville Booster Club:

Ryan Blouin ($1,000)
Nick Guay ($1,000)
Hank Milnes ($1,000)
Ava Mitten ($1,000)
Grey Peabody ($1,000)
Skylar Parker ($1,000)
Cole White ($1,000)
Reese Wilkinson ($1,000)

 

Coupeville Chamber of Commerce:

Kayla Arnold ($500)
Logan Downes ($250)
Nick Guay ($1,000)
Kaitlyn Leavell ($250)
Devin Neveu ($250)
Mikey Robinett ($500)
Isabella Schooley ($1,000)
Wyatt Sylvester ($1,000)
Cole White ($1,000)

 

Coupeville Lions Club:

Kayla Arnold ($1,500)
Brionna Blouin ($2,000)
Ryan Blouin ($3,000)
Kayla Cooks ($3,000)
William Davidson ($2,000)
Logan Downes ($2,000)
Nick Guay ($3,000)
Erica McGrath ($1,500)
Hank Milnes ($1,500)
Ava Mitten ($1,500)
Zane Oldenstadt ($1,500)
Skylar Parker ($750)
Grey Peabody ($1,500)
Desi Ramirez ($750)
Reina Reed ($1,000)
Isabella Schooley ($4,000)
Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim ($750)
Thomas Studer ($1,500)
Wyatt Sylvester ($4,000)
Hayley Thomas ($2,000)
Cole White ($3,000)
Andrew Williams ($3,000)
Reese Wilkinson ($750)

 

Educate your Passion and Talent:

Devin Neveu ($1,000)
Cole White ($1,000)

 

Empowerment (Soroptimist International):

Kayla Arnold ($1,000)
Reina Reed ($1,000)

 

Endeavor:

Alex Merino-Martinez ($1,000)

 

Excellence in Education:

Cole White ($1,500)

 

Fineline Painting:

Thomas Studer ($1,000)

 

Exceptional Student Athlete (John Rodriguey):

Cole White ($1,000)

 

Filipino American Association:

Mikey Robinett ($500)

 

Front Street Grill:

Kayla Arnold ($1,500)

 

Friends of the Coupeville Library:

Kayla Arnold ($2,000)
Brionna Blouin ($2,000)
Hank Milnes ($2,000)
Thomas Studer ($2,000)

 

Gervais Memorial:

Brionna Blouin ($1,500)

 

George Koetje Memorial:

Logan Downes ($1,000)

 

Harada Family:

Isabella Schooley ($1,000)

 

Harvey-Pickard:

Desi Ramirez-Vasquez ($10,000)
Reina Reed ($10,000)

 

Island County Fair Association:

Erica McGrath ($750)

 

Julie Langrock Memorial:

Emma Garcia ($2,500)
Ava Mitten ($2,500)

 

Knights of Columbus:

Mikey Robinett ($1,000)

 

Leganieds:

Kayla Arnold ($1,000)
Nick Guay ($1,000)
Kaitlyn Leavell ($1,000)

 

Leo Beck Memorial:

Brionna Blouin ($1,000)

 

Living Like Lathom:

Kayla Arnold ($1,000)
Nick Guay ($1,000)

 

New Leaf Jo Balda Scholarship for Community Service:

Brionna Blouin ($2,000)
Hayley Thomas ($2,000)

 

Penn Cove Shellfish:

Damiano Giacobbe ($10,000)

 

Prairie Center Market:

Brionna Blouin ($1,000)
Desi Ramirez-Vasquez ($1,000)

 

ROTC:

Cole White ($176,700)

 

Renee Smith Scholarship for Environmental Study:

Ava Mitten ($2,000)

 

Rotary Club of South Whidbey:

Kayla Arnold ($3,000)
Brionna Blouin ($3,000)
Damiano Giacobbe ($3,000)
Cole White ($2,000)

 

Sharon A.U. Vaughn:

Kayla Arnold ($2,500)
Brionna Blouin ($2,500)

 

Spirit of Cheer Booster Club:

Isabella Schooley ($1,000)
Hayley Thomas ($1,000)

 

Toby’s First Responder:

Isabella Schooley ($1,000)

 

Tom Roehl Memorial:

Ryan Blouin ($1,000)
William Davidson ($3,000)
Cole White ($1,000)

 

West Family Foundation:

Kayla Arnold ($1,000)
Brionna Blouin ($1,000)
Skylar Parker ($1,000)

 

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts:

Wyatt Sylvester ($2,000)

 

Yorioka:

Reina Reed ($1,000)

Cole White (5) and teammates celebrate winning a bi-district hoops title. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Cole White’s trophy case continues to grow.

The Coupeville High School senior, who received All-League honors in all three of his sports this school year, received the Cliff Gillies Award Monday during the year-ending CHS awards and scholarships ceremony.

That honor, handed out by schools across the state, is named for a former longtime Executive Director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

It recognizes student/athletes who excel in scholarship, citizenship, and participation in activities.

White was a leader on all three of his teams, two of which went to the state tourney.

“Cup check!!” (Jackie Saia photo)

He was a First-Team All-League pick as a midfielder in soccer, then notched Second-Team honors in both basketball and baseball, with those Wolf programs advancing to the big dance.

On the hardwood, White snagged the Defensive Player of the Year award from his coaches, while also pumping in 205 points.

He finished his career with 405 points, and he and dad Greg (604) are the first father-son duo to combine for 1,000+ points in the 107-year history of CHS basketball.

On the diamond, Cole anchored the defense at shortstop, while amassing 19 runs, 15 walks, 15 stolen bases, 13 hits, and eight RBI.

He led the Wolves in both runs and walks.

This one goes to 11.

The Coupeville High School Class of 2024 has an extra person in its top 10 grads, thanks to a tie at the top.

Cole White and Wyatt Sylvester, boasting perfect 4.0 career marks, are joint Valedictorians, while Andrew Williams (3.984) is the Salutatorian.

Rounding out the GPA elite are:

Devin Neveu (3.982)
Ryan Blouin (3.971)
Hank Milnes (3.966)
Reese Wilkinson (3.964)
Ava Mitten (3.898)
Hayden Harry (3.890)
Grey Peabody (3.855)
Nick Guay (3.749)