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After coming through a very dark period, Korbin Korzan embraces each new day.

Korbin Korzan is one of the most physically gifted athletes I have written about during my time in Coupeville.

He was a standout high school football and baseball player and a key member of a Central Whidbey Little League hardball squad which won a state title in 2010.

Very outgoing, he always seemed to enjoy being in the spotlight, and shared those moments with family and friends.

But no one ever truly knows what another is going through, and today Korbin has agreed to let me share his story.

He does so in the hope that it will help others reach their own inner peace.

In Korbin’s own words:

 

I originally intended on waiting a decade to share my story.

Some recent events have happened that are pushing me to share it now.

I don’t know if there is anyone out there that can benefit from hearing this, but if it makes a difference for just one person then I will be happy.

So, seven years ago … my life looked a little different.

I just turned 21, had an amazing career at Bank of America, just opened my drone business, and was engaged to the love of my life (Whitney).

Sounds like an awesome life, right?

Looking at pictures (from then) you would probably think I was a pretty happy guy.

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I was severely depressed and mixing a cocktail of drugs and alcohol to try to numb my pain.

It took hitting rock bottom to fully accept that I was not okay.

And friends, it is OKAY to not be okay.

The biggest thing is accepting that and being willing to accept help.

That is so much easier said than done but I know you can do it.

I don’t want to go into details about what happened October 2017, but I do want to discuss what happened AFTER I decided to get help and get clean.

The first few months were riddled with anger and pain.

I dug myself into a massive crater and it was time to start making my way out. As time went on things began to improve.

I focused on bettering myself and surrounding myself with people who showed me love and support.

So, what has happened since October 2017? How much could YOUR life change in seven short years — just like mine did?

Since trying to take my own life, I have:

Married my soulmate.

Korbin and Whitney

Expanded my drone company to a full production company.

Traveled out of state 30+ times and gone on so many amazing adventures.

Made new friends.

Explored areas I didn’t even know existed.

Made over two million dollars.

Tried amazing new foods and played video games I once dreamed of as a child.

Drove awesome cars.

Started fun new hobbies.

Flown in planes, big and small.

Found my silver lining in life.

The list goes on and on. I have experienced so many new and amazing experiences.

I don’t say this to brag … I honestly never thought any of these things would ever happen to me.

So, whether your passion is family, love, adventure, or money, all of that can still be yours.

If my life can change that much, so can yours!

You might feel like you are in a dark place now but I promise you it can and it WILL get better.

Surround yourself with friends and family that love you. Accept that it is okay to not feel okay.

Talk to others and ask for help! I am always here if anyone needs to talk.

Suicide is a very real and scary thing in our world. Reach out to your friends and let them know you are there.

Even if you don’t think they are sad, sometimes the “happiest” people are truly the saddest.

It would be a lie if I said I didn’t still struggle to this day … but it is not as bad anymore and continues to get better every year.

I know the same thing can happen for you!

I promise you things can get better.

You are more than enough, and the world is such a better place with you in it.

Dr. Jim Shank and daughter Ashlie hang out at a game during their Cow Town days. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Popular former Coupeville Superintendent Dr. Jim Shank is one of three finalists for a similar position with the Longview School District.

The district, located in Cowlitz County, sits in the Southwestern portion of Washington state and is infamous for being where I was born.

The Longview School Board announced its finalists this past Saturday and issued a statement pledging to choose a new superintendent Friday, Feb. 23.

A report in the local newspaper, The Daily News, details that Shank, Dr. Karen Cloninger, and John Hannah will participate in community forums Tuesday-Thursday at R.A. Long High School.

Cloninger is the assistant superintendent of East Valley School District in Spokane Valley, while Hannah is superintendent of the Morton School District.

Shank, who recently received a long-overdue induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, is an R.A. Long graduate, a distinction he shares with Hannah.

During his time in Cow Town between 2013-2018, Shank oversaw construction of Coupeville’s stadium, its track oval, and new bleachers in the CHS gym.

He also played a large role in the creation of the school’s Wall of Fame, basically allowing me to run free if I agreed to retain the giant mural of “The Sad Coyote.”

“The Sad Coyote” sees all and knows all. He is eternal.

Two of the six Shank children, Matt and Brian, graduated from CHS, with a third, Ashlie, attending multiple years.

All three were successful athletes and strong students.

After leaving Coupeville, Shank was a superintendent in Idaho.

He and wife Sallie later returned to Washington state, as he currently leads the North Beach School District in Grays Harbor County.

Overall, Shank has 33 years of experience in education, with 15 as a superintendent.

Ryan Blouin delivers a three-ball under the watchful eye of CHS coach Brad Sherman. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Every game matters.

The Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team opens 2B state tourney play next week, but its first rumble will be a loser-out affair, requiring a win if the Wolves want to go on to the glitz of the Spokane Arena.

CHS, seeded #11 in the 16-team field, plays #14 Tonasket Saturday, Feb. 24 at Arlington High School.

Tipoff is 4:00 PM and the Wolves will be the host team.

That’s a “short” 60-mile trip for Coupeville, and a 211-mile slog for Tonasket.

While there are 16 teams in the state tourney field, the penny pinchers at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association only have 12 advance to Spokane, where tourney action plays out Feb. 28-Mar. 2.

Teams seeded #1-#8 are guaranteed at least two games, while teams #9-#16 have to win their opening bout to advance.

If Coupeville, which sits at 17-5 on the season, beats Tonasket (14-10), it will face either #3 Colfax (25-0) or #6 Toutle Lake (20-5) Feb. 28 in Spokane.

To see the bracket, pop over to:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4186&school_year=2023-24&district=0&sport=3&class=0

Coupeville advanced to state by winning the District 1/2 title, beating Auburn Adventist Academy 64-50 and La Conner 60-44.

The Braves (16-7) rebounded to knock off AAA 68-57 to claim their own state ticket and are seeded #15.

La Conner opens state against #10 Adna in a loser-out game of its own, with that contest slated to go down at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.

The Wolves celebrate a Bi-District title with defensive guru Randy Bottorff.

And what of Coupeville’s first round foe?

Tonasket, which sits 240 miles away from Cow Town, plays in the Central Washington B League, which is comprised of 18 schools.

Featuring a mix of 1B and 2B institutions, the league includes traditional powers like Lake Roosevelt (seeded #4 in this year’s boys’ state tourney), Okanogan, and Brewster.

Tonasket finished second in the District 6 tourney, then held off Kettle Falls 63-55 in a District 6/7 crossover game to advance to state.

The Tigers were ranked #20 in the WIAA’s RPI, while Coupeville was #9.

A roster on MaxPreps lists eight players, with three seniors.

Half of Tonasket’s roster is recorded at being 5-foot-8 or shorter, with just two Tigers topping six-foot.

That duo is 6-4 junior Bradon Prock and 6-3 junior Kristian Jones, who both reportedly push the scale to just 160 pounds.

Jones averages 13.6 points and seven rebounds a night, while senior Jade Ramon leads Tonasket with 13.9 points per game.

Sophomore Tanner Tompkins (11.2) and Prock (10.8) give the Tigers four players averaging double figures, though none comes close to Coupeville’s leading marksman, Logan Downes.

Depending on whether we count the Chief Leschi game, where he played just two minutes before leaving with an injury, the Wolf senior is averaging either 24.0 or 22.9 per appearance.

Logan Downes has a scoring quota to fill.

Sophomore Chase Anderson (8.9) and senior Cole White (8.8) sit #2 and #3 for Coupeville this season.

This marks Tonasket’s eleventh trip to the state tourney, but its first since 2017.

The Tigers best finish came in 1981-1982, when they placed 3rd while playing in the 1A classification.

Coupeville is making its seventh appearance, and its second in the past three seasons after playing Kalama and Lake Roosevelt in 2022.

And some quick-hitting non-basketball facts about Tonasket to round out your Sunday?

According to the whiz kids at Wikipedia, the town, located along the eastern bank of the Okanogan River, was officially incorporated Dec. 16, 1927, and is named after Chief Tonasket.

He was a local leader who “assumed the status of grand chief of the American Okanogan after the drawing of the Canada-United States border by the Oregon Treaty of 1846.”

The area is “a hub for agricultural and forestry industries” and “the location of three major fruit storage and processing facilities.”

Plus, Walter H. Brattain, son of a pioneer family, shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics for the invention of the transistor.

Other memorable folks to spring from Tonasket include Wendy J. Fox, author of “The Seven Stages of Anger and Other Stories,” three-time Olympic biathlete Jeremy Teela, and former Nevada state senator Dean Rhoads, hailed as a “consummate rural lawmaker.”

You came for the basketball, you left with obscure trivia.

We call that a win-win in the blogging biz.

Finn Price, reppin’ the red and black at the year’s biggest swim event. (Photo courtesy Paul Lagerstedt)

One athlete. No teams. Big results.

Coupeville’s Finn Price and Jaje Drake closed out their respective state meets Saturday with strong finishes, standing tall as lone Wolves.

CHS doesn’t field swimming or wrestling programs, so the duo persevered, training and traveling with other schools during the regular season, than forging their own paths in the postseason.

Price, a sophomore, won the consolation finals in the 200 free Saturday at the 2A state championships at the King County Aquatic Center, while also claiming fifth in the 100 free.

His times of one minute, 55.06 seconds in the 200, and 52.41 in the 100 were both better than his results in Friday’s prelims.

Overall, 2B Coupeville (which is just Price, remember) finished 30th out of 34 schools in the team standings.

Jaje Drake (right) brings the gun show to Cow Town. (Sophia Broderick photo)

Drake lost a close match with Rainier’s Matthew Kenney Saturday, ending his run at Mat Classic XXXV at the Tacoma Dome.

The Wolf senior, competing in the 2B/1B boys 215-pound class, finished his tourney with a 2-2 record.

That ties him with current CHS football coach Alex Turner, who also went 2-2 at state in 2019 during his own senior season.

Drake, a one-man demolition crew hefting the torch for the Wolves by himself, carried Coupeville to a 33rd-place performance (out of 50 schools) in the team standings.

“I’ll be back!” (Jackie Saia photo)

Izzy LeVine, who chews up foes on the wrestling mat, gets her props for qualifying for the state tourney. (Photo courtesy Sean LeVine)

Izzy LeVine took a chomp out of Arizona wrestling.

The Casteel High School sophomore, who grew up haunting the ballfields and gyms of Coupeville, claimed fourth place at the state wrestling meet Saturday in Phoenix.

Izzy, the rampaging “lil’ sis” of Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame inductees Micky and Jae LeVine, won three of five matches.

Competing in the 126-pound class, the tenacious one opened with two wins Friday, before losing a close one to eventual state champ Brianna Reyes, a senior.

LeVine bounced back Saturday during action at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, pinning her first foe before being edged out in the 3rd/4th place bout.

She finishes the high school season with a sterling 47-5 mark.