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Tate wasn’t late

Tate Wyman (302) was part of a fleet-footed Coupeville relay team back in the day. (Elizabeth Bitting photo)

Competing in his second indoor collegiate track and field meet Saturday, Coupeville High School grad Tate Wyman set PRs in both of his events.

The former Wolf finished fourth in the 60 hurdles, hitting the tape in 9.61 seconds, then claimed 10th in the 200 in 24.96.

Wyman, a freshman at Oregon Tech, was competing at the Eastern Oregon Last Chance Meet in La Grande.

There’s one indoor meet left on the schedule, then the Owls head outdoors starting March 16.

During his time at CHS, Tate, son of running coach Amber Wyman, competed in cross country and track and field.

The older brother of current Wolf athletic stars Ayden and Devon, he was part of a 4 x 100 relay team which finished second at the state championship meet his senior season.

Garth Batchelor, his wife Olivia, and their children. (Photo courtesy Jenny Dill)

Garth Batchelor was a father, husband, and coach who had a positive impact on those around him.

While he was part of Falcon Nation and not Wolf Nation, his circle of friends included many in Coupeville.

Today we take a moment to join them in paying tribute to a life well lived.

From the family:

 

Garth Raymond Batchelor was born February 4th, 1972, to Carol and Jerome Batchelor.

Growing up on the island created a tightknit group of friends for Garth, including the “Good Ole’ Boys” of the island that Garth always looked up to.

Throughout his early life Carol worked tirelessly at the post office to support her kids, something Garth always admired and loved her for.

His grandpa and grandma Marsh were a huge part of Garth’s youth, allowing him and his cousins to create their lasting bonds.

In his high school years, you could find him on the football field, where he created some of his favorite memories and friends.

Hunting was also a big passion of Garth’s, something he was able to pass down to both his boys.

Garth was always a hardworking man stemming back to his times bailing hay for the local farms.

He always loved operating machinery, a job he would continue for his whole career.

J&D Wallace was more than just a job for him, they were family.

Something Garth always cherished was his Friday night BS sessions with his close island crew.

Friday nights were his time to relax, unwind, and enjoy some time with his friends. Garth was a big storyteller, and these nights gave him the perfect home to share them.

Garth’s family was the most important part of his life; he was often found talking to his friends of the pride and love he had for them.

His family was able to take him out for one last birthday getaway, creating more beautiful and lasting memories before his passing.

He is survived by his loving wife Olivia, oldest son Brent, daughter Morgan, youngest son Levi, mother Carol Ogden, Grandma Marsh, sister Tressa Ogden (husband Matt, children Hunter, Mason, Melanee) brother Jake (wife Heather, children Lexie, Deven, Bradley, Blake), brother and sister-in-law Ben and Erin Morgan (Alex), father-in-law Mike Morgan, and godson Ian Maddux.

Garth’s memorial will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church on Feb. 24th, at 1:00 PM.

Attire is work/casual, like you were coming to one of his Friday nights.

Coupeville sophomore Finn Price (far left) trains with Falcon swimmers (l to r) Tyson Prendergast, Caleb Lewis, Jack Hempel, and Rowan Jung. (Jackie Saia photo)

He beat the odds to make a big splash.

Finn Price is the lone swimmer at Coupeville High School, and there’s no pool in Cow Town.

That means the Wolf sophomore heads South six days a week, picks up a gaggle of Falcon water wizards, then hops on a ferry and completes the trek to Kamiak High School.

Once the postseason arrives, Price and his fellow Whidbey pool men head off their own way, with Coupeville’s splash king still punching above his weight class.

Though CHS is a 2B school, the lowest rung for swim is 1A/2A, and that’s where Price qualified for the state meet.

Friday, he hit the water at the King County Aquatic Center, powering to a 15th place finish (out of 20 competitors) in the 100 free, hitting the wall in 52.83 seconds.

Price wrapped his big city odyssey with an 11th place showing in the 200 free, finishing in 1:55.83, beating his seeding time in both events.

Spring approaches like a freight train, which means only one thing.

Time to get signed up for baseball and softball action.

Registration for Central Whidbey Little League is active and runs through March 1.

Scan the photo above for pertinent info, then get crackin’.

Before the bats themselves get … crackin’.

“Mama said knock you out!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

On to day two!

Coupeville’s Jaje Drake won two of three matches Friday at Mat Classic XXXV in Tacoma, keeping alive his bid to bring home some hardware.

The Wolf senior, who is wrestling in the 215-pound class in the 2B/1B classification, opened with a win over Jacob Randall of Okanogan.

That moved Drake into the quarterfinals, where he put up a strong fight before falling to Gabriel Smith of Ritzville, one of four contestants in the 12-man field who had a first-round bye.

Springing right back into action, Coupeville’s lone grappler, who trained and traveled with South Whidbey during the regular season, roared back with a victory against Preston Stingley of Kittitas.

That pushes Drake into a showdown with Matthew Kenney of Rainier Saturday, the second time this season the duo have clashed.

The winner of that match is guaranteed to finish at least 6th, and could go as high as 3rd, while the loser is eliminated.

Drake, who was an All-Conference lineman for Coupeville football this fall, is the second Wolf in recent years to rep the red and black on the wrestling mat.

Current CHS football assistant coach Alex Turner also advanced to state in 2019 while following a similar path.

Coupeville is one of the few schools in the state not to have its own wrestling program, necessitating the agreement with South Whidbey.