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Big city, big results

April 25, 2024 by David Svien

Lydia Price set a PR in the 3200 Thursday at Lynden. (Parker Hammons photo)

They squared off with the big-timers and did pretty well.

The Coupeville High School track and field squad traveled to rainy Lynden Thursday and went toe-to-toe, and javelin throw-to-javelin throw with three athletic powerhouses.

The 2A hosts swept to both team titles, while 3A Ferndale, 1A Nooksack Valley, and lil’ 2B Coupeville battled it out behind the Lions.

The Wolves eventually won three individual titles, with Katie Marti (Javelin), Reese Wilkinson (Discus), and Nick Guay (High Jump) occupying the top step on the awards podium.

Overall Coupeville athletes racked up 44 PRs in their next-to-last regular season meet.

Next up is the Sunny and 70’s Invitational at Lakewood High School Saturday (the hammer throw is Friday), and then it’s off to start the postseason jaunt as the calendar flips to May.

Speed demon Preston Epp slows down long enough for his image to be caught on film. (Thomas Studer photo)

 

Thursday’s results:

 

GIRLS:

100 — Issabel Johnson (16th) 14.81

200 — Devin Neveu (15th) 33.15 *PR*; Ivy Rudat (16th) 33.87; Reagan Callahan (17th) 34.54 *PR*

400 — Neveu (5th) 1:12.66; I. Rudat (9th) 1:17.87; Callahan (10th) 1:18.02 *PR*; Ayden Wyman (11th) 1:19.88

800 — Lyla Stuurmans (5th) 2:41.00; Kayla Crane (7th) 2:48.00 *PR*; Aleera Kent (8th) 2:52.00

1600 — Kent (2nd) 6:16.48; Crane (3rd) 6:20.43 *PR*; Lydia Price (10th) 7:16.19

3200 — Price (4th) 15:07.10 *PR*; Aleksia Jump (5th) 15:57.23

100 Hurdles — Myra McDonald (8th) 21.88; Lexis Drake (10th) 22.63

300 Hurdles — Drake (5th) 1:00.75

4 x 100 Relay — Jump, Carly Burt, Johnson, Drake (5th) 58.35

4 x 200 Relay — Stuurmans, Burt, Johnson, Drake (5th) 2:04.38

Shot Put — Katie Marti (3rd) 30-06.25; Reese Wilkinson (4th) 28-08.25; Erica McGrath (10th) 23-01.50; Alysia Burdge (18th) 20-01.50

Discus — Wilkinson (1st) 107-00 *PR*; McGrath (4th) 73-03; Marti (5th) 68-07; Callahan (16th) 49-06 *PR*; Burdge (28th) 40-03

Javelin — Marti (1st) 99-11; Burdge (15th) 58-02; McGrath (18th) 48-01; Wilkinson (19th) 46-07

High Jump — Wyman (4th) 4-04; Frankie Tenore (8th) 3-10; McDonald (8th) 3-10

Pole Vault — Burt (3rd) 7-00; Johnson (7th) 5-06; Jump (7th) 5-06; I. Rudat (9th) 5-06

Long Jump — Stuurmans (2nd) 14-04.25

Aleera Kent preps the jump pit. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

BOYS:

100 — Nehemiah Myles (11th) 12.08; Preston Epp (12th) 12.13 *PR*; Marquette Cunningham (14th) 12.22 *PR*; Davin Houston (16th) 12.35 *PR*; Dayvon Donavon (25th) 12.74; Marcelo Gebhard (29th) 12.94 *PR*; Alex Merino-Martinez (30th) 12.98; Matthew Ward (31st) 12.99 *PR*; Cael Wilson (33rd) 13.10 *PR*; Matthew Kuzma (36th) 13.33 *PR*; Timothy Nitta (46th) 13.85

200 — Cunningham (9th) 25.34 *PR*; Blake Burrows (11th) 25.72 *PR*; Donavon (13th) 26.06 *PR*; Ezekiel Allen (15th) 26.31 *PR*; Matthew Ward (16th) 26.57 *PR*; Kuzma (18th) 26.95 *PR*; Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim (20th) 27.58; Dane Hadsall (22nd) 27.66 *PR*; Nitta (25th) 28.62 *PR*; Ethan Walling (26th) 28.63; Axel Marshall (27th) 29.26 *PR*

400 — Burrows (7th) 58.11; Wilson (10th) 1:00.63; Kuzma (11th) 1:01.55 *PR*; Hadsall (11th) 1:01.55; Simpson-Pilgrim (13th) 1:01.58; Hank Milnes (14th) 1:01.99; Solomon Rudat (18th) 1:05.92; Walling (21st) 1:06.92 *PR*

800 — Kenneth Jacobsen (5th) 2:25.22 *PR*; Carson Field (7th) 2:27.51; Thomas Strelow (9th) 2:31.25; Santiago Ojeda Fernandez (10th) 2:38.04; S. Rudat (12th) 2:43.67; Preston Howard (13th) 2:46.56

1600 — Field (4th) 5:11.08; Jacobsen (7th) 5:14.59 *PR*; Malachi Somes (8th) 5:15.96; Strelow (11th) 5:25.08; Allen (12th) 5:26.04; George Spear (16th) 5:30.20; Walling (21st) 6:10.99 *PR*; Howard (24th) 6:17.90; Sam Richards (26th) 6:58.33; Damiano Giacobbe (28th) 7:06.77

3200 — Spear (3rd) 11:49.61 *PR*; Nicholas Wasik (8th) 13:16.30; Marshall (10th) 13:32.65

110 Hurdles — Spear (6th) 24.84 *PR*

300 Hurdles — Mikey Robinett (6th) 51.60; Spear (8th) 58.42 *PR*

4 x 100 Relay — Cunningham, Houston, Epp, Nick Guay (3rd) 46.89

4 x 400 Relay — Myles, Burrows, Epp, Guay (3rd) 3:54.42

Shot Put — Zane Oldenstadt (5th) 37-07.75 *PR*; Zac Tackett (7th) 37-06; Robinett (9th) 35-11.75 *PR*; Zachary Saho (13th) 35-01 *PR*; Gebhard (14th) 31-08 *PR*; Jacobsen (27th) 27-05 *PR*; Jacob Schooley (29th) 26-00.50 *PR*; Mason Butler (30th) 25-09.50; Giacobbe (36th) 18-08.75; Zach Blitch (37th) 18-06.50 *PR*

Discus — Tackett (3rd) 112-09; Oldenstadt (5th) 93-04; Butler (11th) 89-04; Schooley (12th) 87-03; Saho (23rd) 67-01 *PR*; Wasik (27th) 55-10; Peerapong Prombut (27th) 55-10; Giacobbe (30th) 49-00; Blitch (31st) 46-06

Javelin — Gebhard (12th) 113-03; Somes (20th) 97-02; Robinett (25th) 92-06; Schooley (27th) 85-05 *PR*; Butler (30th) 75-07; Hadsall (36th) 70-00; Wasik (38th) 65-08 *PR*; Ojeda Fernandez (39th) 62-09; Nitta (40th) 61-07; Giacobbe (41st) 59-08 *PR*; Prombut (47th) 43-00

High Jump — Guay (1st) 5-08; Houston (4th) 4-10

Pole Vault — Marshall (10th) 7-00

Long Jump — Myles (6th) 17-01.50; Robinett (12th) 15-08.25; Burrows (13th) 15-07; Merino-Martinez (15th) 15-00.25; Somes (18th) 14-06; Marshall (19th) 14-05; S. Rudat (22nd) 14-00.50; Ojeda Fernandez (23rd) 13-08.25; Field (24th) 13-03.25; Hadsall (25th) 13-03; Captain Teuscher (26th) 12-07; Kuzma (27th) 12-05.50; Walling (28th) 12-01; Howard (29th) 11-10

Triple Jump — Cunningham (6th) 33-07; Milnes (8th) 33-00; Ward (10th) 31-07; Simpson-Pilgrim (11th) 30-02.50 *PR*

Davin Houston glides over the bar. (Thomas Studer photo)

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Music fades out as budget cuts begin

April 25, 2024 by David Svien

The trumpet wails no more, and the piccolo is silent.

The Coupeville School District likely killed its secondary music/band program Thursday, at least in the short term, as part of the first round of budget cuts.

By a 4-1 vote, the school board adopted a “modified education plan” brought forward by outgoing Superintendent Steve King, part of a move to ultimately slash up to $1.66 million in an effort to restore the fund balance.

Thursday’s cuts call for the likely elimination of the middle/high school music program as well as an elementary school specialist program “to be determined” — likely STEM or art/music.

The plan also authorizes the reduction of up to six certificated teachers.

King stated at an earlier board workshop that the district already has “papers in hand” for four teachers who are either retiring or resigning.

Potential teacher RIFs (Reduction in Force) and “impacted program reductions” have to be in place by May 1 by “state law and contractual obligations.”

Other cuts, which will need to account for close to a million of the $1.66 million — if current projections hold up — will likely be announced to the public by the end of May, King said.

In his presentation Thursday, the Superintendent, who has resigned and will depart at the end of the school year to be replaced by Shannon Leatherwood, offered hope the shuttering of the music program is not permanent.

“Recommended program reductions are temporary,” King said. “And the district is dedicated to restoring them when resources are available.”

The superintendent spoke of his own children’s positive experiences with music while growing up, and he offered an apology to Mary Western, a CMS 8th grader who spoke in favor of retaining the music program.

“I’m really sorry to you and your classmates,” King said.

In his presentation, the superintendent pointed to declining participation numbers as a primary reason for eliminating the music program.

Though, there is an elephant in the room everyone tiptoes around — the longtime CHS/CMS music teacher having spent much of this year on paid administrative leave after years of parent and student complaints.

The night’s public comment section was full of parents who spoke of the positivity of music and the growth in the Coupeville program they see under a replacement teacher.

“I’m so sad for these kids who won’t have access,” Erin Howard said. “Music is universal, and cutting this program, even temporarily, does a great disservice and will have a huge impact.”

Kerry Western, a kindergarten teacher and mother of three, talked about the growth she has seen in the three years her daughter Mary has been involved in the music program.

“She had no prior musical experience, and it has changed the life of my daughter,” she said.

Describing how Mary had come to her classroom this afternoon and played the flute “so beautifully,” she brought several in the audience, and on the board itself, to honest tears.

Board member Alison Perera, whose children are musicians, spoke to dual emotions warring in her.

As part of the board’s budget committee, she knows how hard Coupeville needs to work to repair its finances.

“When the neon lights started flashing five or six years ago, it should have been an enormous red flag warning,” Perera said. “We didn’t take heed and it has led us here.

“If we had course corrected, we might be able to make small changes now, but that’s not where we are.

“We have to take it seriously; we have to make our district solvent.”

But Perera also expressed the fear that once the music program is shut down, it may never recover.

To that, she proposed an amendment to the “modified education plan” concerning the music program.

Perera called for the word “elimination” to be struck and replaced with “reduction,” with the words “by up to $150,000” added.

She failed to get a second, however, and the amendment did not move forward.

When the vote was taken, Sherry Phay was the lone dissenting vote, with Perera and fellow board members Nancy Conard, Morgan White, and Charles Merwine approving the plan.

In the immediate aftermath, half of the room slowly trickled out, disappointment etched on their faces, as the meeting continued.

The mood in the Kathleen Anderson boardroom was muted. Much like the music program itself.

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“He did everything with passion and love”

April 25, 2024 by David Svien

The Coupeville High School Class of 2016 continues to make positive change in the world.

Wolf grad Makana Stone, now a professional basketball player overseas, is launching a scholarship in honor of her friend and fellow athlete Lathom Kelley, who passed away in 2022.

The “Live Like Lathom” scholarship will be awarded to a CHS senior who is a student/athlete “passionate about pursuing trade school and/or a career in welding, and shows exemplary behavior in sportsmanship, teamwork, and community.”

Kelley attended Coupeville schools from elementary school to senior year and was a standout football and track and field athlete at the high school level.

More so, he was “the living embodiment of “the strength of the pack is the wolf.”

“A passionately driven student-athlete, Lathom did everything with fire in his eyes and the word “QUIT” wasn’t in his vocabulary,” Stone said.

“Whatever he decided to pursue – whether that be tackles on the football field, sprinting on the track, fixing motor vehicles, artistic and occupational welding, or being a family man and friend – he did everything with passion and love in his heart.”

“A leader by example, Lathom treated everyone in his community as his family. He took care of his Wolfpack. He lived life in the moment. He lived life to the fullest. He lived like Lathom.”

Stone is working with the Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools, and you can donate to the scholarship by hopping over to:

https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjA2NTQ=

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Wet weather denies diamond teams

April 25, 2024 by David Svien

CHS baseball coach Steve Hilborn soaks up a rare ray of sunshine at a recent game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Now we have no excuse not to go to the school board meeting.

Crummy weather has washed out Thursday’s scheduled Coupeville High School softball and baseball games, leaving a gap on the schedule.

The rumbles, which were Northwest 2B/1B League contests against Concrete, will likely be made up.

If Mother Nature cooperates as the remaining days in the regular season schedule rapidly run out.

For now, Wolf fans can look ahead to Saturday and the hope Darrington will be able to come to Whidbey for afternoon games and Senior Night festivities.

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CMS track stars shine on opening day

April 24, 2024 by David Svien

Wolf 8th grader Ari Cunningham won the long jump Wednesday. (Jackie Saia photo)

Tamsin Ward is right back at it.

A year after winning 11 events during her debut middle school track and field season, the now 7th grader got off to a strong start Wednesday, claiming three more titles during the season opener.

Overall, Coupeville earned 20 wins (and approximately 1,002 PRs) as it faced off with visiting Lakewood.

Ward, whose 11 wins were the most for a CMS girl since Lindsey Roberts won 18 during her 8th grade season in 2015, came out on top in the 100, shot put, and high jump on an overcast prairie afternoon.

She was joined as a three-time winner by 6th grader River Simpson, who came out of the gate strongly with victories in the 100, 4 x 100 relay, and long jump.

Coupeville’s 7th grade girls crew appears deep and talented, as Hyley Farrell (4 x 1 and 4 x 2) and Elizabeth Marshall (100 Hurdles, 4 x 2) also won multiple titles.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron flings himself skyward. (Jon Gabelein photo)

CMS coaches Amber Wyman and Jon Gabelein have an astonishing 77 athletes out for track, as Cow Town’s numbers are booming.

“Our first track meet of the year was definitely a big adventure,” Gabelein said.

“Our athletes set great personal baseline marks that they can now begin to work hard to improve throughout the season. All of the positive attitudes and good sportsmanship made a big difference.

The Wolves return to competition next Wednesday, May 1, when they travel to Granite Falls.

 

Wednesday’s results:

 

GIRLS:

8th grade:

100 — Willow Leedy-Bonifas (3rd) 15.42; Amaiya Curry (4th) 16.27 *PR*; Inara Maund (6th) 17.22; Denali Kalwies (7th) 17.45 *PR*; Kayla Moch (8th) 18.05 *PR*; Delilah Castellanos (9th) 18.20 *PR*

200 — Laken Simpson (2nd) 31.10; Olivia Hall (4th) 32.70 *PR*; Ari Cunningham (5th) 33.50 *PR*; Curry (7th) 34.86 *PR*

400 — Marin Winger (2nd) 1:15.09 *PR*; Taylor Marrs (5th) 1:21.06 *PR*

800 — Lillian Ketterling (1st) 3:08.17

1600 — Mikayla Wagner (1st) 6:33.53; Devon Wyman (2nd) 6:59.36 *PR*

100 Hurdles — Cunningham (2nd) 20.71 *PR*; Emma McFadden (3rd) 25.39

4 x 100 Relay — L. Simpson, Hall, Ketterling, M. Wagner (2nd) 1:01.48

4 x 200 Relay — No names listed (1st) 2:15.98

Shot Put — Marrs (4th) 23-09 *PR*; M. Wagner (6th) 21-08.50; L. Simpson (7th) 20-02.50; McFadden (9th) 18-05 *PR*; Maund (11th) 17-02.50; Moch (12th) 14-11 *PR*; Kalwies (13th) 11-07.50

Discus — Marrs (1st) 54-06 *PR*; Ketterling (2nd) 52-10; Amelia Crowder (4th) 42-02; Curry (7th) 29-03 *PR*

High Jump — Crowder (3rd) 3-10

Long Jump — Cunningham (1st) 13-02 *PR*; Leedy-Bonifas (4th) 12-04; Wagner (6th) 11-06 *PR*; Hall (7th) 11-05 *PR*; Wyman (9th) 10-05 *PR*; Maund (9th) 10-05 *PR*; Moch (12th) 7-08 *PR*; Kalwies (13th) 7-00

 

6th/7th grade:

100 — Tamsin Ward (1st) 14.27; Autumn Rubin (11th) 16.64 *PR*; Kaleigha Millison (13th) 16.82 *PR*; Sabrina Judnich (19th) 18.41 *PR*; Annabelle Cundiff (21st) 19.27 *PR*

200 — Hyley Farrell (2nd) 31.24; Anmarie Solis (7th) 34.38; Sage Stavros (8th) 35.28 *PR*; Lakshmi Erickson (11th) 46.25 *PR*

100 Hurdles — Elizabeth Marshall (1st) 21.31; Millison (2nd); Brooklyn Pope (4th) 22.05 *PR*; Rubin (5th) 22.28 *PR*; Pria Powell (7th) 22.43 *PR*; Zariyah Allen (8th) 22.85 *PR*; Lily Fisher (9th) 22.90 *PR*; Ava Alford (11th) 23.45 *PR*; Savannah Niewald (13th) 23.59 *PR*; Eleanor Peterson (15th) 25.77 *PR*

4 x 100 Relay — Farrell, Pope, Emma Cushman, Annaliese Powers (1st) 1:14.43; Judnich, Claire Lachnit, Andrea Gonzalez, Powell (2nd) 1:15.32

4 x 200 Relay — Marshall, Kennedy O’Neill, Stavros, Farrell (1st) 2:17.11

Shot Put — Ward (1st) 33-00 *PR*; Cundiff (5th) 18-02.50 *PR*; Niewald (6th) 18-00 *PR*

Discus — Z. Allen (2nd) 41-09 *PR*; Lachnit (4th) 27-08 *PR*

High Jump — Ward (1st) 4-06; Pope (2nd) 4-05 *PR*; Z. Allen (4th) 3-10 *PR*; Cushman (7th) 3-08 *PR*; Alford (7th) 3-08 *PR*

Long Jump — Farrell (2nd) 13-08 *PR*; Stavros (5th) 11-06 *PR*; Rubin (6th) 11-04 *PR*; Marshall (9th) 11-01 *PR*; Peterson (10th) 11-00 *PR*; Solis (11th) 10-08 *PR*; O’Neill (12th) 10-07; Powell (12th) 10-07 *PR*; Powers (15th) 10-04.50 *PR*; Bettie Woolworth (16th) 10-01.25 *PR*; Niewald (19th) 9-07 *PR*; Millison (20th) 9-06 *PR*; Fisher (24th) 9-02.50 *PR*; Erickson (30th) 7-07 *PR*; Cundiff (30th) 7-07 *PR*

Running as a pack. (Jon Gabelein photo)

 

BOYS:

8th grade:

100 — Beckett Green (3rd) 12.95 *PR*; Roger Merino-Martinez (6th) 13.41 *PR*; Wyatt Fitch-Marron (7th) *PR*; Leonardo Rodriguez (8th) 13.79; Max Ohme (9th) 13.91 *PR*; Johnathan Jacobsen (13th) 15.32 *PR*

200 — Green (2nd) 26.37 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (4th) 27.29

110 Hurdles — Rodriguez (1st) 19.57 *PR*

Shot Put — Khanor Jump (2nd) 29-01.50 *PR*; Ohme (4th) 26-04.75 *PR*; Shiloh Sandlin (8th) 23-00.50 *PR*; Diego Gonzalez (10th) 17-04 *PR*

Discus — Jump (2nd) 75-05 *PR*; Ohme (3rd) 75-02.50 *PR*; Edmund Kunz (12th) 42-09

High Jump — Fitch-Marron (2nd) 4-10; Jacobsen (4th) 4-08 *PR*

Long Jump — Green (1st) 16-00.50 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (6th) 14-03.50; Fitch-Marron (7th) 14-01.50 *PR*; Sandlin (8th) 13-08; Rodriguez (9th) 13-05.50 *PR*; Kunz (15th) 12-03 *PR*; Isaiah Allen (19th) 10-11.50 *PR*

 

6th/7th grade:

100 — River Simpson (1st) 13.92 *PR*; Hunter Atteberry (7th) 15.86 *PR*; Diesel Eck (9th) 16.69 *PR*; Vincent Alguire (13th) 17.34 *PR*

400 — Collin Mirabile (3rd) 1:07.44 *PR*; Henry Bailey (4th) 1:16.14 *PR*

800 — Lincoln Wagner (4th) 2:53.93 *PR*; Sawyer Rudat (6th) 3:01.13 *PR*; Archer Schwarz (7th) 3:09.96 *PR*

1600 — Bailey (1st) 6:10.32 *PR*; Cyrus Sparacio (2nd) 6:15.33 *PR*; Schwarz (4th) 6:38.39 *PR*; Ossian Merkel (5th) 6:47.89 *PR*; Nolan Hunt (8th) 8:05.77 *PR*

110 Hurdles — Malachi Chapa (3rd) 23.28 *PR*; Ceiba Rusch (7th) 23.98 *PR*; Jacob Lujan (11th)

4 x 100 Relay — Chapa, R. Simpson, Xander Beaman, Henry Purdue (1st) 1:10.62

Shot Put — Eck (1st) 32-06.50 *PR*; Mirabile (2nd) 32-04.75 *PR*; Alguire (6th) 20-07 *PR*; Chapa (9th) 18-00.25 *PR*; Hunt (10th) 13-06 *PR*

Discus — Brantley Campbell (1st) 91-05.50 *PR*; Sparacio (6th) 58-09 *PR*; Eck (7th) 53-09 *PR*; Hunt (9th) 41-06 *PR*

High Jump — Mirabile (1st) 4-06 *PR*; Merkel (2nd) 4-06 *PR*

Long Jump — R. Simpson (1st) 13-10.50 *PR*; L. Wagner (7th) 11-08 *PR*; Bailey (8th) 11-06.50 *PR*; Merkel (9th) 11-04.50 *PR*; Maverick Walling (10th) 11-03 *PR*; Schwarz (13th) 10-11.75 *PR*; Lujan (19th) 10-06.50 *PR*; Atteberry (20th) 10-05.75 *PR*; Purdue (21st) 10-02.50 *PR*; Chapa (22nd) 10-01 *PR*; Rudat (22nd) 10-01 *PR*; Rusch (24th) 9-04.25 *PR*

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