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Big spikes, big cheers

October 19, 2025 by David Svien

Arley Bosler and Coupeville’s C-Team won its match Thursday afternoon. (Julie Wheat photo)

The home finale was a barnburner.

Defending their home court for the last time this season, the Coupeville Middle School volleyball squads clashed with visiting Sultan Thursday, nabbing a win and a pair of close losses.

The day was supposed to start with the C-Team playing first, but things got flipped at the last second, with varsity going first.

That change made for an extended warmup period.

Add it to an intense first match, filled to the brim with multiple time-outs and long rallies, and the clock ran out on me after just two sets, as the high school spikers were about to begin their clash with La Conner across the hallway.

Before I left, the varsity squads split the first two sets, with Sultan taking the opener 25-16, before Coupeville rebounded to snatch frame #2 by a 25-23 score.

Without my rear being abused by the rock-hard bleachers in the middle school gym, the Turks pulled out a 15-12 victory in the deciding set.

Zariyah Allen and Rhylee Inman came up big for the Wolves in the early going, with the former slicing off Sultan arms with wicked kills and the latter soaring into the air to establish a no-fly zone for the Turks at the net.

Toss in a sweet lil’ tip from Cameron Van Dyke, sending a rival sprawling to the floor, and winners from Reagan Green and Jade Peabody, and CMS was on point.

Unfortunately, an 11-6 lead evaporated as Sultan, powered by a mighty masher in the middle of its offense, closed the set on a 19-5 tear.

The second set featured nine ties before the Wolves pulled away for the win.

Inman, to the delight of a large personal fan section, was on fire at the net (and on her serve), while Allen and Faith Rivers also peppered the Turk defense while firing off serves.

The Wolves built a 19-14 lead, Sultan got back to 20-20, then CMS put the hammer down.

The Turks fought off two set points, but Coupeville sent me out of the smaller gym surrounded by the victorious screaming of teen girls by holding on to eke out the set win.

Without me in the middle school gym, the Wolf JV fell 21-25, 26-24, 15-8, while the C-Team nabbed its first win of the season, bouncing the Turks 25-22, 25-21, 10-15.

“The girls were resilient,” said CMS coach Shaloma Allen.

“I’m proud of how far they have come this season,” she added. “The energy stayed high, and I was proud of each one of them.”

Coupeville ends its season with back-to-back road trips to Lakewood and South Whidbey Oct. 21-22.

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“The girls came out firing on all cylinders”

October 19, 2025 by David Svien

Sydney Van Dyke and her travel ball teammates are off to a strong start. (Colleen Henderson-Van Dyke photo)

Adeline Maynes was in mid-season form.

The Coupeville High School sophomore was firing BBs from the pitcher’s circle Saturday, whiffing five across three innings to lead the Island Vipers 16U softball squad to a 9-4 win over New Level Softball – Dail in Everett.

The Vipers, who draw players from across Whidbey Island, jumped on their foes with a four-run top of the first, and never looked back.

“The girls came out firing on all cylinders, the base runners were aggressive, and the bats were on fire,” said coach Grant Van Dyke.

Sydney Van Dyke and Shea Allison fueled the early rally with base knocks, with the Vipers coming back around to ice the game with five runs in the third.

Sophie Zeigler, Emma Allison, Maynes, and Shea Allison all drove in runs during the game-deciding surge, with Cameron Van Dyke and Charley Lasick also picking up base hits.

Capri Anter and Marlie Wutzke paced the Vipers with two walks apiece, with the squad pushing the pace on the basepaths with eight stolen bases.

The Vipers, who also include Ava Lucero and Kennedy Strevel on their roster, get back at it next Saturday with another road game, this time traveling to square off with the WA Bombers 16U.

Adeline Maynes (center) is a flame-throwing terror in the pitcher’s circle 24/7/365. (Jackie Saia photo)

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Rainy day, rough foe

October 18, 2025 by David Svien

Ayden Warren played a strong defensive game Saturday in a Coupeville loss. (Parker Hammons photo)

“That’s a really good football team over there.”

As the players exited Mickey Clark Field Saturday, Coupeville High School football coach Bennett Richter was philosophical about what had transpired on a cold, wet, windy prairie afternoon.

Adna, a top 10 ranked team in 2B, had blown open a close game, using a 38-point explosion in the second quarter to nail down a lopsided 52-7 non-conference victory over the Wolves, making a fairly loud statement.

“I’d like to have a couple of those big boys…” Richter mused as a 300+-pound Pirate lineman, his uniform soaked in sweat, rain, and grime, strolled by.

“Adna is going to make some noise in the state playoffs.”

Now, even with the loss, which drops Coupeville to 1-6 on the season, the Wolves still have their own playoff hopes.

With only two of the seven schools in the Northwest 2B/1B League playing 11-man football, CHS and Friday Harbor are locked in a duel for the chance to advance to a cross-over playoff game, with a trip to state at stake.

Friday Harbor won the first go-round with Coupeville by a 28-14 score, and the rematch is set for next Friday’s regular-season finale in Cow Town, which doubles as Senior Night for the Wolves.

Earn a season split with a win, and Richter’s team will force a tiebreaker half-game clash, likely to be played on a neutral field in La Conner.

As they prep for rumble #2 with Friday Harbor, which sits at 3-4, the Wolves will try to have a short memory and flush the last three quarters of Saturday’s game from their collective memories.

If you look at just the first 15 minutes or so from the Adna game, it’s a really positive story.

While the visitors struck first, using a 75-yard return on the opening kickoff to set up a very short field, then punching in a touchdown on an eight-yard run, Coupeville responded in kind.

Trailing 8-0 after Adna was successful on a two-point conversion run, the Wolves drove 62 yards on six plays for their own touchdown.

CHS quarterback Chase Anderson slipped through two defenders and unleashed a 46-yard bomb through the air on third-and-nine, the ball dropping right onto the waiting fingertips of a sprinting Davin Houston, to push the Pirates back.

Then, three plays later, Anderson again slipped a tackle, before outsprinting the defense to the right corner of the end zone for a 10-yard scoring rumble, his team-leading seventh score of the season.

A successful PAT from Anderson cut the margin to 8-7, followed by Coupeville’s defense stepping up big-time early in the second quarter during a driving rainstorm.

Riley Lawless got the crowd revved up by crushing an Adna ballcarrier, and the Wolves forced two fumbles on the ensuing drive.

While Adna managed to wrestle the ball back the first time, it wasn’t quite so lucky the second time, as the slick ball shot loose and was covered by a pile of Wolves.

With the ball back in Anderson’s hands, things seemed bright for the Wolves on an otherwise dark, dank day.

Unfortunately, that was almost exactly the moment when everything fell apart for Coupeville.

Adna turned the tide by forcing a punt, then taking the kick to the house on a 55-yard sprint to the end zone, and things got much worse from there.

Coupeville’s next three drives ended with an interception and a pair of punts, with the Pirates following up each defensive stand with a quick touchdown drive of their own.

That sent a 16-7 deficit to 22-7, then 30-7, then 38-7, with time still left on the first-half clock.

The visitors went for the KO, and got it, immediately following a touchdown by dropping an onside kick, and recovering it, with less than 30 seconds until halftime.

Wolf lineman Ira Volpentesta made a nice stop on Adna’s first run play after the turnover, but the Pirates went to the air on the next play, connecting on a scoring strike to carry a 46-7 lead into the locker room.

The rain was much less brutal in the second half, but the clock also flew faster, after the visitors busted off a final 30-yard rushing touchdown to trigger the 40-point mercy rule.

With the clock whizzing down to 0:00, the Wolves continued to fight, however.

Liam Blas busted off a strong run, bouncing off of bodies and churning for yardage, while Ayden Warren came screaming through the line to plant the Adna quarterback into the turf for a late sack.

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Two generations, one cheer dream

October 18, 2025 by David Svien

Scotlyn Helm (left), Miles Gerber and associates brighten a dark day. (Photos courtesy Jennifer Morrell)

The rain didn’t dampen their spirit.

Despite Mother Nature dumping cold rain on Saturday’s Coupeville High School football game, Wolf Spirit Team members and their Junior Cheer counterparts stayed loud ‘n proud.

The photos above and below capture two generations of Cow Town cheerleaders in action, showcasing current CHS students passing on their love of the sport to those who will follow in their footsteps.

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Booters shine in prime-time performance

October 17, 2025 by David Svien

Edmund Kunz scored his first high school goal Friday night. (Julie Wheat photos)

The spotlight suits them.

Playing under Friday Night Lights, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad rolled to a 4-1 win over visiting Grace Academy, sending their fans into a tizzy.

The victory is the third in the last five games for the Wolves and lifts them to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-6 overall.

Playing on its home turf as the sun set over Mickey Clark Field on a fairly serene mid-October night, Coupeville’s pitch kings were in control of the game from start to finish.

Playing for the first time this season with a completely healthy roster, including the debut of Jacob Lujan after he battled back from a leg injury suffered during the first day of practice, Coupeville attacked in waves.

And the goals came, fast and furious, as Sage Arends put together a hat trick, in just one half of play.

His first score came on a charge up the middle barely three minutes into the game, as he dared the Grace goalie to stop him, then offered the netminder no chance.

The ball left Arends toe like a rocket, splashing into the back of the net, and the rout was on.

From there, the silky-smooth junior banged home shots while on the move at the 22-minute mark, then again at the 34-minute mark.

With those three goals, Arends has five on the season, moving him back to the top of the team scoring chart, and eight for his CHS career.

While spending most of the half on the retreat, Grace did manage to get a few shots of its own off, only to have Wolf goalie Sam Richards deny them.

His best move? A block where he went parallel to the ground to punch the incoming shot off to the side, where it rolled out of bounds harmlessly.

The visitors did break through in the second half, scoring their lone goal on a laser to the corner of the net with 18 minutes left to play.

But the Wolves, to the delight of a group of high school fans beating out a steady rhythm on the metal stands with their legs, had an almost immediate response.

A Coupeville player was sent sprawling to the turf during an ensuing scrum, earning a penalty kick for the Wolves, and CHS coach Jim Kunz sent his son, Edmund, to the line for the one-on-one play.

The move paid off, with Edmund Kunz hammering the crud out of the ball, spinning it past the flailing goalie, notching his first high school goal, and capping the night’s offensive performance.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron, man of many talents.

With the Wolves basking in the afterglow of a home victory, Jim Kunz praised his team’s play, while honoring Wyatt Fitch-Marron as his game MVP.

The sophomore helped anchor the team while playing as both a defender and midfielder and showed consistent bursts of speed and an ability to kick-start the Wolf attack.

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