Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Wolf Nation loses a real one

February 22, 2024 by David Svien

Joe and Connie Lippo with the Wonder Twins, Skyy and Joey.

Wolf Nation took a major hit Wednesday with the sudden passing of Joe Lippo.

The father of Coupeville High School grads Skyy and Joey, he and wife Connie could be found at nearly every game or activity their children participated in during their time as Wolves.

Tennis, baseball, basketball, and dance — if his offspring was burning up the court or stage, Joe was front and center for it.

And that carried over to both home and road, as I climbed into a car and bounced down the backroads of America with him more than once as we chased (or passed) Wolf busses.

He was fervent in his support of both his own kids, and their classmates as well, and not shy about showing it.

Joe, a Navy man through and through and damn proud of it, was also a HUGE hockey fan, and would gladly tell you why the Detroit Red Wings ruled and anyone else who picked up a stick drooled.

Michigan football and crew of any kind — he was a high school rower of some renown — were also high on his list of approved topics for discussion.

When Coupeville sisters Sophie and Lucy Sandahl began their run with the Seattle Pacific University crew team, you would have thought Joe was directly related to them, as he gushed non-stop about their adventures.

While also gently guiding me when I used incorrect terms for the sport or failed to comprehend the glory and magnificence of oars hitting the water in unison with the first rays of sunshine.

Over the years, Joe was a fountain of opinions, a big-time supporter of my blogging efforts, and an excellent way to tell if my words were hitting right.

Even after his kids graduated and moved on to college, he and Connie popped into games on a semi-regular basis.

He helped me hold up the back wall of the gym at countless events, and he will be missed.

Next time I’m at a game, I will hear Joe’s words, usually delivered while giving me some side-eye.

“Why are you scribbling on a note pad, Svien? Get with the modern age and get a tablet!

“Now eat your hot dog … I didn’t buy it for you so it could sit there and get cold.

“And talking about cold, when are you going to start writing about hockey like a real writer????”

Dude was one of a kind.

“Are you still wearing shorts, Svien? Adults wear jeans.”

 

To help the family:

https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/mo8z13

 

Veterans Legacy Memorial:

https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JOSEPHLLOYDLIPPO/a5e4e4?fbclid=IwAR3YsthoUNPqh4_x7sT8qFSeZqACAO_QqFo73Mw7hrBEZCKA51CUuCj-vEI

Posted in In memory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

All the rules (they want you to follow)

February 21, 2024 by David Svien

Wolf warrior Chase Anderson is bringing his A-game to Arlington. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The mainland is about to be invaded by Wolf Nation.

Coupeville High School fans travel in packs to almost all off-island sports events, so Saturday’s state tourney game against Tonasket should see a lot of red and black in the stands.

In anticipation of the event, Arlington High School, which is hosting, sent out a collection of pertinent info.

 

Site:

Arlington High School — 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd. in … Arlington.

Your game-day destination.

 

Schedule:

4:00 — Coupeville “hosts” Tonasket

6:00 — Arlington hosts Marysville Getchell

8:00 — Tulalip Heritage “hosts” Columbia Adventist

 

Tickets:

Good for all three games; $13 for adults, $10 for students/senior citizens/military.

Must be purchased online through GoFan (with additional fees) or in person with a credit or debit card. NO CASH SALES.

 

https://gofan.co/event/1414313?schoolId=WIAA

 

Streaming:

They will tell you NFHS (and its cruddy cameras and terrible customer service) is your only option. Au contraire, Mon frere (if you’re a Coupeville fan)!

School board prez (and Wolf Mom) Morgan White livestreams on her Facebook page and offers a better picture and running commentary.

For free, unlike NFHS.

 

Seating:

The “home” teams will be on the East end of the court, while the visiting team will be on the West end.

Student sections will be located across the court from the team bench, while adults will sit behind the team bench.

In our current nanny state, you are “not permitted to make inappropriate comments toward officials and opponents” and can be ejected for doing so.

If you do get the heave-ho, wave at the camera as you go.

That way immature Gen X’ers like myself can pour one out for you while remembering a time when students sections were allowed to be rowdy, and everyone shockingly survived to grow up to become functioning adults.

Functioning adults who live to complain a lot about “the mollycoddlers ruinin’ our beloved game,” but functioning adults nonetheless.

Fresh off winning a Bi-District title, the Wolves want more hardware. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Posted in Boys Basketball | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Time to break the drought!!

February 21, 2024 by David Svien

Rockin’ the killer socks, Chris Chan and Co. went to state in 1979. (Photo courtesy Beverly Chan)

16,432 days.

When, not if, the Coupeville High School boys’ basketball team beats Tonasket Saturday in Arlington, it will break a 45-year dry spell for the Wolves.

The last time a CHS male hoops team won a state tourney game came Mar. 1, 1979, when the Whitney boys — Steve and Joe — and their associates smacked Montesano 62-51.

That was the second state victory for the program, with the other coming Mar. 4, 1976, when the Wolves throttled Columbia (Burbank) 80-63.

The first of those wins came in the 2B classification, against a school which holds the #1 seed in this year’s tourney, while the second was at the 1A level.

At any level, it’s been a bit since a Wolf boys’ hoops team came out on top in a state game.

The 45-year drought is the longest active one for a Coupeville program, not counting those which have never won a game at state (football and boys’ soccer) or never played a game at state (girls’ soccer).

In this scenario, track and field, cross country, and tennis don’t count, as none of them play games as a team.

CHS baseball has the most recent win, blanking Toledo 3-0 this past spring, while softball drilled Deer Park 14-2 in 2019.

For girls’ basketball, the last W came in 2005 — a 45-41 thriller over Zillah — while volleyball also beat Zillah, coming out ahead 3-1 in 2004.

For now, though, the spotlight is on the Wolf boys’ hoops stars, who have the chance to make some history of their own.

That 1978-1979 team they’re chasing was one of the best in school history, winning Coupeville’s fifth league title in the decade.

Their spotlight win came against dastardly King’s Garden (now known just as King’s), when Steve Whitney pulled in a pass from Keith Jameson and buried a jumper to net a 55-53 league title-clinching victory.

Those Wolves had three different players ring up 300+ points that season, with Wade Ellsworth (392), Roy Marti (342), and Steve Whitney (337) sharing top honors.

Joe Whitney, who went on to win a state title in later years with Lynden, rang up 213 points, with Jameson banking in 115.

Rounding out the scorers on the last Wolf boys’ team to win at state were future school board director Chris Chan (51), Shawn Ryan (43), Chris Marti (14), and future owner-of-a-magnificent-mustache Evan Tingstad (1).

Posted in Boys Basketball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Lethal lasses lob lasers

February 21, 2024 by David Svien

Perfect shooting form equals points in the book. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Every point captured for posterity.

We’re three games into the eight-game Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball season, and it’s anyone’s guess who will emerge as the scoring champ.

So far 22 different Wolves have rattled the rim for at least one point, with new additions each time out.

After big performances Tuesday against Northshore Christian Academy, Kennedy O’Neill and Adie Maynes have moved to the front of the list.

But there’s still plenty of season left to play, keeping stats geeks glued to their computers.

Where we stand through Feb. 21:

 

Kennedy O’Neill – 29
Adie Maynes – 25
Willow Leedy-Bonifas – 14
Brooklyn Pope – 14
Tenley Stuurmans – 13
Kaleigha Millison – 12
Lillian Ketterling – 10
Amelia Crowder – 8
Sydney Van Dyke – 8
Ari Cunningham – 7
Emma Cushman – 7
Cassandra Powers – 6
Rhylin Price – 6
Olivia Hall – 4
Ava Lucero – 4
Allison Powers – 4
Tamsin Ward – 4
Sophia Batterman – 2
Amaiya Curry – 2
Isabella de Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge – 2
Elizabeth Marshall – 2
Sage Stavros – 1

“You’re a scoring machine, Kennedy! Unleash the beast!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

CMS girls rout private school foes

February 20, 2024 by David Svien

Sydney Van Dyke pushes the ball up court. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was a clean sweep.

Despite missing several key players, the Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball squads hit the road with a vengeance Tuesday, sweeping a pair of games from Northshore Christian Academy.

The victories were crafted with solid team-wide play and sparked by offensive explosions from a pair of promising young snipers.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Adie Maynes went bonkers.

After scoring a single bucket across the first two games of the season, the CMS 8th grader erupted for a game-high 23 in Everett, outscoring her rivals by herself.

The Wolves top squad recorded its first win of the campaign, heading home with a lopsided 41-18 win.

Five different Coupeville players scored, but it was Maynes who was the … main attraction.

She rattled home six points in the opening frame, went off for eight more in both the second and third quarters, then closed her day with a free throw in the fourth.

Lillian Ketterling knocked down six points to back up Maynes, with Olivia Hall, Sydney Van Dyke, and Ava Lucero all banking in four to round things out.

Tamsin Ward, Marin Winger, Laken Simpson, Chelsi Stevens, and Taylor Marrs rounded out the highly efficient roster.

Lillian Ketterling eyeballs the defense.

 

Level 2:

Another romp, as Kennedy O’Neill scorched the nets for a team-best 16 points during a 28-6 blowout.

The victory lifts the Wolves to 2-1 on the season.

Like Maynes, O’Neill tallied points in every frame, but she saved her biggest burst for last.

After going for two, four, and three across the first three quarters, she rippled the nets for seven more to close out the game.

Amelia Crowder and Allison Powers rang up four points apiece, with Isabella de Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge (2), Sage Stavros (1), and Ward (1) also scoring.

Sophia Batterman, Winger, and Elizabeth Marshall also saw floor time for the Wolves.

 

Level 3:

Northshore is the only Cascade League school not to field a third squad, so the Wolves stayed home and played an intra-squad scrimmage against Coupeville’s #4 team.

 

Up next:

Three straight home games are on tap, with CMS welcoming King’s (Feb. 22), Lakewood (Feb. 27), and Sultan (Feb. 29) to Whidbey in the near future.

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »