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Young, scrappy, and getting dangerous

December 15, 2023 by David Svien

The Wolves prepare to pounce. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

They got the gang back together.

A game after loaning out Haylee Armstrong and Bryley Gilbert to help Orcas Island field a full team, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team was back at full force Friday night.

And with 11 players in uniform, the very-young Wolves, who have six 8th graders on the roster, gave host Friday Harbor a serious run for its money.

Getting stronger and stronger as the game unfolded, the CHS hardwood warriors almost caught their rival at the end before falling 36-32.

The loss leaves Coupeville at 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 1-3 overall heading into a home game Saturday against South Whidbey.

With the Falcons unable to field full boys’ teams for this weekend, the JV girls get to play in the main gym at 5:15 PM, with the varsity following at 7:00.

The 50th anniversary of the Wolf hoops program will be celebrated at halftime of the varsity game.

Kassie O’Neil’s JV players, many of whom will one day play at the upper level, hung tough during a low-scoring first quarter Friday, heading to the break down just 6-4.

While a bump in the second frame stretched the deficit out to 18-9, the Wolves hacked away at the lead after halftime.

Coupeville trimmed the margin down to 24-17 through three quarters, then went off for almost half of their points while winning the fourth 15-12.

Armstrong paced the Wolves, ringing up eight of her team-high 14 points in the final minutes, while Taylor Marrs and Gilbert each chipped in with four.

Tenley Stuurmans (3), Adie Maynes (3), Lexis Drake (2), and Brynn Parker (2) also tallied points, with Capri Anter, Ava Lucero, Chelsi Stevens, and Ari Cunningham rounding out the rotation.

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Cold shooting late trips up Wolves

December 15, 2023 by David Svien

Katie Marti (second from left) scored a team-high 13 points Friday night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They started so hot and ended so cold.

The Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad scorched host Friday Harbor for 15 first-quarter points Friday night, then struggled to scratch out 10 more the rest of the way.

Going six-plus minutes without scoring in the second, third, and fourth quarters, the Wolves eventually frittered away an 11-point lead, falling 30-25 in their conference opener.

The loss drops Coupeville to 2-3 overall, 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, and stings badly as it comes against one of the other two 2B schools in the seven-team conference.

That could have a major impact in the chase for a playoff berth.

For now, the Wolves get an immediate chance to bounce back, when they host South Whidbey in a non-conference clash Saturday.

JV tips at 5:15, varsity at 7:00, and the program’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated at halftime of the second contest.

Friday’s rumble started like a blowout, with everything going Coupeville’s way.

The Wolves claimed the lead at 4-2 on a bucket in the paint from Jada Heaton and would hold the advantage for almost the entire game.

Five different CHS players hit a field goal in the game’s opening frame, with Heaton coming back around to slap home a rebound with just two ticks left on the clock.

Up 15-6 at the first break, the Wolves added a quick pullup jumper from Katie Marti to open the second quarter, and then things turned bleak.

Coupeville only connected on three field goals, and no free throws, across the game’s final 23 minutes-plus.

Not that Friday Harbor came roaring back exactly, as the Wolverines were madly clanking shots left and right as well.

But slowly, painfully, the host Wolverines crawled back into the game.

Friday Harbor trimmed the lead to 17-10 at the half, then 22-20 through three quarters.

Mia Farris made off with a steal and slashed end-to-end for a breakaway bucket to open the third — snapping her team’s long dry spell — but then CHS went another six minutes-plus with no points.

With the lead slashed to 19-18, Marti knocked down a three-ball, then she repeated the feat to open the fourth, pushing her squad ahead 25-20.

And then Coupeville simply stopped scoring. Again.

Friday Harbor tied the game at 25-25 with a hair over three minutes to play, forcing the first stalemate since way back at 2-2.

From there, a steal, a lob inside for a layup, and one free throw after Coupeville was forced to foul five times in 12 seconds to stop the clock, set the final margin.

Wolf coach Megan Richter was philosophical afterwards.

“It’s a learning curve. We will get there,” she said.

“The nice thing is we are improving every game and that’s all a coach can ask for right now.”

Marti accounted for more than half of her team’s scoring, rattling the rims for a season-high 13, which pushes her one point away from joining the 100-point club.

Heaton and Farris added four apiece, Skylar Parker and Lyla Stuurmans each knocked down a bucket to round out the scoring, and Madison McMillan and Teagan Calkins were ferocious on the boards.

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New town, same old win

December 15, 2023 by David Svien

Malachi Somes (back) was one of nine Wolves to score as Coupeville’s JV rolled to a fourth-straight road win. (Photo courtesy Megan Rickner)

Do they even want to come home?

The Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad has played its first five games on the road this season, going from town to town terrorizing the locals.

Friday night the place to be was Friday Harbor, and once again the young Wolves were in fine form, drilling their hosts 64-50 in the conference opener for both teams.

The victory lifts Coupeville to 4-1 overall, 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, and pushes its win streak to four games.

The young guns were finally scheduled to play at home Saturday against South Whidbey, but the Falcons had to reschedule, so CHS will wait until next Tuesday, when Forks makes the trek to Cow Town.

Which might not be a bad thing as the JV was battling team-wide sickness Friday.

Not that it slowed the Wolves roll.

The first quarter was a tense affair, with Friday Harbor clinging to an 18-17 lead at the break.

That changed in a hurry, however, as seven different Wolves scored in the second frame, powering a game-changing 17-9 run.

Up 34-27 at the half, Coupeville poured in another 20 points in the third to build a 54-38 advantage, then gave the bench some major playing time in the fourth.

The Wolves got scoring from nine of 10 players in uniform, with Camden Glover (19) and Jack Porter (16) combining for 35 points.

Johnny Porter (9), Aiden O’Neill (6), Landon Roberts (5), Malachi Somes (3), Riley Lawless (2), Makai Myles (2), and Easton Green (2) also scored, while Davin Houston brought defensive heat.

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Edlund out (for the year), Black back (full time)

December 15, 2023 by David Svien

Coupeville High School Vice Principal Leonard Edlund will not return during the 2023-2024 school year.

Meanwhile, Dean of Students Tom Black, originally a budget cut, has been returned to full-time status after starting the year as a part-timer.

Those changes were announced in an email Friday by Coupeville Superintendent Steve King.

The pertinent details:

Recently, we learned that Mr. Edlund, our MSHS Assistant Principal, will not be able to return to work during the 23-24 school year. 

Given this, we are adjusting our plans for staffing and administration support for the secondary campus for the remainder of the school year.

At the beginning of the school year, we made the following changes to help absorb the loss of Mr. Edlund:

1. We brought Mr. Black back to work on a part-time basis as a temporary Dean of Students.

2. To continue providing leadership for our Career and Technical Education Program (CTE), we brought on Susan Haldezos-Galligan, formerly Johnson, to be our CTE Director.

3. We restored days to Allyson Cundiff’s contract that had been cut over the summer so she could assist Mr. (Geoff) Kappes with staff evaluations.

With the updated information regarding Mr. Edlund, we are making changes to the plan for the remainder of the school year.

First of all, we will continue to support the changes made above.

Last week, when we learned that Mr. Edlund would not be returning, we restored Mr. Black to full-time.

We are also exploring the possibility of hiring an interim assistant principal for the remainder of the school year, with Feb. 1 as a potential target start date.

This plan is still being developed, and all options are being considered as we find a viable option to support students and staff while considering the financial implications.

Unfortunately, this evolving situation has affected the secondary campus while increasing district expenses.

I want to thank everyone for their continued work absorbing the significant workload in Mr. Edlund’s absence.

We will inform you once we have finalized our plans for the remainder of the school year.

Meanwhile, we’re all keeping Mr. Edlund in our thoughts and wishing him a full recovery.

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No boys, all girls Saturday

December 15, 2023 by David Svien

Saturday is all about 50 years of Coupeville High School girls’ basketball. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No boys allowed.

Sort of.

The schedule for Saturday’s 50th anniversary celebration of Coupeville High School girls’ basketball has been tweaked at the last second, thanks to the visitors.

South Whidbey informed Wolf Athletic Director Willie Smith Friday that it wouldn’t have enough eligible players to play either the scheduled varsity or JV boys’ games.

Both will be rescheduled for later in the season.

The change actually allows CHS a chance to widen its focus on its girls’ teams, without materially changing anything.

The JV girls will still play at 5:15 PM, but now get to do so in the high school gym and not the middle school gym.

The CHS cheer team will perform at halftime of that game.

The varsity will tip off at 7:00 PM as planned, with the anniversary festivities slated for halftime of that contest.

The 1999-2000 team — the first Wolf girls’ team in any sport to win at state — and the top 15 career scorers will be honored.

In the best news of the day, Smith has confirmed cake will be served in the lobby after the varsity game.

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