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Wolf JV bashes Bush

November 29, 2023 by David Svien

Davin Houston (left) and Aiden O’Neill (center) had big games Wednesday in Seattle. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was close for a hot second.

OK, maybe two seconds.

And then the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad flipped a switch, lit the jets, and ran their hosts off the floor while playing Wednesday night at The Bush School in Seattle.

For one brief moment, the Wolves trailed 6-5 in the early going, and then, wham, bam, go put some ice on your dome, as CHS romped to a 54-20 victory.

The non-conference win, coming against a 1A foe, lifts Coupeville’s JV to 1-1 on the season.

The Wolf young guns will largely be fans this Saturday when their varsity counterparts host Toledo — though a couple of guys will swing up to join the #1 team — not returning to action as a team until Dec. 9, when they travel to Sultan.

Thanks to Toledo not having a second unit, new JV coaches Craig Anderson and Jon Roberts will coach their first five games on the road.

Which just gives them, and their team, a chance to use the out of town run to get everything in sync before they make their home debut.

Wednesday night the Wolves struck first, with Aiden O’Neill going coast to coast to get the scoreboard up and going, before Bush crawled back into the game.

The host Blazers only held the advantage for about the length of time needed for Coupeville to bring the ball up court once, however.

Jack Porter pulled off a three-point play the hard way, banging his way inside for a bucket and free throw, and the Wolves were off to the races.

Up 11-6 at the first break, CHS poured it on in the second frame, stretching its advantage out to 27-10 by the half.

O’Neill was a fireball, picking off passes, careening in for buckets, and teaming up with Landon Roberts to pile up a ton of assists.

If Bush had any grand plans to mount a comeback, those plans died on the white board.

Jack and Johnny Porter were twin terrors on the boards in the third quarter, while Camden Glover pounded the ball down low.

The best scoring play may have come when freshman Davin Houston made off with a steal and hit Roberts in stride for the breakaway bucket.

The fourth quarter was nothing but good times, as Coupeville romped to a 14-0 run across the final eight minutes.

Capping things off was a three-ball from O’Neill, the ball launching from the parking lot and splashing home for an emphatic exclamation point to the game.

For their part, Coupeville’s coaching duo, who moved up from the middle school program to helm the JV, celebrated their first high school win with a couple small nods to each other.

“We got off to a good start, played tough D, and shared the ball as allowed,” Jon Roberts said.

“Got some playing time in with a few who didn’t get much or any at Mt Baker. Good win for the squad.”

Jack Porter paced the Wolves with a game-high 14 points, while Johnny Porter threw down 11 in support.

O’Neill (9), Jayden McManus (6), Houston (6), Glover (4), Roberts (2), and Riley Lawless (2) joined the offensive attack, with Sage Arends also seeing floor time.

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Gridiron dreams do come true

November 29, 2023 by David Svien

They played ball together in Coupeville. Now, Jason McFadyen (left) is an Anacortes football fan, while Sean Dillon cheers for Tumwater. (Photo courtesy McFadyen)

“Change your stars and live a better life than I have.”

Living by the words of A Knight’s Tale, both the Coupeville and Anacortes football programs have soared in recent seasons.

The turnaround for the Seahawks is simply spectacular.

Go back to Oct. 25, 2019, and Anacortes was arguably at its lowest moment.

That night a fairly large 2A school took to the gridiron in Cow Town and promptly lost 18-7 to a Coupeville squad repping a 2B-sized school, and not a state powerhouse by any means.

The win clinched the first winning season for Wolf football in 14 years, a streak which had endured since 2005.

For Coupeville players, coaches, and fans, it was a huge moment and signaled the beginning of a turnaround.

Now, current Wolf head coach Bennett Richter — Coupeville’s Defensive Coordinator that night — has continued to build on what Marcus Carr accomplished, while adding more milestones.

Coupeville won a league title and went to the state playoffs in 2022, accomplishments not earned by a CHS football team in three decades.

And while the loss stung for Anacortes, the visitors went home, kept working, and piece by piece became a program which ain’t playing any 2B rivals again any time soon.

In fact, the current Seahawks, whose support group includes cheerleader Kate McFadyen, daughter of old-school Coupeville QB Jason, are one step from achieving inner nirvana.

Anacortes is undefeated, ranked #2 in the state in 2A, and plays for its first state title this Saturday at Husky Stadium against Tumwater, my true alma mater.

The T-Birds are a major obstacle — also undefeated, ranked #1 and seeking a seventh crown — but go back to 2019 and try to imagine Anacortes football being where it is now.

The Hawks, regardless of the final score in Saturday’s game, have really, truly, changed their stars.

That’s a major win in my book.

 

PS — Go Tumwater!

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Tough foe, feisty response

November 28, 2023 by David Svien

Diesel Eck lets a free throw fly. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Learn, live, move on to the next challenge.

Facing off with one of the better hoops’ programs in the Cascade League Tuesday, the Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball teams spent much of the afternoon playing catch-up.

And while the Wolves couldn’t beat visiting Northshore Christian Academy, they did find some strong moments to build upon.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

NSC dominated play in the early going, before Coupeville showed improvement once the running clock kicked in during a 41-9 loss.

The visitors spent much of the first half slashing inside for easy buckets, building a 30-0 lead to start things.

Coupeville finally got on the board when Nick Laska elevated and drained a three-ball on the final scoring play of the half.

Immediately afterward, teammate Kamden Ratcliff pulled off the defensive play of the game, winning a battle on the floor for a ball.

In doing so, he took the NSC player to the floor, hard, went up and over him while still holding onto the ball, and showcased some major grit which bodes well for the future.

While the clock madly ticked away after the break, Coupeville held its own in the third quarter, with Carson Grove muscling his way in for back-to-back buckets and Laska turning an offensive rebound into a basket.

For the game, Laska finished with five points, while Grove popped for four.

Calvin Kappes, Ratcliff, Chayse Van Velkinburgh, Khanor Jump, Jackson Sollars, Nathan Niewald, and Liam Lawson also saw action for Alex Evans’ crew.

 

Lincoln Wagner elevates on defense.

 

Level 2:

The sequel played out a lot like the first game, with Coupeville falling behind big early, showing some solid fight in the latter stages, and losing 40-12.

Khanor Jump was the lone Wolf to score through the first three quarters, racking up eight points on a pair of buckets where he rolled hard to the hoop, and a handful of free throws.

He also rejected an NSC shot, while Treyshawn Stewart picked up a block of his own, but in a much louder way.

Losing control of the ball, he chased down the would-be thief, went airborne, and spiked the kid’s shot attempt off the back wall.

It was a thing of raw beauty, danger and anger mixed together, and proof Stewart has as much promise as any player currently wearing a CMS uniform.

Diesel Eck slipped a free throw through the net early in the fourth quarter to break Jump’s streak of scoring all of Coupeville’s points, before Stewart resurfaced.

Launching a three-ball from deep, he made the net sing a sweet song, his trey hitting pay dirt and causing the Wolf fans to scream loudly.

Though, to be honest, the middle school girls in attendance were plenty loud all game long, upholding a proud tradition of CMS hoops fans peeling the paint off the gym walls with their vocal renditions.

In addition to the three Wolves who scored, Jayden Little, River Simpson, Trent Thule, Jonah Weyl, Aiden Wheat, Johnathan Jacobsen, Xander Beaman, Maverick Walling, Lincoln Wagner, Deacon Frost, Jacob Lujan, and Mario Martinez also saw floor time.

 

Wolf ace Aiden Wheat keeps a watchful eye on the pesky paparazzi.

 

Level 3:

NSC is the only school in the league to field just two teams, and not three, preventing Wolf fans from sitting on the rock-hard CMS bleachers for another hour.

Call it a win for our fannies.

 

Up next:

Coupeville hosts Sultan Thursday, with tipoff at 3:15 PM.

Level 3 plays first, followed by Level 2, with Level 1 capping things.

After that, the Wolves travel to South Whidbey Dec. 4, host that same foe Dec. 11, then travel to Lakewood Dec. 13 for the finale.

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

Gebhard queen of the dog show circuit

November 28, 2023 by David Svien

Gabriella Gebhard (and her pooch) impress the judges. (Photos courtesy Stephanie Gebhard)

They’re coming for all your trophies.

All of them, I said.

Coupeville High School junior Gabriella Gebhard and her faithful pooches are once again dominating the ultra-competitive dog show world.

Working with several canine companions, but most often her rock star — Walker (Set’r Ridge’s Legend in the Making) — she’s won 18 Best Juniors titles since 2022.

“This is my doggo. He doesn’t lose. End of story.”

The latest triumph came in Monroe last weekend, where Gebhard held off 55 competitors to claim top honors.

She has also met the Masters level in Juniors and is a few short weeks away from traveling to Florida for a massive show.

That’s the Royal Canin AKC National Championships, which run Dec. 13-16 in Orlando.

Gebhard, who has been showing for many years, also works with Andy Linton, a top-level professional handler.

Everything on point.

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Former Wolf ace earns college soccer gig

November 28, 2023 by David Svien

The Coupeville to college pipeline continues.

Former Wolf star Lauren Marrs, who has played her high school ball in Oak Harbor, is taking her soccer game to the next level.

She’s officially joining the Skagit Valley College booter program, having signed a letter of intent with the Cardinals.

Marrs was an All-Conference goaltender as a senior at OHHS, helping lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament for the first time in two decades.

When she’s not playing soccer, either for her high school or select squad, Taylor’s older sister is also a standout on the basketball court.

The middle of Brian and Emili’s three daughters — big sis Jaden graduated from CHS and was a cheerleader — Lauren began her sports career in Coupeville and is still a frequent visitor at Wolf games.

A graduate of Coupeville Middle School, she has been at Oak Harbor High School since her freshman year.

Skagit Valley College women’s soccer went 12-2-2 this fall, playing two games at the league tourney.

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