Coupeville Sports

Thin bench, extra effort

September 21, 2023 by David Svien

Capri Anter cranks up the power. (Jackie Saia photos)

If you’re on the floor, you’re on the floor.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad played with the minimum six players Thursday, with everyone in uniform bringing big effort.

While the Wolves, who had five freshmen among their active players, couldn’t topple visiting Orcas Island, they did push the Vikings in a 25-18, 25-18 loss.

The conference defeat drops Coupeville to 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 1-3 overall, with a trip to La Conner Sept. 26 next up on the schedule.

The young Wolves battled hard in the opening set, building an early lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Capri Anter.

The fab frosh cracked one of those winners off of a Viking player’s arm, the ball hitting bone and making the sound of a melon dropped off the Empire State Building.

Myra McDonald goes low for a shot.

Myra McDonald collected her own ace shortly after, but on a ball which caught the net, hung in the air for an eternity, then flopped over the other side, burrowing its way into the ground as several Orcas players swung and missed.

That staked Coupeville to a 6-4 advantage, but despite some strong work at the net from Anter, the Vikings pulled away, reclaiming the lead and stretching it out.

The second set, played quickly as Orcas prepared to ankle it to the ferry, proceeded in much the same style.

Coupeville sparkled early, this time with McDonald lashing a winner and Chloe Marzocca crushing a nasty service ace, before the Vikings used a deeper roster and older players to seize the advantage.

The Wolves got stellar all-around play from Lexis Drake and Haylee Armstrong, while Anter soared high for a tip winner and Dakota Strong killed the dreams of an Orcas rival by stuffing her shot at the net.

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 3 kills, 3 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 4 assists, 1 ace
Lexis Drake — 1 kill
Chloe Marzocca — 1 dig, 2 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 kill, 2 aces

Posted in Volleyball | Tagged Capri Anter, CHS Wolves, JV, Myra McDonald, Orcas Island, volleyball | Leave a Comment »

One of us, one of us!

September 21, 2023 by David Svien

“Join our club!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member???”

That’s the question at the heart of Bimbo’s Initiation, one of the weirdest cartoons of the 1930’s — and that’s saying a lot — a surreal descent into madness which I, and my nephews, adore.

Well, I adore it, and they endure it. Almost the same thing.

Back here in the real world — where counterfeit Micky Mouse’s aren’t padlocking manhole covers and cultists with candles on their head aren’t dancing while swords with mouths chase people — “Wanna be a member” has a better connotation.

This time out, it’s the Coupeville Booster Club asking the question, and the answer is an easy “yes.”

Or it should be, if you want to help Wolf Nation continue to prosper.

So, first, jump on the chance to sign up for the booster club, by scooting over to:

https://www.memberplanet.com/s/coupevilleboosterclub/membership-2021-2022

Then, go watch Bimbo’s Initiation, and thank me (or throw something at me) later:

Posted in Booster Club | Tagged Betty Boop, Bimbo, Coupeville Booster Club, membership drive, Wolf Nation | Leave a Comment »

Wolf QB chases gridiron history

September 21, 2023 by David Svien

Logan Downes flicks a pass towards the end zone. (Bailey Thule photo)

I stand corrected.

Or, more accurately, MaxPreps — where the struggle is endless and the end results questionable — stands corrected.

Well, maybe not corrected so much, but at least hanging its head in shame. Hopefully.

What am I rambling about?

Well, having done a deep dive into the touchdowns passes tossed by Coupeville High School quarterback Logan Downes, I have discovered an error on MaxPreps.

I know, we’re all shocked. Like, really, really shocked … oh … no, now I’m being told none of us are shocked in the slightest.

But anyway, back to heapin’ abuse on MaxPreps, which credits Downes, a current senior, with throwing two TD lobs as a sophomore, when he really had three.

This changes everything! Everything, I say!!

At the very least, the correction does move him one step closer to taking away older brother Hunter’s career TD passing record. So, there’s that.

With six regular season games, and hopefully a playoff run, still ahead for Logan, he sits with 28 scoring passes, third best in CHS gridiron history.

Three as a sophomore while sharing time with Cole Hutchinson under center, in a season where the Wolves had one game cancelled by the wind, and another by injuries.

Then 17 last year, one shy of Joel Walstad’s single-season school record, and eight and counting through the first three games of the 2023 season.

Toss two more scoring strikes, and Logan joins his basketball coach, Brad Sherman (33 TD’s) and big bro Hunter (35) in the “30” club.

The current Wolf gunslinger already holds the single-game school record of five touchdown passes in a game — set last season against La Conner, which travels to Whidbey this Friday for a rematch.

As he chases his sibling in the record books, Logan has connected with 11 different receivers on a TD pass over the past three seasons.

His support crew:

Tim Ursu — 6
Scott Hilborn — 4
Aiden O’Neill — 4
Dominic Coffman — 3
Daylon Houston — 3
Chase Anderson — 2
Hunter Bronec — 2
Peyton Caveness — 1
Henry Ohme — 1
Jack Porter — 1
Malachi Somes — 1

Posted in Football | Tagged Brad Sherman, CHS Wolves, football, Hunter Downes, Logan Downes, passing records | Leave a Comment »

Booters get WIAA ranking love

September 20, 2023 by David Svien

Coupeville soccer is ranked #9 among 2B/1B teams. (Ryan Blouin photo)

Get rid of the private schools and Coupeville is sitting pretty.

Ranked in the top 10 for the first time in years, the Wolf boys’ varsity soccer squad (and its female assassins) is currently slotted at #9 among 2B/1B pitch programs according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Toss out all the private schools, however, and CHS would jump to #2 in the RPI rankings, trailing just defending state champs Friday Harbor.

Of course, Washington state refuses to hold separate championships for public schools and private schools, even when private schools are able to offer “scholarships” and other incentives to steal athletes away from their rivals.

But that’s an argument for another day.

Today, according to the computers that rank teams in soccer, volleyball, and football, Coupeville’s booters (2-1) are #9, while Friday Harbor (3-0) is #2 and fellow Northwest 2B/1B League rival Mount Vernon Christian (5-0) is #3.

Auburn Adventist Academy (2-0) tops the list, while NWL heavyweight Orcas Island (2-2), which won the state title in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2022, are #11 ahead of a trip to Whidbey this weekend.

The rest of Coupeville’s NWL foes sit in a bunch, with Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood (#13), Lopez Island (#14), La Conner (#15), Providence Classical Christian (#16), and Grace Academy (#19) lumped together in a field of 21 schools.

And what about the other sports using RPI?

Coupeville volleyball (1-2) is ranked #26 out of 53 schools in 2B, while Wolf football (0-3) finds itself at #33 of 43 after opening with losses to three 1A schools who are a combined 8-1.

Is RPI important? It can be, as it’s used when committees seed teams in the various state tournaments.

Is it correct?

Well, your computer may say Northwest Christian (Colbert) is the #1 football team in 2B and defending champ Napavine, which has won 16 straight games, is #2.

But that just means your computer, or the person programming it, is a moron.

Posted in soccer | Tagged CHS Wolves, football, Friday Harbor, RPI, Soccer | Leave a Comment »

Basketball or camera, Ryan Blouin hits the target

September 20, 2023 by David Svien

Wolf goaltender Hurlee Bronec freezes time with a mere glance. (Ryan Blouin photos)

He shoots, he scores.

Ryan Blouin has proven himself to be a crafty marksman on the basketball hardwood, raining down three-ball pain on foes while repping Coupeville’s red and black.

Now, the CHS senior is joining the world of yearbook whiz kid photographers, delivering a collection of soccer pics to make his debut as a paparazzi here on ye olde blog.