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Bring the spirit, shake the stands

November 14, 2022 by David Svien

Avery Williams-Buchanan leads off a parade of CHS cheerleaders. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Bigger stadium, bigger cheers.

Coupeville High School’s support crew came out in full force Saturday as the Wolves hosted a state playoff football game at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

While the venue in O-Town is considerably larger than the one in Cow Town, Coupeville’s cheerleaders still made the rafters rock, staying loud ‘n proud from pregame warmups to final buzzer.

Hayley Fiedler

Gracie McFarlin

Ember Light

Alysia Burdge

Karyme Castro

Carlota Marcos-Cabrillo

Abbigail Bond

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Flip the net, move up the list

November 14, 2022 by David Svien

Alex Murdy lines up a shot. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s the job which will likely never be done.

Coupeville High School played its first boys basketball game Jan. 19, 1917 — drilling Langley — and kicks off a new season Nov. 30 by once again facing off with its next-door neighbors.

The job I speak of is documenting every single point scored by a Wolf in a varsity hoops contest, and it’s a tricky one.

Way too many scorebooks from the very olden days vanished long ago, and newspaper archives provide no help.

Sportswriters from the ’30s and ’40s just were not big on documenting who put the ball in the basket.

That being said, we’re sitting pretty good from the ’50s to modern times, with just a few blind spots.

Someone needs to clean out a barn and find a scorebook for Tom Sahli’s sophomore season in 1951-1952. Like today.

While we wait for that prairie miracle to occur, we can marinate in what we have — a list which reflects the scoring efforts of 406 players.

There are seven active Wolf boys on the list, with sophomore Logan Downes (224 points) and junior Alex Murdy (206) currently at #127 and #134 all-time, respectively.

With the sound of shoes squeaking on hardwood about to dominate winter nights, a look at where we stand, with active players in bold.

Nick Guay swoops to the hoop. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Jeff Stone – 1137
Mike Bagby – 1137
Randy Keefe – 1088
Mike Criscuola – 1031
Jeff Rhubottom – 1012
Bill Riley – 934
Pete Petrov – 917
Brad Sherman – 874
Denny Clark – 869
Arik Garthwaite – 867

Bill Jarrell – 855
Hunter Smith – 847
Corey Cross – 811
Hawthorne Wolfe – 800
Jack Elzinga – 770
Barry Brown – 769
Hunter Hammer – 755
Steve Whitney – 730
Dan Nieder – 729
Tom Sahli – 719 (**MISSING SEASON**)

Chris Good – 688
Gavin Keohane – 677
Virgil Roehl – 674
Foster Faris – 668
Pat Bennett – 659
Wade Ellsworth – 659
Jason McFadyen – 654
Rich Morris – 637
Kramer O’Keefe – 636
Wiley Hesselgrave – 632

John O’Grady – 611
Greg White – 604
Denny Zylstra – 602
Joe Whitney – 601
Brian Miller – 597
Mike Syreen – 594
Gabe McMurray – 592
Pat Clark – 583
Randy Duggan – 552
Roy Marti – 551

Jim Syreen – 550
Marc Bissett – 549
Gary Hammons – 533
Jerry Zylstra – 527
Brad Miller – 526
Gary Faris – 524
JJ Marti – 520
Cody Peters – 518
David Lortz – 502
Jason Bagby – 499

Xavier Murdy – 482
Pat O’Grady – 472
Harold Buckner – 469
Sean Dillon – 469
Frank Marti – 462
Del O’Shell – 440
Tony Ford – 432
Caleb Powell – 421
Mason Grove – 414
Ben Biskovich – 407

Casey Clark – 407
Nick Sellgren – 406
Blaine Ghormley – 393
Tom Logan – 385
James Smith – 382
Don Cook – 377
Chad Gale – 373
Mike Millenbach – 373
JD Wilcox – 373
Ty Blouin – 369

Caesar Kortuem – 369
Ray Harvey – 368
Pat Brown – 355
Dick Smith – 352
Ethan Spark – 352
Glenn Losey – 350
Timm Orsborn – 345
Robin Larson – 342
Byron Fellstrom – 340
Kevin Faris – 339

Michael Vaughan – 337
Jim Yake – 331
Aaron Trumbull – 330
Brad Brown – 328
Charlie Tessaro – 328
Utz Conard – 326
Ian Smith – 324
David Ford – 323
Bob Rea – 320
Chris Marti – 319

Gabe Wynn – 316
Nick Streubel – 314
Ben Hayes – 306
Allen Black – 305
Noah Roehl – 301
Blake Day – 299
Noel Criscuola – 298
John Beasley – 293
Risen Johnson – 291
Brian Fakkema – 290

Matt Frost – 290
Mike Mallo – 282
Keith Jameson – 277
Terry Roberts – 277
Kit Manzanares – 275
Boom Phomvongkoth – 275
Zepher Loesch – 274
Alex Evans – 272
Aaron Curtin – 271
Tyler King – 270

Joe Tessaro – 270
Eric Hopkins – 265
Harvey Wainio – 265
Rick Keefe – 259
Troy Blouin – 256
Sean Callahan – 256
Greg Fellstrom – 248
Richard Hammons – 248
Casey Larson – 247
Don Schreiber – 247

Brandon Huff – 245
Grady Rickner – 245
Brad Haslam – 235
Sean Toomey-Stout – 235
Geoff Hageman – 227
Curt Youderian – 226
Logan Downes – 224
Rich Vaughan – 219
Ed Wood – 219
Joel Walstad – 217

Richard Cook – 216
Ryan Keefe – 214
Jordan Ford – 210
Alex Murdy – 206
Andrew Mouw – 204
Vance Huffman – 203
Tim Quenzer – 202
Alan Hancock – 198
Shawn Ryan – 197
Mitch Aparicio – 195

John Engstrom – 195
Trevor Tucker – 194
Roy Mattox – 191
Dale Sherman – 188
Scott Stuurmans – 188
Pat Millenbach – 181
Caleb Meyer – 179
Wayne Hardie – 178
Chris Cox – 177
Evan Tingstad – 177

Jerry VandWerfhorst – 177
Anthony Bergeron – 176
Mike Ankney – 173
Ron Naddy – 172
Dale Libbey – 169
Roger Sherman – 168
Tim Walstad – 168
Randy Blindauer – 166
Mark Bepler – 165
Chad Brookhouse – 163

Jered Brown – 156
Monty Moore – 155
Geoff Wacker – 154
Bill Baas – 153
Ulrik Wells – 152
Jim Faris – 151
Steve Konek – 149
Gavin O’Keefe – 149
Ryan McManigle – 148
Ryan Griggs – 147

Hugh Abell – 145
George Libbey – 142
Sandy Roberts – 134
Craig Anderson – 132
Scott Franzen – 129
Ben Etzell – 127
Gavin Knoblich – 126
Len Buckner – 125
Brian Shank – 125
Joey Lippo – 121

Jessie Smith – 119
Scott McGraw – 116
Christian Townsdin – 116
Mitch Pelroy – 115
Taylor Ebersole – 114
Eric Taylor – 112
Jim Casey – 111
Jacobi Pilgrim – 111
Brian Barr – 108
Joe Donellon – 101

Jason McManigle – 101
Bryan Hamilton – 99
Brian Knoll – 98
Morgan Payne – 96
Christian Lyness – 95
Koa Davison – 94
Ted Weber – 91
Hunter Downes – 89
James Meek – 89
Dan Miller – 89

Steve Bissett – 87
Andrew Cashen – 87
Carson Risner – 86
John Sinema – 86
Nick Morris – 83
Logan Martin – 81
Roy Armstrong – 80
Cameron Toomey-Stout – 80
Caleb Valko – 78
Ross Buckner – 77

Matt Shank – 77
JJ Johnson – 76
Duane Score – 76
Quinten Farmer – 75
Matt Ortega – 75
Mike Ellsworth – 74
Don Spangler – 72
John Zimmerman – 72
Joe Bruzas – 71
Jason Fisher – 71

Tony Prosser – 70
Les Jacobson – 69
Tom Conard – 68
Dean Grasser – 68
Matt Bepler – 67
Zack Swerdfeger – 66
Ron Lanphere – 65
Sage Downes – 64
Ben Hancock – 63
Randy Stone – 63

Mike Brown – 62
Jason McDavid – 62
Jeremy Staples – 62
Brian Hageman – 61
Erik King – 61
David Davis – 60
Tom Mueller – 59
Brandy Ambrose – 58
Sam Kieth – 58
Steve Smith – 58

Martin Walsh – 58
Matt Helm – 57
Dennis Terrell – 57
Drew Chan – 56
DeAndre Mitchell – 56
Daniel Olson – 56
Ellis Schultz – 56
Dave Stoddard – 56
CJ Smith – 54
Larry Zylstra – 54

Asa Owensby – 52
Marc Aparicio – 51
Chris Chan – 51
Joe Kelley – 51
Marvin Darst – 50
Troy Hurlburt – 49
Stanley Bruzas – 48
Dalton Engle – 48
Jerry Helm – 48
Dalton Martin – 47

Eddie Fasolo – 45
Doug Speers – 45
Banky Fisher – 44
Keith Dunnagan – 42
Gaylord Stidham – 41
Erick Harada – 40
James Jorgensen – 40
Nevin Miranda – 40
Jeff Thomas – 40
John Wyatt – 40

John Moskeland – 39
Cole White – 39
Danny Bonacci – 36
Chuck Ruthford – 36
Charlie Toth – 36
Jim Marti – 35
Zeb Williams – 35
Robert Cushen – 34
Dante Mitchell – 34
Sid Mudgett – 34

Dave Brandt – 33
Ryan Kelley – 33
Brian Roundy – 32
Richard Barber – 31
Joe Libbey – 31
Ray Cook – 29
Tim Leese – 29
Ralph Lindsay – 29
Kyle Rockwell – 29
Rick Marti – 28

Toby Martinez – 28
Daniel McDonald – 28
Joe Rojas – 28
Todd Smith – 28
Scott Sollars – 28
Richard Benson – 27
Mike Duke – 27
John Holmes – 26
Lewis Berry – 25
Mark Short – 25

Jonathan Valenzuela – 25
Tim Youderian – 25
Jared Helmstadter – 24
Trent Diamanti – 23
Trevor Mueller – 22
Dan Schleiffers – 22
Dominic Coffman – 21
Jay Roberts – 21
Dustin Van Velkinburgh – 21
Matt Douglas – 20

Jordan Emerson – 20
Dane Lucero – 20
Dean Strom – 20
Scott Fisher – 19
Scott Losey – 19
Bud Merryman – 19
Matt Petrich – 19
Jason Raymond – 19
Rob Blouin – 18
Rick Keith – 18

Marvin Mitchell – 18
Guy Walker – 18
Gary Boyke – 17
Jim Keith – 17
Jean Lund-Olsen – 17
Cedric McIntosh – 17
TJ Rickner – 17
Rick Frieze – 16
Chad Nixon – 16
Josh Wilsey – 16

Steven Cope – 15
Eric Dyer – 15
Mike Lester – 15
Brad Rogers – 15
Henry Edwards – 14
Todd Brown – 13
DJ Kim – 13
LaVerne Arnold – 12
Mike Eaton – 12
Guy George – 12

Kole Kellison – 12
Glen Lanphere – 12
Desmond Bell – 11
Bill Hamilton – 11
Ken Pickard – 11
Jon Roberts – 11
Chris Squires – 11
Ben Winkes – 11
Ron Edwards – 10
Travis Hooker – 10

Daniel Graham – 9
Kyle King – 9
Bruce Seiger – 9
Jimmy Sullivan – 9
Fred Wyatt – 9
Erik Anderson – 8
Dave Bowers – 8
Rob Fasolo – 8
Kraig Gordon – 8
Cody Roberts – 8

Robert Shafer – 8
Dave Wells – 8
Charlie Cook – 7
Bobby Engle – 7
Brian Folkestad – 7
Wayne Hesselgrave – 7
Ed Cook – 6
Nick Guay – 6
Tucker Hall – 6
Chuck Hardee – 6

Kevin King – 6
Robert Kirkwood – 6
George Smith – 6
Nic Anthony – 5
Ariah Bepler – 5
Scott Davidson – 5
JD Myers – 5
Nate Steele – 5
Andrew Bird – 4
Bill Boze – 4

Miles Davidson – 4
Ralph Engle – 4
Jason Legat – 4
Morgan Roehl – 4
Rusty Bailey – 3
Luke Currier – 3
Frank Mueller – 3
Zane Oldenstadt – 3
Tracy Wilson – 3
Teo Benson – 2

Norm Enders – 2
Chris Locke – 2
Jeremy McCormick – 2
Rich McCormick – 2
Denny Moss – 2
Tony Sherman – 2
Marion Sill – 2
Stephen Stietenroth – 2
Robbie Wanamaker – 2
Paul Baher – 1

Bill Engle – 1
Robert Engle – 1
Bob Franzen – 1
Meryl Gordon – 1
Oscar Liquidano – 1
Raleigh Sherman – 1

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Wolf girls chase scoring records

November 14, 2022 by David Svien

Carolyn Lhamon has rumbled for 121 points in her varsity career. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The nets await.

Another season of Coupeville High School girls’ basketball — the 49th overall — kicks off Monday with the first day of practice.

The first games arrive Nov. 30 with a road trip to Langley to face archrival South Whidbey, and once again the art of recording scoring stats begins anew.

I’m still missing any point totals from the inaugural 1974-1975 season, thanks to the local newspaper flat-out declining to write about any of those games.

The Whidbey News-Times Sports Editor of the day, Wallie Funk, may be a journalistic legend, but he had blind spots, and a glaring one was his failure to acknowledge female athletes.

But other than that season, we’re sitting pretty good, having been able to document the scoring efforts of 238 Wolf girls.

Of that group, there are eight active players, should they choose to play this season.

Senior Maddie Georges tops that group, having tossed in 253 career points, which places her at #43 on the all-time scoring chart.

Maddie Georges rains down buckets. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Where things stand entering the 2022-2023 season, with active Wolf players listed in bold:

 

Brianne King – 1549
Zenovia Barron – 1270
Makana Stone – 1158
Megan Smith – 1042
Ann Pettit – 932
Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby – 892
Terry Perkins – 673
Lexie Black – 622
Kristan Hurlburt – 598
Tina Lyness – 594

Marlene Grasser – 574
Judy Marti – 545
Brittany Black – 502
Jen Canfield – 497
Erica Lamb – 497
Emily Vracin – 467
Tina Barker – 464
Vanessa Davis – 448
Lindsey Roberts – 448
Maureen Wetmore – 438

Sarah Powell – 425
Mika Hosek – 424
Cassidi Rosenkrance – 423
Ashley Manker – 404
Shawna West – 388
Katie Smith – 374
Whitney Clark – 359
Amy Mouw – 353
Tracy Taylor – 350
Kailey Kellner – 339

Amanda Allmer – 331
Misty Sellgren – 331
Taniel Lamb – 330
Marie Grasser – 321
Mia Littlejohn – 317
Amanda Fabrizi – 299
Scout Smith – 290
Bessie Walstad – 288
Hailey Hammer – 282
Madeline Strasburg – 261

Carly Guillory – 260
Sarah Mouw – 259
Maddie Georges – 253
Julie Wieringa – 252
Danette Beckley – 249
Chelsea Prescott – 249
Marlys West – 247
Kendra O’Keefe – 244
Breeanna Messner – 235
Hilary Kortuem – 231

Ema Smith – 228
Mikayla Elfrank – 227
Annette Jameson – 223
Beth Mouw – 216
Lisa Roehl – 216
Audrianna Shaw – 212
Linda Cheshier – 210
Izzy Wells – 204
Pam Jampsa – 202
Julia Myers – 202

Kim Warder – 193
Kacie Kiel – 188
Stephanie Clapp – 185
Kassie Lawson – 184
Heather Davis – 182
Jaime Rasmussen – 181
Trudy Eaton – 180
Heidi Bepler – 179
Jodie Christensen – 174
Aimee Messner – 168

Danielle Vracin – 167
Sherry Bonacci – 165
Marie Hesselgrave – 165
Marilyn Brown – 164
Hayley Ebersole – 163
Yashmeen Knox – 163
Traci Perkins – 161
Suzette Glover – 159
Jai’Lysa Hoskins – 151
Jennifer Bailey – 150

Emily Young – 149
Vanessa Bodley – 146
Joli Smith – 142
Jennie Cross – 140
Savina Wells – 133
Taya Boonstra – 132
Sarah Burgoyne – 126
Christi Messner – 125
Kayla Lawson – 124
Avalon Renninger – 123

Carolyn Lhamon – 121
Cheryl Dunn – 119
Hannah Davidson – 116
Jill Whitney – 116
Sarah Wright – 115
Laurie Estes – 114
Debbie Snyder – 113
Tiffany Briscoe – 111
Lauren Escalle – 109
Sally Biskovich – 108

Kara Harvey – 108
Kalia Littlejohn – 106
Kyla Briscoe – 104
Kelly Snyder – 104
Sue Wyatt – 100
Lupine Wutzke – 98
Monica Vidoni – 97
Christine Barr – 95
Lauren Grove – 95
Babette Owensby – 93

Toni Thiefault – 92
Jennifer Pettit – 85
Laura Young – 83
Marnie Bartelson – 81
Cheryl Pangburn – 79
Courtney Arnold – 78
Tonnalea Rasmussen – 78
Sharon Jolly – 75
Amanda Manker – 73
Beth Cavanaugh – 72

Wynter Thorne – 68
Rachelle Solomon – 64
Lindsey Sherwood – 61
Ann Kahler – 60
Ja’Kenya Hoskins – 59
Chelsea Rosenkrance – 59
Lyla Stuurmans – 59
Judy Wallace – 58
Rose Marti – 57
Jean Wyatt – 57

Jennifer Eelkema – 55
Gwen Gustafson – 55
Christine Larson – 53
Courtney Boyd – 52
Kari Johnson – 52
Erin Ryan – 52
Anya Leavell – 51
Nicole Shelley – 50
Traci Barker – 49
Paige Mueller – 49

Stephanie Kipp – 48
Lynn Wilson – 47
Andilee Murphy – 46
Janiece Jenkins – 43
Meghan Metlow – 43
Tia Wurzrainer – 43
Jessy Caselden – 41
Karen Jampsa – 40
Jennifer Meyer – 40
Jill Keeney – 39

Suzanne Enders – 38
Mandi Murdy – 37
Shawn Diem – 35
Min Powell – 35
Abby Mulholland – 32
Lauren Rose – 32
Tammie Hardie – 31
Nezi Keiper – 29
Shannon Rutledge – 29
Taylor Sherman – 29

Anna Myhr – 28
Kirsty Croghan – 27
Lori Friswold – 27
Sarah Vass – 27
Tina Jansen – 26
Kim Stuurmans – 26
Kathy Jolly – 25
Shelby Kulz – 25
Kylie Van Velkinburgh – 25
Melissa Cox – 23

Haley Marx – 23
Lori Hart – 21
Allison Wenzel – 21
Courtney Williams – 21
Aleshia McFadyen – 20
Nancy Dyer – 18
Dina Lanphere – 18
McKenzie Bailey – 17
Carol Estes – 17
Ryanne Knoblich – 17

Kristina Clark – 16
Dawn Clampet – 15
Nicole Laxton – 15
Mollie Bailey – 14
Lindsey Tucker – 13
Jeannette Fixel – 12
Tammy Shubat – 12
Nikki Snyder – 12
Alita Blouin – 11
Kelly Ankney – 11

Naomi Prater – 11
Michelle Riddle – 11
Emily Wodjenski – 11
Alyssa Kelley – 10
Zarah Leaman – 10
Toni Hudson – 9
Katie Marti – 9
Georgie Smith – 9
Cindy Bennett – 8
Susan Estes – 8

Ami Garthwaite – 8
Eileen Hanley – 8
Keri Iverson – 8
Kristine Macnab – 8
Michelle Smith – 8
Carlie Rosenkrance – 7
McKayla Bailey – 6
Lexi Boyer – 6
Rhiannon Ellsworth – 6
Debbie Johnson – 6

Grace LaPoint – 6
Skyler Lawrence – 6
Corrin Skvarla – 6
Janie Wilson – 6
Katy Bennett – 5
Penny Griggs – 5
Marissa Slater – 5
Mia Farris – 4
Denise McGregor – 4
Jessica Sherwood – 4

Kara Warder – 4
Christina Mowery – 3
Samantha Roehl – 3
Ashlie Shank – 3
Jamie Townsdin – 3
Brenda Belcher – 2
Rusty Brian – 2
Carol Davis – 2
Lisa Davis – 2
Nicole Fuller – 2

Cathy Higgins – 2
Daisy Kent – 2
Katie Kiel – 2
Charlotte Langille – 2
Morgan Stevens – 2
Tracy Barber – 1
Amy Biskovich – 1
Corinne Gaddis – 1

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Scores fade, pride endures

November 12, 2022 by David Svien

Wolf seniors Kai Wong (left) and Dominic Coffman hug it out. (Becky Terry photo)

“They gave their town something to be proud of.”

Bennett Richter’s first year as the head football coach at Coupeville High School is one to remember, as he and his squad put together the best run the program has witnessed in 32 seasons.

Which is why, as he hugged his players and thanked them in the cold November air Saturday night, a season-ending loss in the first round of the 2B state playoffs offered a mixture of happiness and sadness for the gridiron guru.

Facing perennial powerhouse Onalaska on the turf at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium, the Wolves were doomed by a variety of things in a 30-14 defeat in a game much closer than the score might sound.

A bad bounce here, a call or two which could have gone either way there, and the loss of starting quarterback Logan Downes to a knee injury with the game tied late in the third quarter conspired to deny Coupeville.

Onalaska, which won a state title as recently as 2019, advances to the quarterfinals to face undefeated Okanogan next weekend, while the Wolves finish at 7-2.

That’s the most wins for a CHS gridiron team since the 1990 team went 9-1, which, not coincidentally, was the last time the program won a league title and earned a trip to the state tourney.

Ron Bagby (left) and Jason McFadyen, Coupeville’s coach and starting QB the last time the Wolves were in the state playoffs. (Photo courtesy McFadyen)

Jump forward three decades, or 11,691 days, if we’re counting, and Coupeville football was back in the big dance.

Riding a six-game winning streak, the Wolves earned a “home” playoff game, meaning they travelled just 10 miles up the road to O-Town, while Onalaska bumped and bounced on the bus for close to 200 miles one way.

Richter’s first playoff game as a head coach came on the same field where he played the final two years of his own prep career for Oak Harbor High School.

Both teams came prepared to slug it out, bodies slamming into bodies, uppercuts mixing with jabs. It was an old-fashioned, rock-em, sock-em brawl, just the way the game was designed to be played.

Coupeville got first crack at the ball, mixing up its play-calling with Logan Downes zipping 10 and 15-yard passes to Hunter Bronec and Tim Ursu, respectively.

But a big sack on third-and-nine forced a Wolf punt, and Onalaska went on a 17-play, 88-yard drive which ended with Rodrigo Rodriguez crashing into the end zone from three yards out.

The Wolf defense stiffened, denying the Loggers on a two-point conversion run, but a pattern was set with Onalaska running, running some more, then running another billion times while keeping the clock ticking away.

CHS wasn’t backing down, however, and it reclaimed the lead on its second drive.

Back-to-back penalties on Onalaska got things rolling, while Ursu made a phenomenal snag on a fourth-down pass while bouncing all of his body off the turf.

With the Logger defense back on its heels, Scott Hilborn burst through the line, veered to the left sideline and outran the defense on a 14-yard scoring run, knotting things at 6-6 with 9:47 left in the half.

A booming PAT kick from Daylon Houston gave Coupeville its one and only lead of the game at 7-6, but Rodriguez punched in a one-yard scoring run two minutes later to push the visitors back in front.

This time the Loggers were successful on their conversion play to push the margin to 14-7.

Wolf lineman Josh Upchurch and his biggest lil’ fan. (Brittany Kolbet photo)

With the ball back in their hands, the Wolves put together a stellar drive which, unfortunately, ended in heartbreak.

Downes was operating at peak performance, threading a 14-yard pass to Hilborn through a forest of defender arms, while also juking a Logger defender out of his shoes on a 19-yard quarterback scramble.

Toss in a face mask penalty on Onalaska and several smash-mouth runs from Dominic Coffman, shedding tacklers by knocking them on their butts, and the Wolves were headed for the tying score.

And it looked like they got it, until the refs said no, no, no.

Downes pegged a pass to the left on third-and-goal from the seven-yard line, and in the resulting explosion of bodies, the ball came loose.

Had the Wolf receiver already crossed the line, as Coupeville coaches argued?

Or did the ball pop free before the six points were official, allowing Onalaska to pounce on it for a touchback?

The refs ruled the latter, and it stung badly for the Wolves.

Hilborn did his best to make sure the score would stay at 14-7, bringing down a runner behind the line for a solid loss, then skying high to poke away a potential touchdown pass on the final play of the half.

Still, Onalaska had the lead, and would receive the opening second-half kickoff. Coupeville needed to make a stand.

And boy howdy, did the Wolves, as they forced, and recovered fumbles on three straight possessions.

Two of those came on on-side kicks, the ball skittering off of Loggers and being snatched up by Coupeville’s rampaging pack of hit-happy defenders.

The Wolves converted the second of those turnovers into a game-tying touchdown, with Downes hitting Hilborn on a 25-yard pass, before Coffman blew through the line on his way for a 19-yard jaunt to the end zone.

The third of those fumble recoveries seemingly shifted the momentum firmly to Coupeville, only for tragedy to strike.

Downes connected with Ursu on another big pass play only to be smushed while scrambling three plays later.

The ball popped free, was recovered by Onalaska, but then popped free a second time thanks to a wicked hit from a Wolf defender at the goal line and looked like it had been recovered by Coupeville.

Instead, the refs ruled the Loggers retained possession, which set them up with a first-and-goal at the two-yard line.

Enter Mr. Rodriguez, who bowled over the Wolf defense with what would prove to be the winning score.

While Onalaska’s splendid sophomore celebrated a three-touchdown game, the mood was much more somber on Coupeville’s side of the field.

Downes spent the game’s final 16 minutes on the sideline, his knee wrapped in ice, with freshman QB Chase Anderson making a sudden, unexpected playoff debut against a fired-up Logger defense.

After throwing just 10 passes during the regular season, the young gun held up well in the spotlight, hitting a 20-yard pass to Ursu late in the game and showing fleet feet on scrambles.

But the Onalaska defense was stout and stingy, and it held at the most-important moment of the game.

After almost bending too far.

Coupeville, trailing 22-14 and facing third-and-12 from its own three-yard line late in the fourth quarter, pulled off a play which had, in the words of CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith, “both the razzle and the dazzle.”

Anderson flipped the ball to Ursu, who dropped a pass over the defense and into the long arms of Bronec, who weaved back and forth for 54 yards before finally being brought down from behind.

Add in that previously mentioned 20-yard bomb from Anderson to Ursu, and a shorter, but still very key pass to Houston, and the Wolves were in business.

Until Onalaska stiffened, denying Coupeville on a third-down plunge from the one-yard line, on a play which got more damaging after the refs dinged the Wolves for unsportsmanlike conduct.

A questionable call, that shoved CHS back to the 18-yard line, and an interception on the next play put a cap on things.

Don’t stop believin’. (Becky Terry photo)

Or so it seemed, until the Wolves quickly forced a three-and-out, got the ball back with less than two minutes to play, and went for the tie one more time.

Anderson alertly scrambled away from the defense to get Coupeville to midfield, but a holding penalty on the Wolves two plays later hurt.

Onalaska finally slammed the door shut with just 48 ticks on the clock thanks to a pick-six from Case McGraw, sending Logger fans to the parking lot with an extra skip to their steps.

While the loss ends Coupeville’s season, the 2022 campaign was a huge step forward for a program which failed to post a winning record between 2006-2018.

The coach who ended that skid in 2019, Marcus Carr, was on hand Saturday to watch his former players in action, as was Ron Bagby, who led the last Wolf gridiron squad to reach the state playoffs in 1990.

This year’s team boasted 34 players, the deepest roster in years, and racked up 52 touchdowns, led by Coffman (14 TD’s), Hilborn (13), and Ursu (12).

The Wolves scored 26 times on the ground — tying the program record set in 2014 — 18 times through the air, twice on interceptions, twice on fumble recoveries, twice on kickoff returns, and twice on punt returns.

More than the wins and losses, however, was how the team gelled, and how the community rallied around them.

The stands were overflowing for home games, fans traveled for road rumbles, near or far, and there was an excitement around the program which was infectious.

“The guys poured their hearts into this all season,” Richter said. “You can see that tonight with the hugs and the emotion.

“A loss always stings, but this is a resilient group; they didn’t put their heads down no matter the situation,” he added.

“The seniors led, and the young guys stepped up, and now that they’ve had a taste of what this is like, they’ll want more.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them!”

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La Conner spikers four-peat

November 11, 2022 by David Svien

Ellie Marble, unleashed. (Photo property Washington Interscholastic Activities Association)

The final chapter was a best seller.

La Conner High School volleyball coach Suzanne Marble capped a 30-year run Friday, guiding her squad to a fourth consecutive 2B state title.

The Braves knocked off Okanogan, Lind-Ritzville-Sprague, Manson, and Colfax to claim the crown, the seventh overall in program history.

Marble and La Conner claimed titles in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

There was no state tournament in 2020 because of the ongoing pandemic.

The Braves finished 18-3 in Marble’s final season and dropped just one set at state.

Seeded #3 in the 12-team 2B field, La Conner upset #2 Manson in the semifinals, revenge for a late-season non-conference loss during an Eastern Washington road trip.

Top-seeded Kalama, which was 22-0 entering play Friday, also suffered an upset, falling to #4 Colfax in the semifinals.

It turned out to be back-to-back losses for the Chinooks, as Manson spiked them in the 3rd/4th place match.

Adna (5th), Lind-Ritzville-Sprague (6th), Okanogan (7th), and Tri-Cities Prep (8th) also brought home trophies.

While the 2B championships were a 12-team affair, with La Conner beating Coupeville in the bi-district finals to claim the one ticket to state available for Districts 1 and 2, it was a much-bigger draw in 1B.

Three Northwest 2B/1B League rivals which Coupeville blitzed in the regular season made the 20-team field in that tourney.

Mount Vernon Christian was seeded #6, Orcas Island #16, and Darrington #19, but it was the lowest of those three seeds which surprised everyone by claiming a trophy.

Darrington won three of five matches to finish 8th, while the two other NWL schools went 1-2.

Neah Bay, another school Coupeville scorched during the regular season, beat the Loggers in the 7th/8th place game, while top seeded Oakesdale won the 1B title.

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