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Mikey Robinett is here to crush fools and take names. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Evans Rankings rules, the rest of you drool.

Matt Evans, the seer of Washington state high school football, and his trusty computer, Newman, are the one outlet truly buying in to Coupeville’s gridiron giants being a state tourney threat.

As the Wolves await Sunday’s reveal of who, where, and when they will play in the 12-team royal rumble, a scan of various pollsters and rankers finds a fair amount of disrespect for a 7-1 CHS squad.

Now to be fair, when you’ve just won your first league title, and punched your first ticket to state, in 32 years, it’s easy to see why.

Out of sight means out of mind, and it’s easy for many to just plug in the same old names “cause they were there before.”

It happened to Coupeville boys’ basketball earlier in 2022, when a 16-0 record didn’t always earn the Wolves a full amount of respect.

After CHS hoops made its first state tourney trip since 1988 and played prime-time teams Kalama and Lake Roosevelt tough, however, several rival coaches had nice things to say about the Wolves.

Now they know who we are.

The same thing can happen for football, especially if the Wolves make some noise in the state tourney.

For now, Evans Rankings has Coupeville at #7 among 2B schools (I bow to my computer overlords), while the Associated Press and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association both plunk the Wolves at #10.

SB Live leaves CHS out of its Top 10 but does have it third in its “next teams up.”

So, the Wolves, having punched a ticket to the 12-team state tourney, have already outplayed what is essentially a #13 ranking…

And Ryland Spencer, noted hamburger fiend and prep football savant?

He leaves Coupeville completely out of his Top 10 on Cascadia Preps, which proves Cow Town needs to produce a good enough burger to lure the man, the myth, the meat-eatin’ machine, to Whidbey to watch a game in the future.

Get on it, chefs!

In the end, of course, none of these pollsters or rankers, whether they be man or computer, matter as much as the guys who step on the field reppin’ the red and black.

Win, and they have to give you respect, whether they want to or not.

 

Associated Press 2B poll for Nov. 2:

1. Napavine – (9-0) – 90 poll points
2. Okanogan – (9-0) – 80
3. Lind/Ritzville/Sprague – (7-1) – 70
4. Toledo – (7-1) – 65
5. River View – (8-1) – 45
6. Chewelah (Jenkins) – (6-2) – 41
7. Columbia (Burbank) – (7-2) – 29
8. Pe Ell/Willapa Valley – (6-3) – 24
9. Raymond – (7-2) – 20
10-tie. Coupeville – (7-1) – 9
10-tie. Liberty (Spangle) – (6-2) – 9

Myca Clarkson and Co. are bound for the state playoffs. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Eight games in, and the future is wide open.

The Coupeville High School football team capped a 7-1 tear through the regular season by claiming its first league title, and first trip to the state playoffs, since 1990.

By this weekend, we’ll be down to 12 teams capable of winning a 2B crown, and one of those will be wearing red and black.

The Wolves find out their opening foe, and when and where they’ll play, when the field is seeded this Sunday, Nov. 6.

Until then, you can marinate in some season-to-date stats offered up by CHS coaches.

 

OFFENSE:

 

Passing:

Logan Downes — 80-133 for 1,155 yards with 17 TDs
Chase Anderson — 4-10 for 31 yards with 1 TD

 

Receiving:

Tim Ursu — 25 receptions for 271 yards
Daylon Houston — 14-262
Scott Hilborn — 18-227
Hunter Bronec — 11-163
Dominic Coffman — 6-133
Anderson — 1-40
Henry Ohme — 1-35
Aiden O’Neill — 1-25
Cameron Breaux — 2-15
Johnny Porter — 1-14
Marquette Cunningham — 1-(-3)
Jack Porter — 1-(-3)

 

Rushing:

Coffman — 76 carries for 680 yards
Hilborn — 47-458
Jo. Porter — 34-141
Downes — 17-66
Ursu — 11-31
O’Neill — 7-20
Ja. Porter — 1-8
Xander Stinnett — 2-5
Anderson — 3-4
Devinion Hill — 2-1
Mikey Robinett — 1-0

 

Total Yards (Rush/Pass/Rec):

Downes — 1221
Coffman — 813
Hilborn — 685
Ursu — 302
Houston — 262
Hun. Bronec — 163
Jo. Porter — 155
Anderson — 75
O’Neill — 45
Ohme — 35
Breaux — 15
Ja. Porter — 5
Stinnett — 5
Hill — 1

 

All-Purpose Yards (Rush/Rec/KR/PR/IR):

Hilborn — 815
Coffman — 813
Ursu — 668
Houston — 433
Jo. Porter — 167
Hun. Bronec — 163
Downes — 91
O’Neill — 52
Anderson — 44
William Davidson — 40
Ohme — 35
Breaux — 15
Ja. Porter — 5
Stinnett — 5
Hill — 1

 

Pancake blocks:

Davidson — 1
Zane Oldenstadt — 1

 

Touchdowns:

Coffman – 13
Hilborn – 12
Ursu – 12
Houston – 3
Jo. Porter – 3
Anderson – 1
Hun. Bronec – 1
Peyton Caveness – 1
Davidson – 1
Downes – 1
Ohme – 1
O’Neill – 1

 

Conversions:

Ursu — 2
Hilborn — 2
Coffman — 1
Houston – 1

 

PATs:

Houston — 18
Anderson — 12

 

Field Goals:

Houston — 1

 

Points:

Coffman — 80
Hilborn — 76
Ursu — 76
Houston — 41
Anderson — 18
Jo. Porter — 18
Hun. Bronec – 6
Caveness – 6
Davidson – 6
Downes — 6
Ohme – 6
O’Neill — 6
Team — 4

 

DEFENSE:

 

Tackles:

Hilborn — 77
Ursu — 59
Coffman — 45
Kevin Partida — 42
Caveness — 41
Jonathan Valenzuela — 36
Davidson — 29
Josh Upchurch — 23
Robinett — 21
Downes — 20
Kai Wong — 13
Houston — 11
O’Neill — 11
Marcelo Gebhard — 10
Oldenstadt — 5
Jo. Porter — 5
Hurlee Bronec — 4
Coen Killian — 3
Ja. Porter — 3
Anderson — 2
Hun. Bronec — 1
Myca Clarkson — 1
Yohannon Sandles — 1
Chris Villarreal — 1

 

Tackles For Loss:

Hilborn — 17
Upchurch — 7
Valenzuela — 7
Caveness — 5
Coffman — 5
Robinett — 3
Ursu — 3
Partida — 2
Davidson — 1
Downes — 1
Killian — 1
O’Neill — 1

 

Interceptions:

Downes – 3
Hilborn – 2
Ursu – 2
Coffman – 1
Davidson – 1
O’Neill — 1
Valenzuela – 1

 

Passes Defensed:

Ursu — 9
Downes — 6
Hilborn — 3
Caveness — 2
Davidson — 2
O’Neill — 2
Valenzuela — 2
Anderson — 1
Hun. Bronec — 1
Partida — 1
Ja. Porter — 1

 

Fumble recoveries:

Caveness — 3
Coffman — 3
Hilborn — 1
Partida — 1
Upchurch — 1
Ursu — 1
Valenzuela — 1

 

Sacks:

Hilborn — 6
Coffman — 3
Caveness — 2
Upchurch — 2
Valenzuela — 2
Killian — 1
Robinett — 1

 

QB Hurries:

Coffman — 4
Davidson — 4
Oldenstadt — 3
Robinett — 3
Hilborn — 2
Jo. Porter — 1
Valenzuela — 1
Wong — 1

 

Blocked Punts:

Valenzuela — 1

 

SPECIAL TEAMS:

 

Kickoffs:

Ezra Boilek — 14

 

Punts:

Downes — 8-282

 

Kickoff returns:

Houston — 4-171
Ursu — 4-155
Hilborn — 5-127
Jo. Porter — 2-12
O’Neill — 1-7

 

Punt returns:

Ursu — 9-169
Hilborn — 1-3

Cameron Epp gets his head into the game. (Morgan White photo)

They hide on the internet but show up on the field.

It’s nearly impossible to find info on the Summit Atlas boys soccer squad online.

In person however, the Orcas proved to be a quick, slightly chippy group, one which bounced Coupeville from the bi-district playoffs Tuesday night.

Slipping in a pair of goals, while blunting most of the Wolf attacks, Summit Atlas came out on top 2-0 in a game played at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

The loss ends Coupeville’s season at 5-9, while the Orcas, now 4-1-1, advance to play Mount Vernon Christian Friday, Nov. 4 at Sedro-Woolley High School in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.

CHS pitch guru Robert Wood watches the action unfold. (Morgan White photo)

Tuesday’s tilt, played on a slightly slick turf field under a hanging patch or two of fog, was one of the few times the Wolves didn’t play on natural grass this season.

That seemed to throw Coupeville off a bit at times, while Summit Atlas looked a little more natural sliding across the pitch.

The Orcas were far from spectacular, but they were efficient, they were willing to bump and grind as long as the refs looked the other way (and they frequently did), and they caught just the right angles on their goals.

There were no thunderbolts, no deftly slapped shots, just two balls — one in each half — which found a small break in the Wolf defense and ended up nestled in the back of the net.

Summit’s first score came in the game’s 11th minute, while its second hit paydirt in the 63rd.

The Orcas kept the majority of the action on Coupeville’s side of the field, allowing their goalie to spend a fair amount of time cooling his heels and hopping around in an effort to stay warm in the slightly chilly early-November air.

Aidan Wilson, who paced Coupeville in scoring during his senior season, had two decent looks at the net, but that was about it for the Wolves.

One of his shots went wide left, while a backwards header while airborne brought a roar from the pro-Wolf crowd but went up and over the crossbar.

While Coupeville’s offensive attack was a bit muted, its defense hung tough, with Preston Epp, Grant Steller, and crew fighting off several Summit charges, in addition to a collection of wayward elbows, hands, and knees.

Grant Steller unleashes a nuclear blast. (Morgan White photo)

Wolf goalie Nick Guay stood tall in the net, blocking several close-range shots and providing calm leadership for the backline.

The playoff game was the final high school soccer contest for CHS seniors Steller, Wilson, Reiley Araceley, and Cameron Epp, but Coupeville can return 12 of 16 player’s next season, including five who scored this fall.

Playing in the toughest 2B/1B league in the state — a conference which includes the defending state champs — the Wolves held up well.

Coupeville beat Friday Harbor, currently ranked #3, and held top-ranked Orcas Island scoreless for the first 30 minutes in a recent game.

As CHS coach Robert Wood and his players build back from the program being nearly shutdown after the pandemic, the Wolves are headed in the right direction.

“I’m very happy with our season, and how we played most of the time this year,” Wood said. “It’s all positive progress.”

 

Final season scoring stats:

Aidan Wilson – 10
Preston Epp – 5
Cameron Epp – 4
Cole White – 3
Reiley Araceley – 2
Nick Guay – 2
Alex Smith – 2
Cael Wilson – 2
Grant Steller – 1

A final group photo op. (Morgan White photo)

Lyla Stuurmans is ready to stop ‘n pop. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There’s something for everyone.

The 2022-2023 Coupeville High School basketball schedules include conference rumbles, non-league tilts, and even a visit to a far-away holiday tournament.

Both the Wolf girls and boys hoops squads are set to travel to Leavenworth in late Dec. for the Cascade Hoops Classic, where they’ll each play twice against top-level competition.

When it comes to Northwest 2B/1B League play, CHS faces fellow 2B schools Friday Harbor and La Conner twice, while also having a home-and-away series with 1B Mount Vernon Christian.

Coupeville only plays the other 1B schools — Orcas Island, Concrete, and Darrington — once, however.

That leaves plenty of time to play non-league schools, and the rivalry games with next-door neighbor South Whidbey lead off the season.

Who is missing? Oak Harbor, the 3A school to the north which fell hard to the Wolf boys last season.

Intentional? Not intentional?

Who’s to say, though last time the Wildcat boys lost to Coupeville on the hardwood, they didn’t play us again for a decade, so…

As you mull over various conspiracy theories, a look at the hoops schedules as they sit today, with varsity listed first, then JV, and * marking league games:

 

GIRLS:

Wed-Nov. 30 — @ South Whidbey (5:15/7:00)
Sat-Dec. 3 — Lakewood (5:15/7:00)
Tues-Dec. 6 — @ Auburn Adventist Academy (7:30/4:30)
Sat-Dec. 10 — Sultan (5:15/7:00)
Wed-Dec. 14 — Crescent (3:30) — Varsity only
Thur-Dec. 15 — @ Sedro-Woolley (7:15/5:30)
Sat-Dec. 17 — @ Forks (1:00/2:30)
Tues-Dec. 27 — @ Cascade Hoops Classic – Game #1 (TBA) — Varsity only
Wed-Dec. 28 — @ Cascade Hoops Classic – Game #2 (TBA) — Varsity only
Fri-Jan. 6 — Orcas Island (3:30/5:00) *
Tues-Jan. 10 — Mount Vernon Christian (5:15/7:00) *
Fri-Jan. 13 — Darrington (5:15/7:00) *
Sat-Jan. 14 — @ Neah Bay (1:30/3:00)
Wed-Jan. 18 — @ La Conner (5:15/7:00) *
Fri-Jan. 20 — @ Mount Vernon Christian (4:30/3:00) *
Tues-Jan. 24 — @ Concrete (6:00) * — Varsity only
Fri-Jan. 27 — Friday Harbor (4:00/5:30) *
Sat-Feb. 4 — Granite Falls (1:00/2:30)
Tues-Feb. 7 — La Conner (5:15/7:00) *
Fri-Feb. 10 — @ Friday Harbor (4:00/5:30) *

 

BOYS:

Wed-Nov. 30 — @ South Whidbey (7:00/5:15)
Sat-Dec. 3 — Lakewood (7:00/5:15)
Tues-Dec. 6 — @ Auburn Adventist Academy (7:30/4:30)
Sat-Dec. 10 — Sultan (7:00/5:15)
Wed-Dec. 14 — Crescent (5:00) — Varsity only
Thur-Dec. 15 — Sedro-Woolley (7:00/5:15)
Sat-Dec. 17 — @ Forks (2:30/1:00)
Tues-Dec. 27 — @ Cascade Hoops Classic – Game #1 (TBA) — Varsity only
Wed-Dec. 28 — @ Cascade Hoops Classic – Game #2 (TBA) — Varsity only
Fri-Jan. 6 — Orcas Island (5:00/3:30) *
Tues-Jan. 10 — Mount Vernon Christian (7:00/5:15) *
Fri-Jan. 13 — Darrington (7:00/5:15) *
Sat-Jan. 14 — @ Neah Bay (3:00/1:30)
Wed-Jan. 18 — @ La Conner (7:00/5:15) *
Fri-Jan. 20 — @ Mount Vernon Christian (7:00/3:00) *
Tues-Jan. 24 — @ Concrete (7:30/6:00) *
Fri-Jan. 27 — Friday Harbor (5:30/4:00) *
Sat-Feb. 4 — Granite Falls (2:30/1:00)
Tues-Feb. 7 — La Conner (7:00/5:15) *
Fri-Feb. 10 — @ Friday Harbor (5:30/4:00) *

Fast feet, big brains

CHS female harriers excel in the classroom as well as on the course. (Helen Strelow artwork)

Our cross country runners are smarter than your cross country runners.

Coupeville High School’s female harriers qualified as a team for this Saturday’s state meet, and while the Wolves are in Pasco, they’ll receive an extra honor.

That’s because CHS girls’ cross country is an academic state champion, with its runners combining for the best GPA among all 2B schools participating in the sport.

The Wolf team, which includes Helen Strelow, Claire Mayne, Noelle Western, Reagan Callahan, and Erica and Cristine McGrath, compiled a 3.969 GPA.

Coupeville is coached by Paige Spangler.

The state champion honor is bestowed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and Gesa Credit Union.

CHS will receive a plaque at the state meet, with runners each earning a special patch and medallion.

Other 2B schools honored for fall sports include Okanogan (boys’ cross country and girls’ soccer), Saint Georges (boys’ soccer), Liberty (football), and Asotin (volleyball).