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Hardball heroes launch campaign

March 11, 2022 by David Svien

Young gun Chase Anderson made an impressive high school baseball debut Friday at a jamboree. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

A little warmup before opening day.

That was what the Coupeville High School varsity baseball team was looking for Friday afternoon.

A day before kicking off the regular season with a home game against Mount Baker, the Wolves travelled to Oak Harbor for a multi-team jamboree.

While there CHS bounced their hosts 5-0 and were nipped 1-0 by South Whidbey in three-inning contests.

It was a strong start for a 2B Wolf program, with Oak Harbor and South Whidbey being 3A and 1A schools, respectively.

Making the jump from the hardwood, where he helped lead Coupeville to its first state tourney berth since 1988, junior Alex Murdy led the offensive charge.

Meanwhile 8th grader Chase Anderson made his high school diamond debut, tossing a scoreless inning on the mound.

With Mount Baker on the horizon — varsity plays at 1 PM Saturday, followed by a five-inning JV game — Coupeville coach Will Thayer was glad to see his players working out the kinks.

“We hit great against Oak Harbor, and struggled against slower pitching from South Whidbey,” he said.

Coupeville’s varsity, ready for the season.

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

All over the world (they’re droppin’ buckets)

March 11, 2022 by David Svien

Haylee Armstrong scans the defense. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They make the basket pop.

Three games into the 2022 middle school girls basketball campaign, there are 10 Coupeville players who have racked up points.

Defense wins games, and hustle wins the hearts of coaches, but points are the easiest stat for me to track, so here we go.

 

CMS scoring leaders:

Kierra Thayer – 13
Tenley Stuurmans – 12
Haylee Armstrong – 6
Lexis Drake – 4
Brynn Parker – 4
Liza Zustiak – 4
Rosie Lay – 2
Adeline Maynes – 2
Rhylin Price – 1
Melanie Wolfe – 1

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

Road warriors stay scrappy

March 11, 2022 by David Svien

Kierra Thayer powers to the hoop. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Step by step, they’re building a bright future.

Coupeville Middle School girls basketball players — many making their hardwood debut — continue to flash signs of brilliance, drawing approval from their coaches.

Thursday was the middle match-up in a three-game road trip, sending the Wolves to the wilds of Sultan to face off with one of the best programs in the Cascade League.

And while CMS absorbed a pair of losses, hoops gurus Kristina Forbes and Kassie Lawson exited content in the knowledge that their teams are trending in the right direction.

How the day played out:

 

Varsity:

Sultan’s middle school teams have been dominant in recent years, and the young Turks proved up to the challenge in a 43-7 win.

The loss drops Coupeville’s top squad to 0-3 on the season.

The hosts barreled out to a 15-0 lead after one quarter of play, then put the game on ice with a 12-5 run in the second frame.

Brynn Parker netted her first points of the season, pacing the Wolves with a team-high four, while Haylee Armstrong rattled the rims for a bucket, and Kierra Thayer swished a free throw.

Capri Anter caught some love from her coaches for her defensive play, including a tooth-rattling rejection of a Turk shot.

Liza Zustiak, Rhylin Price, Lexis Drake, Avery Williams-Buchanan, Tenley Stuurmans, and Valeria de Jesus Merino also saw floor time for Coupeville.

 

JV:

The Wolves fell in a game in which the Sultan scorebooks uphold a longstanding middle school tradition of not adding up.

Maybe it was 26-5. Maybe 25-5. Maybe 20-5.

We’ll never know for sure.

What we can attest to is Lexis Drake (4) and Melanie Wolfe (1) breaking into the scoring column for the first time during the 2022 campaign.

And a whole lot of hustle from the Wolves (0-2) on both ends of the floor.

“Willow Leedy-Bonifas was fierce for going for steals,” Kristina Forbes said. “They played great defense.

“Chelsi Stevens stepped up as a guard on offense and handled it well,” she added. “Adeline Maynes — a shorty — stepped up to help our posts with rebounds; she didn’t let the tall girls scare her away.”

Ava Carpenter, Price, Laken Simpson, Taylor Marrs, and de Jesus Merino also saw floor time for Coupeville, which wraps up its road trip with a journey to Granite Falls Mar. 15.

After that, the Wolves get three-straight home games.

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

Concrete softball cracks, crumbles

March 10, 2022 by David Svien

Izzy Wells and Coupeville softball lost a league opponent Thursday, when Concrete cancelled its season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A crisp 15% of the schedule just vanished.

Concrete High School announced Thursday it would not be able to field a softball team this season, due to a lack of players.

That erases three games from Coupeville’s 20-game schedule.

The Lions and Wolves were slated to play a doubleheader in Concrete Mar. 25, before facing off for a single game Apr. 19 in Coupeville.

The loss of Concrete leaves five of seven Northwest 2B/1B League schools active on the softball field, with La Conner, Friday Harbor, Darrington, and Orcas Island joining Coupeville.

Mount Vernon Christian doesn’t play the sport.

 

UPDATE #1:

A non-conference home game against Meridian Apr. 20 has been added, bumping the Wolves back to 18 contests.

 

UPDATE #2:

A non-conference road game at Oak Harbor Apr. 22 has been added, bumping CHS back to 19 tilts.

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Wolves dribble into a new future

March 9, 2022 by David Svien

Tenley Stuurmans had a team-high eight points Tuesday in Coupeville Middle School’s first road game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Get your floor time, learn your lessons.

As the Coupeville Middle School girls basketball program gets up and roaring again after a pandemic shutdown, wins and losses are not the entire story.

For the young Wolves, the gains will be seen first in their hustle and commitment to building their skills.

Which is why CMS coach Kassie O’Neil walked away from Tuesday’s matchup with powerhouse Northshore Christian Academy with a positive attitude.

“The girls held their heads really high the entire time,” she said. “We used it as a learning experience.

“The girls even made comments about how they felt much better during this game than they did during our South Whidbey game.”

Coupeville’s varsity got scoring from four players, with 10 Wolves seeing floor time, in a 59-18 loss.

The Wolves, now 0-2 on the season, were kicking off a three-game road trip which continues with bouts Mar. 10 at Sultan and Mar. 15 at Granite Falls.

CMS 6th grader Tenley Stuurmans had the hot hand Tuesday, popping for a team-high eight points, Liza Zustiak and Kierra Thayer added four apiece, and Haylee Armstrong knocked down a bucket.

Ava Carpenter, Valeria de Jesus Merino, Avery Williams-Buchanan, Rhylin Price, Lexis Drake, and Capri Anter also saw floor time for the Wolves.

There was no JV game, as Northshore only has one team.

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

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