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Hawthorne Wolfe and fellow seniors are ready to dominate the diamond. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Will Thayer may need to pace himself.

The Coupeville High School baseball guru is entering his third season at the school but will finally be getting his first crack at a full schedule.

Thayer’s first job at CHS — as an assistant coach with Wolf softball — evaporated when all spring sports were erased by the pandemic.

Last year, he stepped into a new role atop the school’s baseball program, but schools only played against league rivals, with no chance of advancing to playoffs.

Toss in some cancellations, and Thayer and Co. had to make do with a 10-game schedule, one in which they went 7-3 to finish second in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

But this spring, hope abounds, with Wolf baseball eyeing a 20-game regular season campaign, and the postseason the prize at the end of the road.

Add in the end of mask mandates and Covid testing for prep athletes, and the mood is joyful.

“I think the biggest thing for these players was no notes and no masks seemed to be what they were the happiest about on the first day of practice,” Thayer said.

“Playing a full 20 games will be awesome and having something to play for like district titles and playoffs,” he added. “Playing a normal schedule will be a blessing to me.”

Only one team beat Coupeville last season, and the Wolves are chomping for some revenge.

“Friday Harbor is going to stand in our way, and, if we come together, we should be able to take the title away from them,” Thayer said.

Coupeville’s coaches and players have a list of items to accomplish, from being league and district champs, to returning to the state tournament, and “continuing to build the program.”

Thayer only lost one player to graduation and returns a roster which offers “lots of senior leadership.”

“I think pitching and defense will be our strength this year,” he said.

Cody Roberts headlines Coupeville’s pitching staff. (Morgan White photo)

Now the Wolves want to add some pop when batting.

“Just becoming more consistent at the plate,” Thayer said. “We have lots of great athletes; if they become consistent hitters, we will be able to do some special things this year.”

Seniors Cody Roberts (P, OF), Hawthorne Wolfe (P, OF), Xavier Murdy (P, C, INF), and Sage Sharp (UTL) lead the returnees, and are joined by juniors Scott Hilborn (P, SS) and Jonathan Valenzuela (P, 3B) and sophomore Peyton Caveness (1B).

Senior Caleb Meyer, a Little League star back in the day, returns to Coupeville for his final season, while junior Alex Murdy joins his brother on the diamond with soccer having moved from spring to fall.

And the cupboard won’t be bare when this year’s deep senior class departs, as the Wolves have a solid group of freshmen and eighth graders joining the program.

“I’m excited about young talent like Chase Anderson, Camden Glover, Landon Roberts, and Jack and Johnny Porter,” Thayer said.

Scott Hilborn is a vacuum at shortstop. (Morgan White photo)

Game one is in the books. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

New season, new pics.

The Coupeville Middle School girls basketball program kicked off the 2022 campaign Thursday against visiting Langley, offering up two high-energy games.

Wandering the baseline, photo whiz kid John Fisken snapped the pics seen above and below.

But what you see here is just the beginning.

To see everything he shot, and possibly purchase some glossies for the grandparents in Gresham, pop over to:

 

Coupeville:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/Coupeville-Basketball-2021-2022/MSGBB-2022-03-03-vs-South-Whidbey/

 

Langley:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/South-Whidbey-HS/MSGBB-2022-03-03-SW-at-Coupeville/

Liza Zustiak (4) runs interference as Haylee Armstrong scans the defense.

The stands were crammed on opening night.

Adeline Maynes (16) and Chelsi Stevens (17) offer up some lock-down defense.

Kierra Thayer denies you.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas pushes the ball up-floor.

Tenley Stuurmans slices to the hoop.

The Wolf bench gets rowdy.

Wolves (left to right) Cole White, Logan Downes, and Grady Rickner soak up the atmosphere at the 2B state basketball tourney.

Marinate in the moment.

The Coupeville High School boys basketball team went back to the state tournament for the first time in 34 years, building memories every step of the way.

The pics above and below, capturing a behind-the-scenes look at the Wolves in Spokane, come to us courtesy Morgan White.

Logan Downes, with 224 points through two seasons, is the top active scorer in the Coupeville High School boys basketball program. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s ever evolving.

They’ve been playing boys basketball at Coupeville High School for 105 years now, the program’s history stretching from 1917 to 2022.

And I’ve been chasing scoring stats for 101 of those years.

Well, maybe not that long, but there are days where the pursuit seems never-ending, a mad mix of half-forgotten scorebooks and often faulty memories.

Unless we can build a time-machine and go back and find an old-school secretary and convince her to stash all the records in one spot, we’ll probably never have a 100% complete scoring list.

But you can make the Hall of Fame shooting 50%, so, all things being equal, we’re doing fairly well.

What I do have is a list which covers 406 players and gets a little closer to being complete every time something from the past resurfaces.

This season we got a big boost when old-school scoring ace Jack Elzinga reached out to me and delivered stats from one of the two biggest missing years in my Indiana Jones-style pursuit of buckets.

Toss in a little tweaking in other areas, add this year’s totals, and viola, we present a pretty complete chart.

Enjoy.

 

CHS boys basketball career scoring totals — active players in bold:

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

Kierra Thayer made a strong debut for Coupeville Middle School Thursday. (Photo courtesy Will Thayer)

Every journey needs a first step.

Thursday afternoon, a day after the Coupeville High School boys basketball team completed a season for the ages with a state tourney rumble in Spokane, the campus back home was fairly quiet.

Unless you were camped out in the middle school gym for the CMS girls hoops opener, which pitted the scrappy Wolves against their archrivals from Langley.

While the visiting Cougars made off with two wins, after MUCH screaming, Coupeville’s young guns, many of whom were making their competitive hoops debut, showed great promise.

“It’ll be great to see where this group is, how much they improve, a few years down the road,” said one Wolf dad, perfectly capturing the mood in a gym crammed with bodies from one end to the other.

How the day played out:

 

JV: 

A team comprised largely of 6th graders will present new coach Kristina Forbes with a lot of teaching moments, as the Wolves look to shape their skills.

While CMS fell 46-5, it played Langley nearly even in the third quarter, and showed flashes of genuine potential throughout the afternoon.

Now, if we could just get the refs in mid-season form … as it took them a solid two minutes and 38 seconds of action to realize Coupeville was playing with six girls on the floor.

Neither guy in the striped shirts counted the players before tipoff, apparently.

After that, the constant roar which hung in the gym air — radiating from two packs of hyped-up middle school girls going nicely berserk — made communication hard.

While the Wolves failed to score in the opening frame, they busted through when Rhylin Price knocked down a second-quarter free throw.

Coupeville’s other buckets came from Adeline Maynes, who hit a jumper in the paint, and Rosie Lay, who flipped the net with a high, arcing shot while being triple-teamed.

Laken Simpson hit the boards hard for the Wolves, while Willow Leedy-Bonifas had fast fingers on defense, poking balls free several times.

Lexis Drake, Ava Lucero, Elyse White, and Chelsi Stevens rounded out the active roster for game one, all getting valuable floor time as they begin their new journey.

 

Varsity:

Coupeville’s top squad — led by first-year coach Kassie O’Neil, herself a former Wolf hoops sensation — was competitive from start to finish in a 29-14 loss.

Langley, which won the rebounding war most of the game, used second, third, and fourth attempts to build an early lead and then hold on late.

Trailing 8-0, the Wolves broke through thanks to Kierra Thayer, who came roaring off the bench ready to inflict major damage on the Cougars.

After banking home a pair of free throws, with each shot kissing the glass before plopping through the net, the 8th grader rolled hard to the hoop for a bucket to cut the deficit back to 8-4 at the first break.

Unfortunately for CMS, Langley put together its best run in the second frame, using a 10-2 surge to largely put the game on lock-down.

Wolf point guard Tenley Stuurmans, the only 6th grader to start for the varsity, threw down Coupeville’s lone second quarter bucket.

Dodging elbows and hands to the face much of the game, the younger sister of CHS hoops star Lyla Stuurmans showed the same feistiness on defense that is a trademark of her older sibling.

Taking names and plotting revenge for future games, Tenley opened the third quarter with a sprint from end-to-end, converting a turnover into a breakaway bucket.

After that, much of the offense flowed through Thayer, who has height, speed, and an ability to go hard to the hoop with both hands.

Which should intrigue any CHS coaches scouting Wolves who will move up next season.

Another player to watch is 7th grader Haylee Armstrong, who was channeling Mia Littlejohn with her headband and the extra lil’ spicy skip in her step while dribbling.

Like that former Wolf, who tore up the CHS court for three years, her reincarnation has a bit of a rumble, a touch of New Jersey playground lingering in her soul.

Or so I think.

Armstrong has a way to go to reach the same heights Littlejohn did, certainly, but first impressions are very promising.

Thayer paced the Wolves with eight points in her CMS debut, while Stuurmans banked in four and Armstrong tickled the twines on a pair of free throws.

The charity stripe was one place where Coupeville clearly had the advantage, hitting four of five attempts while Langley finished just 1-8.

Brynn Parker, Liza Zustiak, Valeria de Jesus Merino, Capri Anter, Lucero, and Drake also saw floor time for CMS, which plays its next three games on the road.

The Wolves kick off that series of bus trips Tuesday, Mar. 8 with a trek to Northshore Christian Academy.

Coupeville’s next home game is not until Mar. 17, when King’s visits Whidbey.

 

Special Thanks:

Big props to Wolf players Isabella de Souza Oliveira and Sydney Van Dyke, who were running the camera, taping the game for their coaches.

In between providing frequent vocal support for their teammates and enjoying tasty cupcakes, the duo tracked down info for me, tying together uniform numbers with names.

Since I entered the gym being able to visually ID about five of these still fairly new Wolf athletes, de Souza Oliveira and Van Dyke were a huge help.

It’s appreciated, ladies.