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Grey day, gold performance

May 14, 2025 by David Svien

Sprinting for the finish line. (Photos courtesy Jon Gabelein, Kelly Powers, and Leslie Stoner)

Every point counts.

Pulling out one of the closest wins of the spring, the Coupeville Middle School boys’ track and field team edged visiting South Whidbey 95-94 Wednesday afternoon.

Competing under cloudy prairie skies, the Wolves nabbed the victory thanks to their 6th and 7th graders, who came out on top 57-38.

That made up for the CMS 8th grade boys being on the short end of a 56-38 count.

Meanwhile, the South Whidbey girls were just a little too much for Coupeville, holding on for a 97-80 win.

The Wolf 6th/7th graders came super close in a 48-46 bout, while the CMS 8th graders fell 49-34.

That was despite Coupeville 8th grade ace Tamsin Ward making it a perfect 10-for-10 this spring, sweeping to first place finishes in the 100, 200, shot put, and high jump.

Tamsin Ward soars to new heights.

Following on the heels of 11 wins as a 6th grader, and 12 as a 7th grader, she sits with 33 career wins and counting at the middle school level.

Ward’s performance last spring tied her with future state champion Alex Murdy, who also netted 12 wins as an 8th grader in 2019.

Lindsey Roberts, who went on to win eight state meet medals as a high schooler, holds the CMS single season record with 19 wins as an 8th grader in 2015.

Seven different Wolves won two or more events Wednesday, with Brian Thompson (100, 400, Long Jump) and Diesel Eck (Shot Put, Discus, 4 x 100 Relay) hot on Ward’s heels.

Annaliese Powers (1600, 100 Hurdles), River Simpson (800, 4 x 100), Kennedy O’Neill (100 Hurdles, 4 x 200), and Malachi Chapa (High Jump, 4 x 100) were also multiple winners.

Wolf warblers (l to r) Brinnley Meek, Halle Black, Josilyn McColl, Audrey Wagner, and Avery Parker brought a musical touch to Wednesday’s meet.

Across the board, the young Wolves embraced the opportunity to compete in front of their hometown fans at a meet which kicked off with the national anthem performed by elementary school students.

“Several of our athletes talked about how they enjoyed today’s meet more than the first two so far this season,” said CMS coach Jon Gabelein.

“While the other meets were fun adventures, many of them noticed how their improvements and confidence were now becoming stronger due to their hard work at practice.”

And it was more than just the wins, as the Wolves racked up a string of PRs in virtually event, such as the 1600.

In that event, Cyrus Sparacio crashed through the five-minute barrier for the first time in the boys’ race, while Arianna Vinson shaved an astonishing minute-plus off her best time when the girls claimed the oval.

Coupeville gets back at it next Wednesday, May 21, when it travels down to Langley for a rematch with South Whidbey.

Private school foe King’s will trek to The Rock to make it a three-team rumble.

Kennedy O’Neill flies to a win in the hurdles.

 

Wednesday’s results:

 

GIRLS:

8th grade:

100 — Tamsin Ward (1st) 13.70 *PR*

200 — Ward (1st) 28.75 *PR*; Isley Garcia Fernandez (8th) 38.79 *PR*

100 Hurdles — Kennedy O’Neill (1st) 20.50; Elizabeth Marshall (2nd) 20.86; Cassandra Powers (6th) 30.51; Garcia Fernandez (7th) 32.15 *PR*

4 x 200 Relay — O’Neill, Sage Stavros, C. Powers, Marshall (1st) 2:13.87

Shot Put — Ward (1st) 36-01.50; C. Powers (4th) 22-06

High Jump — Ward (1st) 4-08

Long Jump — Marshall (3rd) 12-05 *PR*; Stavros (4th) 12-04 *PR*; O’Neill (5th) 11-04; C. Powers (10th) 10-01 *PR*; Garcia Fernandez (12th) 9-04 *PR*

 

6th/7th grade:

100 — Ava Alford (3rd) 14.98 *PR*; Bella Sandlin (4th) 15.13 *PR*; Laurel Crowder (5th) 15.27; Abbie Moss (6th) 15.37 *PR*; Ella Holm (9th) 15.80 *PR*; Finley Helm (10th) 15.84 *PR*; Mia Goers (11th) 16.00 *PR*; Miah Patterson (12th) 16.02; Claire Lachnit (13th) 16.04 *PR*; Amira Anunciado (17th) 16.60 *PR*; Sophia Magdolen (18th) 16.95; Victoria Quiroga Rivera (20th) 17.02 *PR*; Evelyn Merino-Martinez (24th) 17.65; Reagan Green (27th) 18.13 *PR*

200 — Sandlin (2nd) 32.95 *PR*; Emma Green (4th) 34.26 *PR*; Goers (5th) 34.76; Magdolen (8th) 36.83 *PR*; Quiroga Rivera (9th) 37.37 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (10th) 38.86

400 — Sandlin (2nd) 1:14.10 *PR*

800 — Autumn Hunt (1st) 3:18.61 *PR*; Sophia Burley (2nd) 3:20.07 *PR*

1600 — Annaliese Powers (1st) 6:18.90 *PR*; A. Hunt (2nd) 7:09.36; Arianna Vinson (3rd) 9:03.08 *PR*

100 Hurdles — A. Powers (1st) 21.00 *PR*; E. Green (2nd) 21.30 *PR*; Alford (3rd) 22.73 *PR*; Patterson (6th) 29.09; A. Hunt (7th) 29.95; Helm (8th) 30.02; Burley (9th) 33.82 *PR*

4 x 100 Relay — Kaleigha Millison, Crowder, Moss, Goers (2nd) 1:02.12; Addison Jacobson, Sabrina Judnich, A. Powers, E. Green (3rd) 1:05.09; Lachnit, Zariyah Allen, A. Hunt, Magdolen (4th) 1:05.40; Andrea Gonzalez, Vinson, Quiroga Rivera, Patterson (5th) 1:07.79; Merino-Martinez, Holm, R. Green, Burley (6th) 1:08.29

Shot Put — Jacobson (3rd) 24-09 *PR*; Helm (4th) 21-08; Holm (5th) 21-07; Moss (9th) 19-01

Discus — Allen (1st) 74-08; Millison (3rd) 48-09; Lachnit (6th) 44-09; Jacobson (7th) 44-00 *PR*; Crowder (8th) 43-07 *PR*; E. Green (9th) 43-06; Vinson (12th) 37-09 *PR*; Judnich (15th) 32-09; A. Powers (17th) 31-06

High Jump — Crowder (2nd) 4-02 *PR*

Long Jump — Millison (2nd) 11-09; Moss (4th) 11-03.50 *PR*; Holm (6th) 10-11.50 *PR*; Anunciado (7th) 10-09.50 *PR*; Patterson (17th) 9-06; Jacobson (18th) 9-04.50 *PR*; Magdolen (20th) 9-04 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (20th) 9-04; Allen (23rd) 9-03; Burley (24th) 9-02; R. Green (26th) 9-00

Emma Green sets a PR in the 200.

 

BOYS:

8th grade:

100 — Brian Thompson (1st) 13.03 *PR*; Kion Tellery (5th) 14.45 *PR*; Hunter Atteberry (6th) 15.49

200 — Zaydyn Dees (3rd) 32.36 *PR*

400 — Thompson (1st) 1:03.51 *PR*; Henry Bailey (2nd) 1:04.41 *PR*; Dees (4th) 1:13.40 *PR*

800 — Cyrus Sparacio (1st) 2:22.33 *PR*; Dees (3rd) 2:51.52 *PR*

1600 — Sparacio (2nd) 4:58.18 *PR*; Ossian Merkel (3rd) 5:50.33; Atteberry (4th) 6:40.50 *PR*; Nolan Hunt (5th) 6:57.45 *PR*

110 Hurdles — Frank Morrell (3rd) 24.85 *PR*

Shot Put — Aaron DiDonna (2nd) 29-00 *PR*; Tellery (3rd) 28-03 *PR*; N. Hunt (6th) 19-04

Discus — Merkel (2nd) 73-04 *PR*; DiDonna (4th) 72-06 *PR*; Sparacio (5th) 69-09 *PR*; Tellery (6th) 59-09 *PR*; N. Hunt (8th) 48-05 *PR*; Dees (9th) 46-04 *PR*

Long Jump — Thompson (1st) 16-05; Bailey (3rd) 14-03

 

6th/7th grade:

100 — Les Queen (2nd) 14.03 *PR*; Jesse Kehoe (3rd) 14.38 *PR*; Liam Stoner (5th) 14.62 *PR*; Diesel Eck (6th) 14.78 *PR*; Asher Harris (15th) 16.04 *PR*; Brenden Tumulty (23rd) 18.61 *PR*

200 — Queen (1st) 29.25 *PR*; Xander Beaman (2nd) 29.99 *PR*; Jacob Lujan (3rd) 30.61

400 — Ceiba Rusch (9th) 1:30.53

800 — River Simpson (1st) 2:38.64 *PR*; Maverick Walling (3rd) 2:39.41 *PR*; Lincoln Wagner (4th) 2:46.65 *PR*; Archer Schwarz (6th) 2:53.88 *PR*

1600 — Wagner (3rd) 5:56.59 *PR*; Schwarz (4th) 6:01.99 *PR*; Tanner Kempton (6th) 7:03.12 *PR*; Rusch (7th) 7:41.45

110 Hurdles — Lujan (1st) 20.15 *PR*; Malachi Chapa (2nd) 21.05; Wagner (3rd) 21.98 *PR*; Rusch (4th) 23.88 *PR*; Kempton (5th) 24.82 *PR*; Stoner (6th) 21:32

4 x 100 Relay — Chapa, Beaman, Eck, Simpson (1st) 55.66; Rusch, Harris, Stoner, Lujan (3rd) 1:04.32

Shot Put — Eck (1st) 34-04 *PR*

Discus — Eck (1st) 89-05; Queen (3rd) 69-04 *PR*; Tumulty (8th) 43-01

High Jump — Chapa (1st) 4-08; Kehoe (2nd) 4-08; Beaman (3rd) 4-06; Stoner (5th) 4-04 *PR*

Long Jump — Kehoe (2nd) 14-03; Chapa (4th) 13-07 *PR*; Queen (5th) 12-11; Schwarz (7th) 12-04; Lujan (9th) 12-02; Wagner (10th) 12-00; Kempton (13th) 11-03; Tumulty (29th) 7-07

On to the next meet!

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Sluggers crack top four in state rankings

May 14, 2025 by David Svien

Capri Anter unleashes. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Don’t stop until you get to the top.

Continuing their meteoric rise, the Coupeville High School softball squad moves up three slots this week in the final Washington Interscholastic Activities Association RPI rankings.

The Wolves, who are 17-1 heading into Thursday’s District 1 tourney in Mount Vernon, currently sit at #4 among 2B schools.

A week ago, CHS was #7, and before that Aaron Lucero’s sluggers spent back-to-back weeks ranked at #9.

Coupeville, which is one win away from advancing to state for the first time since 2019, is the only 2B softball squad left with just a single loss on its record.

That lone defeat came by a razor-thin 5-4 margin to 3A Oak Harbor way back on March 15.

RPI, or Rating Percentage Index, is a statistical system used to rank teams and is based on a team’s winning percentage, as well as its opponent’s winning percentage and its’s opponent’s opponents winning percentage.

When the state tourney seeding committee meets Sunday to set the bracket, RPI is one of the tools it will use.

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Gaze upon a collection of random pics

May 13, 2025 by David Svien

Willow Leedy-Bonifas returns to Earth. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

We’re sweeping out the archives.

The pics seen above and below have two things in common.

One, they feature Coupeville athletes or athletic supporters.

And two, they’re some of the last photos sent my way by John Fisken before he took his Diet Coke and went home, ambling off to semi-retirement.

So, with no games today as we wait for district playoff action to kick into full gear starting Thursday, now is a perfect time to slap ’em on the page and let ’em marinate.

“I’m just saying, it feels like we’re being watched…”

Ember Light fires off a serve.

Megan Richter and her junior associate catch a softball game on a sunny day.

The hunt for missing softballs is a never-ending one.

Paul Messner has his eye(s) on you.

Kickin’ up a dust storm on the way to softball glory.

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Cream of the crop rise to the top

May 12, 2025 by David Svien

Preston Epp flies for the finish line. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The finish line is within sight, and every second matters.

Every inch, as well.

With the high school track and field season down to just two upcoming meets — districts and state — the battle for the top marks is at its most intense.

A look at which Coupeville athletes appear in the top 10 among 2B competitors statewide confirms that.

A week ago, Carson Field (1600), Matthew Ward (triple jump), and the CHS boys 4 x 400 relay squad were on that list.

This time around, they’ve been bumped off the chart, at least for the moment.

But Cael Wilson added six inches to his PR in the pole vault and moved up from 4th to 3rd, and the Wolves are hanging tough in other areas.

Where things sit statewide through May 11, with the district meet set to go down this Saturday in Coupeville:

 

GIRLS:

Shot Put — Katie Marti (5th) 34-01

 

BOYS:

800 — Carson Field (4th) 2:02.03

4 x 100 Relay — Marquette Cunningham, Davin Houston, Preston Epp, Chase Anderson (8th) 44.47

High Jump — Cael Wilson (4th) 6-01

Pole Vault — Wilson (3rd-tie) 12-06

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New Principal/Athletic Director arrives from Middle East

May 11, 2025 by David Svien

Rebecca Cays

The transition continues.

The planned hiring of Rebecca Cays as Coupeville Middle School Principal and CHS/CMS Athletic Director was announced Sunday in a community newsletter sent out by Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood.

The hire will be official once approved by the school board.

Cays is the second major hire announced in the last two weeks, with Dan Berard tabbed as the new Coupeville High School Principal and Career and Technical Education Director.

The duo replaces Geoff Kappes, who held both principal positions until his resignation in April.

Kappes and CHS/CMS Assistant Principal Allyson Cundiff were placed on a “non-disciplinary leave pending an investigation” by Leatherwood in December.

Cundiff returned to work in March, with district officials only saying it was in “a new capacity helping with various administrative tasks that support our school buildings and student needs.”

Leatherwood has declined to address any specifics involving the investigation.

Following Kappes resignation, it was announced the principal jobs would be split, with the new hires picking up additional duties.

In addition to being the new boss for the CMS half of the campus, Cays will handle all athletic director duties for both the middle and high school.

Brad Sherman, who was AD, previously announced he was stepping down from the position to have more time for his family. He remains the CHS boys’ basketball coach and a teacher.

Cays, who is a Washington state native, most recently worked as the K-12 Assistant Principal at the International Schools Group in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

She brings 21 years of experience to her new positions, gained both in the United States and abroad, having worked in areas as diverse as Redmond and Indonesia.

In her newsletter announcement, Leatherwood spoke glowingly of Cays.

“Her work focused on strengthening instructional practices, developing inclusive systems of support, and fostering a culture of compassion and high expectations,” Leatherwood said.

“Rebecca is known for building strong relationships and empowering others to lead.”

Cays has led “schoolwide professional development in areas such as inquiry-based learning, standards-based grading, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).”

She’s also helped “restructure instructional time, align curriculum across grade levels, and implement data-driven tools to track student growth — academically, socially, and behaviorally.”

“Her leadership ensures that teachers, counselors, administrators, and families work together to meet the needs of every child,” Leatherwood said.

Cays has also previously coached middle school basketball and volleyball, while supervising her school’s athletic department.

“She deeply values the role of co-curricular programs in developing leadership, teamwork, and school spirit,” Leatherwood said.

“She is committed to serving with heart, purpose, and a steadfast focus on student success.”

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