Lindsey Roberts (20) and Lauren Grove (3) were key players last year for both girls basketball and track. (John Fisken photo)
It’s time to take the next step.
Two years ago, Coupeville High School left behind the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and joined Port Townsend, Klahowya and Chimacum in starting the 1A Olympic League.
Since then, the Wolves have acquitted themselves strongly, jumping from 40 league wins and two titles (girls basketball and tennis) in 2014-2015 to 42 wins and a league-best four titles (girls basketball and tennis, plus baseball and boys tennis) this past school year.
CHS, despite trailing Klahowya 445-227 in the latest Washington Interscholastic Activities Association student body counts, has more than held its own with the Eagles, and, as a school, is well ahead of its other two league mates.
Not bad, especially when you realize Coupeville is the 6th-smallest true 1A school, and Klahowya is the 2nd-biggest.
What has been missing for the Wolves, though, is major postseason success.
A study posted today by The Columbian in Vancouver breaks down success at state tournaments across 15 sports, and it finds Coupeville was the 50th most successful 1A school (out of 64) over the past two years.
Not surprisingly, ritzy private school King’s tops the chart (by a lot), while Klahowya is #22.
That’s based largely on state titles won by the Eagles soccer programs, since the chart gives five points for a team championship.
The Wolves racked up three points in two years, earning a single point apiece for three separate teams which finished between 9th and 16th at state.
The CHS girls’ hoops program, which lost to Cashmere in the Regional (final 16) round of the state tourney this winter, nabs one.
The other two points come courtesy the Wolf track teams, with the girls (11th at state this year) and boys (15th) being recognized for their work in Cheney this spring.
So, what’s the positive?
Easy, Coupeville got some points, unlike five schools — Bush, Eastside Prep, Stevenson, River View and Wahluke, which were blanked over the past two years.
That’s got to really sting for Wahluke, which at 422.5 students, is the fifth-biggest 1A school in student body size.
But there’s also a heck of a lot of room for improvement for Coupeville to make.
The Wolves need to make that next step, turning league success into postseason success, much as they did in the early-to-mid 2000s.
A 3rd place finish by the 2002 softball squad.
Three top-eight performances by the girls’ basketball program from 2002-2005.
A long string of success in the Cheney sun by the track teams.
It’s happened before, and it can (and should) happen again.
Coupeville just needs to take that next step.
To see the Columbian story, pop over to:
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