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Posts Tagged ‘2020-2021 school year’

Pandemic pics of power ‘n passion

Posted in Photos, tagged , , , , on June 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Spikers (l to r) Kylie Chernikoff, Maddie Vondrak, and Maddie Georges celebrate a big point. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was the most peculiar of school athletic years.

Schedules shifted every few seconds, athletes (and fans) wore masks, and some ultra-stupid temporary rule changes made you question reality.

Why were basketball teams forced to forego the opening tip — the visiting team started with the ball out of bounds this season — when seconds later, players slammed into each other in pursuit of rebounds.

But then again, why ask why during the Age of Coronavirus?

As long as teams were playing, in compressed seasons, we were ahead of where we were back in spring 2020.

With action back on courts and fields, photographers had a chance to click their cameras again as well.

What is above and below are 20 of the best pics from Coupeville’s return to live sports action.

Not every sport is represented, and the pics are not in any sort of ranked order.

But they are the ones which caught my eye (again), as I went back through things.

So there you go.

 

Jill Prince makes a sensational barehanded catch on a twisting pop-up. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Isaiah Bittner will eat your soul.

Carolyn Lhamon comes in hot.

Three generations of Wolf softball.

Daniel Olson tip-toes along the baseline.

Mollie Bailey and Brad Sherman start a secret handshake known only to prairie royalty. (Eileen Stone photo)

Mia Farris dances the dance of her people. (Jackie Saia photo)

Daylon Houston tackles Ben Smith after the latter scored a game-winning touchdown. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Emily Fiedler, ever-nimble.

Scene of the crime.

Hawthorne Wolfe bolts for home. (Morgan White photo)

Cole White twirls through the paint. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mary Milnes keeps her rival at bay.

Maddie Vondrak drops the hammer of the gods.

Alex Murdy is mobbed after hitting game-winning free throws. (Jackie Saia photo)

Mollie Bailey crushes a pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)

“We’re outta here!” (Eileen Stone photo)

Ben Smith rumbles in the open field. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Willie needs a vacation!”

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Murdy, Prescott top CHS athletes

Posted in awards, tagged , , , , on June 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Chelsea Prescott is the 2020-2021 Coupeville High School Female Athlete of the Year. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Xavier Murdy is the Male Athlete of the Year.

There’s two more names to add to the ring of honor.

Senior Chelsea Prescott and junior Xavier Murdy were tabbed as Coupeville High School’s Athletes of the Year Monday in a virtual ceremony.

Prescott, a four-year star for the Wolves, had very-strong seasons in softball and volleyball during her final year at CHS.

Opening on the diamond, with the pandemic flipping things around, she led CHS softball to a flawless 12-0 record as it returned to the Northwest 2B/1B League after a long absence.

Playing shortstop for the Wolves, Prescott brought a booming bat, quick wheels, and a laser arm to the lineup, plus a low-key, infectious spirit.

After she moved inside for volleyball, she remained on point, lashing winners left and right for a squad which finished second behind two-time defending state champ La Conner.

Prescott peppers a winner.

Tabbed as a First-Team All-Conference pick, Prescott capped her run on the CHS volleyball court by signing to play at Medaille College in New York.

During her days as a Wolf, the young woman who could hit a homerun, then rip out and replace a toilet with one hand, while repairing a car with the other, was a rare athlete.

She came up playing baseball in little league, often pitching, then played volleyball, basketball, and softball at CHS.

Murdy, currently leading a first-place Wolf basketball team in rebounds, assists, and steals, is that rarity — a star who seems to delight in other’s success even more than his own.

His junior year started on the baseball diamond, where he helped Coupeville finish second behind Friday Harbor, moved to the soccer pitch, where he helped restart the program, and is finishing on the hardwood.

Working with teammates such as Hawthorne Wolfe and his own brother, sophomore Alex Murdy, X-Man has been indispensable for a red-hot Wolf team which sits at 6-3 heading into the final week of the season.

Need a big bucket? He can get it.

Need 27 rebounds? He’s on it.

He’s the glue which holds everything together.

And now, like Prescott, and his own basketball coach, Brad Sherman, Murdy will be immortalized on the wall outside the CHS gym – one of the best of the best to ever wear a Wolf uniform.

Murdy sacrifices for the team.

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Aug. 7 likely D-Day for Coupeville Schools

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on July 25, 2020| 1 Comment »

Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King

The Coupeville School District is targeting August 7 for an announcement on how it will reopen for the 2020-2021 school year.

The first day of school is currently set for Sept. 8.

“I know that this is a top priority for everyone and I will start by saying that we are committed to educating our students with health and safety as a top priority,” Superintendent Steve King said in an email.

“We also need to make sure that we address issues of equity, giving each and every student in our district the opportunity to be successful.”

Coupeville schools, like all others in Washington state, have been shut down since March as the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

A decision will need to be made as to whether to return to full-time in-person teaching, full-time online learning, or a hybrid of the two.

Many larger school districts in the state, from Seattle to Tahoma, have chosen the 100% online option this week.

Coupeville is in a unique situation, though, as Island County is in Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee’s four-phase reopening plan, while all surrounding counties are still in Phase 2.

In his email, King said the district is sending out a second survey to staff and families to gauge where everyone stands on the different educational options.

The Superintendent will also consult with school board members, union group leaders, Island County Public Health officials, and his peers from the Oak Harbor and South Whidbey school districts.

King and his staff are reviewing regional and state health data, and also working closely with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Northwest Educational Service District.

Whatever decision King comes to will need to be approved by the Island County Health Department.

After all that, it is entirely possible the decision will be taken out of his hands, he admitted.

“Over the past several months I have learned that trying to predict things can be dangerous and we can certainly never count on anyone’s predictions during these unprecedented times,” King said.

“Having said that, I want you to know that I do think that there is at least some possibility that the state may only allow remote or distance learning as the school year approaches.”

The Washington Education Association has asked Inslee to mandate all state schools use the 100% online option when schools open, but, for now, the choice remains in the hands of the superintendents.

“At this point opening schools is still a local decision,” King said. “So we will proceed with our decision-making plan as I have outlined.

“I hope that each and every one of you enjoy the rest of your summer and I encourage everyone to enjoy the many positives that continue to exist in our lives even during difficult times like these.”

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Coupeville’s move to 2B set in stone

Posted in Classification, tagged , , , , on January 26, 2020| Leave a Comment »

“We’re going to 2B. It’s right over there!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s official-official.

Coupeville High School will leave the 1A classification behind and drop to 2B beginning with the 2020-2021 school year.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association finalized classification numbers Sunday, locking in state schools for the 2020-2024 cycle.

After years of being one of the smallest 1A schools, Coupeville will now be the fifth-biggest out of 61 schools in the 2B classification.

With an adjusted enrollment of 206 students in grades 9-11, CHS trails just Okanogan (212.03), Kittitas-Thorp (212.12), Kalama (217), and Goldendale (224.73).

In years past, the WIAA attempted to keep the number of schools in each classification, which run from 4A down to 1B, fairly even in size.

That meant Coupeville, despite having 2B numbers, was bumped up to pad out the bottom of 1A.

Things changed this time around, however, as the WIAA has gone to hard numbers. This time around, if you fall between 105 and 224 students, you’re 2B and no one can move you.

After numbers were finalized Sunday, the classifications for 2020-2024 will be:

4A — 1300+ students — 51 schools
3A — 900-1299 students — 79 schools
2A — 450-899 students — 62 schools
1A — 225-449 students — 60 schools
2B — 105-224 students — 61 schools
1B — 1-104 students — 85 schools

One other change is the number of state tournament entries per classification.

For 4A, 2A, 1A, and 2B, it will remain 16 teams.

Under new guidelines, 3A will have 20 state entries, while 1B will have 24, in an effort to give the same percentage of schools a chance to qualify in each classification.

With the drop to 2B, Coupeville leaves the 1A North Sound Conference after this school year and returns to its former stomping grounds, the Northwest 2B/1B League.

Their new/old rivals will be La Conner, Darrington, Concrete, Orcas Island, Friday Harbor, and Mount Vernon Christian.

Coupeville, La Conner, and Friday Harbor will be 2B, while the other four league schools will be 1B schools.

Whidbey Island’s other two schools, South Whidbey and Oak Harbor, remain in the same classifications as before – 1A and 3A, respectively.

 

To see the 2020-2024 classifications, pop over to:

http://wiaa.com/ardisplay.aspx?ID=1898

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