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Posts Tagged ‘Aiden O’Neill’

Spartans hold off Wolf rally

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson, seen in action last season, rattled the rims for 17 points Thursday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net) 

Full roster, full intensity.

After missing two key players on opening night, the Coupeville High School varsity boys’ basketball team was back at full strength Thursday but came up just short in a physical early-afternoon rumble with visiting Forks.

The Wolves clawed back from a 16-point deficit, overcame an ejection of a starter — on a questionable call — and showed considerable grit, but the Spartans held on late to pull away for a 59-49 win.

The non-conference loss drops Coupeville to 0-2 on the young season, but Brad Sherman’s squad will get a chance to bounce back fast with a home game Saturday against Eastside Prep.

CHS netted its first basket of the game, knotting things at 2-2, thanks to a wham-bam series of plays, with Mahkai Myles rejecting a Forks shot, Aiden O’Neill chasing down the ball and firing off a laser of a pass, and Chase Anderson hauling in the outlet heave and slapping home the layup.

Unfortunately for the Wolves it would take almost 12 minutes of floor time to net their second field goal.

Free throws from Davin Houston and Malachi Somes kept Coupeville within 14-6 as the first quarter ended, but then Forks pushed the lead all the way out to 22-6 midway through the second frame.

The Wolves had some good looks at the basket but couldn’t get anything to go down until O’Neill took over.

He followed up a made free throw by connecting on back-to-back three balls, one from each side of the floor, to kick off a 17-3 explosion to close the half, getting CHS back within 25-23 at the break.

O’Neill also had a coast-to-coast run for a bucket, while Sage Arends was feeling it as well, sinking a three-ball of his own, then closing the half with a steal and layup.

But while Coupeville was back in the game after the rally, it was never able to capture the lead.

Three times in the third quarter the Wolves again cut the margin back to two, with Camden Glover channeling Dikembe Mutombo with back-to-back blocked shots on defense, while Somes converted a bucket off of an offensive rebound.

Forks didn’t flinch however, stretching the lead back out to eight by the end of the third and as many as 14 in the final frame.

An 8-0 Coupeville surge, with three different Wolves scoring, cut the deficit to 50-44, but Forks was able to close out the win while camped at the free throw line.

The Spartans didn’t shoot all that well at the charity stripe, making just 12 of 27 freebies while CHS was 16-20, but it was enough to disrupt any flow for the Wolves.

Not helping was an overly touchy third ref who had a bad angle on a play during a battle for a loose ball, but still stroked out on the spot, spittle flying as he angrily ejected a Wolf defender for reasons known only to himself (and his missing seeing-eye dog).

Anderson, who missed the opener as he rehabs various injuries, returned Thursday to lead the Wolves with 17 points, continuing to work his way into history.

Now sitting with 616 career points and counting, the CHS senior moves from #36 to #32 on the program’s all-time scoring list, passing Joe Whitney (601), Denny Zylstra (602), Greg White (604), and John O’Grady (611) on a chart which dates back to 1917.

O’Neill pumped in 14 points to back up Anderson, with Somes (6), Arends (5), Houston (4), and Glover (3) also scoring, while Liam Blas, Myles, Easton Green, and Riley Lawless saw floor time.

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“I’m forever grateful”

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on October 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Jayme Carranza leads off a pack of gridiron seniors. (Julie Wheat photos)

Football has been more than a game for them.

Through big wins and tough losses, the Coupeville High School senior players and managers who were honored this past Friday grew as athletes, students, and young adults.

In their farewell speeches, they thanked parents, coaches, former players, athletic trainers, and more.

Jayme Carranza, who played three years for the Wolves, summed it up thusly:

“You taught me discipline on and off the field, taught me how to handle an amazing victory but also take a loss with pride.

“I’m forever grateful for the time, the mind and the energy you put into me and my football.”

Danica Strong

Aiden O’Neill

Camden Glover

David DeMello

Marquette Cunningham

Malachi Somes

Chase Anderson

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Football playoff hopes take a hit

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Aiden O’Neill notched his first touchdown of his senior season Friday night on Friday Harbor. (Julie Wheat photo)

The playoff dream isn’t dead, but it’s on life support.

After falling 28-14 Friday night on Friday Harbor in a penalty-heavy clash, the Coupeville High School football squad will need a late-season rally to get its shot at the postseason.

With the loss, the Wolves slip to 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 0-5 overall, while the Wolverines sit at 1-0, 2-3, and are in the driver’s seat for the conference’s lone 2B playoff berth.

Coupeville plays non-league foes the next two weeks, traveling to South Whidbey to battle for The Bucket, before hosting high-flying Adna.

Then, everything comes down to the regular-season finale Friday, Oct. 24, when CHS gets a second crack at Friday Harbor, but on its home turf at Mickey Clark Field.

Win and earn the season split with the Wolverines, and Bennett Richter’s squad will force a tiebreaker. Lose, and Coupeville will watch their gridiron arch-rivals advance.

During round one, the Wolves picked up touchdowns from Chase Anderson and Aiden O’Neill, but were stung by whistle-happy refs.

It was Anderson’s third score of the campaign, while O’Neill reached the end zone for the first time this season.

 

Scoring stats through five games:

 

Touchdowns:

Davin Houston – 4
Chase Anderson – 3
Liam Blas – 1
Nathan Coxsey – 1
Aiden O’Neill – 1
Josh Stockdale – 1

 

PATs:

Anderson – 8

 

POINTS:

Anderson – 26
Houston – 24
Blas – 6
Coxsey – 6
O’Neill – 6
Stockdale – 6

Senior QB Chase Anderson, here receiving some TLC from team trainer Jessica Hillier, leads Coupeville in scoring. (Jackie Saia photo)

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Hardball heroes pile up stats

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Jack Porter, ready to rack up some stats. (Ember Light photo)

Another day, another milestone.

With Tuesday’s win over Friday Harbor, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad has played 13 of 19 regular season games, reaching the two-thirds mark of the campaign.

As the Wolves prep to square off with Mount Vernon Christian Friday, we take a brief detour to look at up to the moment pitching and hitting stats.

All numbers come from Game Changer, which is run by the CHS coaches.

“Time to get those numbers, gentlemen.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

HITTING:

 

At-Bats:

Landon Roberts – 39
Peyton Caveness – 37
Cole White – 37
Jack Porter – 35
Camden Glover – 30
Aiden O’Neill – 29
Coop Cooper – 27
Yohannon Sandles – 25
Johnny Porter – 16
Steven Gonzalez – 12
Seth Woollet – 12
Carson Grove – 9
Aidyn McDermott – 9
Matthew Gilbert – 5
Chase Anderson – 4
Jack Farrell – 1
Jayden Little – 1

 

Hits:

Caveness – 15
Sandles – 10
Roberts – 9
White – 9
Glover – 8
Ja. Porter – 8
Cooper – 5
Grove – 5
O’Neill – 4
Jo. Porter – 4
Gonzalez – 3
McDermott – 2
Anderson – 1
Gilbert – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Runs:

White – 12
Caveness – 10
O’Neill – 8
Roberts – 7
Glover – 6
Ja. Porter – 6
Cooper – 5
Jo. Porter – 4
Sandles – 4
McDermott – 3
Gilbert – 2
Gonzalez – 2
Woollet – 2
Grove – 1

 

2B’s:

Caveness – 7
Ja. Porter – 4
Glover – 3
Jo. Porter – 1
Sandles – 1

 

3B’s:

Caveness – 3
Ja. Porter – 2
O’Neill – 1
Jo. Porter – 1

 

RBI:

Caveness – 9
Ja. Porter – 7
Sandles – 7
Cooper – 5
Roberts – 5
Glover – 4
Gonzalez – 3
Grove – 3
O’Neill – 3
White – 3
McDermott – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Walks:

Caveness – 10
Glover – 9
O’Neill – 8
Cooper – 7
White – 7
Ja. Porter – 5
Roberts – 5
Gonzalez – 4
McDermott – 3
Jo. Porter – 3
Sandles – 2
Gilbert – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Stolen Bases:

Roberts – 12
Caveness – 10
White – 8
O’Neill – 6
Glover – 3
Cooper – 2
Grove – 2
Ja. Porter – 2
Gonzalez – 1
McDermott – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Batting Average:

Grove – .556
Caveness – .405
Sandles – .400
Glover – .267
Anderson – .250
Gonzalez – .250
Jo. Porter – .250
White – .243
Roberts – .231
Ja. Porter – .229
McDermott – .222
Gilbert – .200
Cooper – .185
O’Neill – .138
Woollet – .083

 

PITCHING:

 

Games:

Glover – 9
Roberts – 6
Woollet – 6
Caveness – 5
Cooper – 3
O’Neill – 3
Gilbert – 2
Grove – 2
Ja. Porter – 1
White – 2

 

Starts:

Roberts – 4
Caveness – 3
Woollet – 3
Glover – 1
O’Neill – 1
Ja. Porter – 1

 

Hits:

Woollet – 32
Roberts – 21
Glover – 11
Caveness – 10
Grove – 3
O’Neill – 3
White – 3
Cooper – 2
Gilbert – 1

 

Runs:

Roberts – 30
Woollet – 21
Caveness – 16
Glover – 15
O’Neill – 9
Grove – 6
Gilbert – 5
Cooper – 3
Ja. Porter – 3
White – 3

 

Earned Runs:

Roberts – 15
Glover – 9
O’Neill – 8
Caveness – 7
Woollet – 7
Grove – 6
Gilbert – 2
White – 2

 

Walks:

Glover – 30
Roberts – 25
Caveness – 22
O’Neill – 14
Woollet – 8
Grove – 5
Gilbert – 4
White – 4
Ja. Porter – 3
Cooper – 2

 

Strikeouts:

Glover – 23
Roberts – 21
Caveness – 16
Woollet – 14
Cooper – 4
Ja. Porter – 4
Gilbert – 3
Grove – 3
O’Neill – 1
White – 1

 

Innings Pitched:

Woollet – 24.0
Roberts – 17.1
Glover – 14.0
Caveness – 13.2
O’Neill – 3.0
Cooper – 2.1
Grove – 2.1
Ja. Porter – 2.0
Gilbert – 1.0
White – 0.1

 

Batters Faced:

Woollet – 120
Roberts – 106
Glover – 86
Caveness – 74
O’Neill – 26
Grove – 15
Cooper – 13
Gilbert – 10
Ja. Porter – 10
White – 9

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(Bad) Wolves beat (good) Wolves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Landon Roberts played strongly while patrolling the outfield Wednesday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Welcome to Willie Smith Day, sort of.

The Coupeville High School Athletic Director was a busy bee buzzing around the prairie Wednesday afternoon.

First, he brought me both candy and a sizzlin’ batch of donated DVDs — “Dick Tracy vs. Cueball” to “True Grit” to “Willy Wonka” and much more!

Then, he watched his old-old team (Sequim) beat his old team (Coupeville) 10-0 in a baseball battle played out in front of former CHS greats like Bill Jarrell and Sandy Roberts.

With two packs of Wolves scrapping, it created some confusion for fans as they hollered support.

Even more reason Coupeville should mix it up and find a hip new mascot like the Mighty Mussels or Mosquitos or Geoducks and sell a ton of merch to hipsters across America.

Create a cartoon character featuring a Penn Cove mussel, flexing its muscles, and slap that sucker on t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies and sell ’em from Bangor to Bangladesh.

Rake in that sweet, sweet Mighty Mussels moola, and there’s your balanced budget right there, baby!

But anyway, back in reality — where I scored DVDs featuring both Clint Eastwood and One Direction — Wednesday’s non-conference tilt was a fairly one-sided one.

Sequim, reppin’ a 2A school, outhit the 2B Wolves from Cow Town 9-3, earned a 9-1 advantage in walks, and played perfect defense while Coupeville committed five errors.

The visitors, who packed the bleachers with fans, opened the game with a quick one-two shot, pushing across a pair of runs in the top of the first to seize an early advantage.

Meanwhile the hometown Wolves had a little trouble getting their own offense kick-started.

The first trip through the lineup produced just one baserunner from nine at-bats, and it only happened because of a great deal of pain.

CHS shortstop Cole White got blasted by a wayward pitch, the ball burrowing nice and deep into his Gonzaga-bound flesh.

As he hobbled down to first, waves of pain rolling out of every pore on his body, even his mom, Morgan, averted her eyes and grimaced.

Her pale prairie prince survived — he’s a tough kid as shown by the 1,371 times he bled during basketball season — but Cole will likely have a deeply impressive bruise to show off in the morning.

“You wore the pitch. Respect.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Unable to bring White home, Coupeville at least held the line on defense, thwarting a potential steal of home in the top of the second.

With the bags juiced, a Sequim runner tried to catch CHS pitcher Aiden O’Neill napping, but the sophomore hurler pegged the ball to catcher Peyton Caveness in time.

Trying to avoid the tag, the incoming player awkwardly went airborne at the last moment, then realized too late that, unlike disgraced singer R. Kelly, he really didn’t believe he could fly.

Coupeville third baseman Yohannon Sandles made a nice play on a hot grounder to end the inning, and the good version of the Wolves stayed close for a bit.

Sequim tacked on a run in the third to make it 3-0, then made its move with a three-run fourth and a four-run fifth.

CHS finally got its bats clicking, at least a bit, but couldn’t put enough base knocks together to mount a rally.

Caveness thumped a double but was stranded when Sequim tracked down a long fly ball off the bat of Landon Roberts to end the third.

Jack Porter lashed one of Coupeville’s three hits, while also making a strong defensive play on a long fly to left. (Ember Light photo)

Then, in the fourth, after Sandles and Jack Porter delivered back-to-back one-out singles, Sequim dodged a bullet by pulling off superb defensive stops on hard-hit balls from Coop Cooper and Camden Glover.

O’Neill and senior Seth Woollet got their first major pitching work of the season, while Sequim countered with Ayden Holland, who had himself a day.

The 12th grade chucker held Coupeville largely in check while throwing the shutout, and also reached base four times with two hits and two walks while operating as a batter.

The Cow Town hardball squad, which sits at 2-5 after the loss, continues a busy week with a trip Friday to Concrete for a league clash.

After that, Coupeville’s nine are back on their home field Saturday for an Island rumble with South Whidbey.

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