Ava Lucero | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Ava Lucero’

CHS young guns learn under fire

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Ava Lucero, CHS Wolves, Eastside Prep, Finley Helm, girls basketball, JV on December 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Finley Helm fires a pass. (Julie Wheat photo)

Two teams, two different game plans.

There wasn’t a high school JV girls’ basketball game originally on the schedule for Saturday, as Eastside Prep initially said it only had a varsity.

But the Eagles changed their minds late, giving Coupeville’s second unit some unexpected, and appreciated, floor time.

How did Eastside Prep swing the change? By basically playing its varsity in both games.

Almost everyone on the Eagles roster crossed over, with several key varsity players sparking a game-busting 18-0 run in the second quarter in a game eventually won 40-30 by the visitors.

Coupeville, which has no players currently swinging between varsity and JV, and features multiple 8th graders on its JV, got off to a strong start, jumping to a 12-5 lead by the first break.

But the second quarter tsunami swamped the Wolves.

Despite fighting back to outscore their private school rivals 18-17 in the second half, Alita Blouin’s squad fell to 0-2 with the non-conference loss.

Coupeville’s girls, repping a 2B school, have opened with back-to-back games against 1A opponents, and will get a third one Tuesday when East Jefferson comes to Cow Town.

The Wolf JV spread out its offense between four hot shooters, with middle school ace Cameron Van Dyke leading the way with 11 points.

Fellow 8th graders Anna Powers and Finley Helm added eight and four points respectively, while sophomore sparkplug Ava Lucero poured in seven.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas, Olivia Hall, Emma Cushman, Zayne Roos, Taylor Marrs, Elizabeth Marshall, and Allie Powers also saw floor time for the Wolves.

Read Full Post »

Strong start, tentative finish

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Ava Lucero, CHS Wolves, girls basketball, JV, season opener, SWHS Falcons on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

8th grade ace Cameron Van Dyke, seen here during volleyball season, made her high school hoops debut Tuesday night. (Julie Wheat photo)

Victory was in their grasp but slipped away.

Playing with four 8th graders in the lineup Tuesday, the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team led at the end of the first, second, and third quarters.

Just not the fourth.

Using a 9-2 tear to end the game, visiting South Whidbey made off with a 32-27 win on opening night to claim the advantage in the Island rivalry.

With former Wolf hoops star Alita Blouin making her debut as JV coach, CHS edged out to a 6-4 lead by the first break, before stretching the advantage to 19-12 by halftime.

The second half was firmly in favor of the Falcons, however, as the visitors sliced away at the lead with an 11-6 run in the third quarter before holding the Wolves to just a single bucket in the final frame.

CHS did have balanced scoring, getting points from six of the nine players in uniform.

Ava Lucero paced the Wolves with a team-high eight points, while Willow Leedy-Bonifas knocked down seven.

Anna Powers (6), Cameron Van Dyke (2), Finley Helm (2), and Ellie Marshall (2) rounded out the offensive attack, with Emma Cushman, Allie Powers, and Zayne Roos also seeing floor time for Blouin’s squad.

Van Dyke, Roos, Helm, and Anna Powers are all 8th graders, and get to double up, playing high school ball before having the chance to also play at the middle school level when that season unfolds in 2026.

The Wolf JV, which is currently scheduled to return to action next Tuesday, Dec. 9 against East Jefferson, may actually get to play before then.

Eastside Prep, which comes to Coupeville Dec. 6, originally said it wouldn’t have a JV squad, but that may have changed.

If so, the move will be confirmed later this week.

Read Full Post »

Diamond memories, captured on film

Posted in Softball, tagged Ava Lucero, CHS Wolves, Jackie Saia, Softball, state tourney on May 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Jada Heaton, heart and soul of her team, enjoys the day, as always. (Jackie Saia photos)

Jackie Saia has done it all on the softball diamond.

She was a talented player at several levels back in the day, then led the Coupeville High School sluggers as a coach.

Now, as her own daughter, Teagan “The Red Dragon” Calkins, shines brightly as the Wolf catcher, Saia keeps her camera clicking away, documenting the exploits of her progeny and her teammates.

The CHS teacher and yearbook advisor was in Yakima this weekend, as Teagan and Co. made a successful four-game run at the 2B state tourney, and the pics above and below come to us courtesy of the camera-wielding Wolf Mom.

Read Full Post »

Vipers sizzle in first summer tourney

Posted in Softball, tagged Adeline Maynes, Ava Lucero, Island Vipers, Softball, tourney title on June 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Ava and Aaron Lucero celebrated Father’s Day by winning a tourney title. (Jess Lucero photo)

“Do the little things.”

It’s the mantra for the 14U Island Vipers softball squad, and it’s already paying off.

The squad, which brings together players from Coupeville, Oak Harbor, and South Whidbey, claimed first place in the silver bracket this weekend at the School’s Out Invite in Sedro-Woolley.

The Vipers went 3-2 in their first tourney of the summer, claiming back-to-back wins Sunday in bracket play to snag the title.

Three towns, one island, one first-place team. (Kristi Stevens photo)

The first of those bracket victories came with a little controversy attached, with Whidbey’s young sluggers rising to the moment in style.

The Vipers were up 6-5 when the game hit a time limit, and then all heck broke loose.

Their opponents, who were violating National Softball Association rules by not having a paper book, claimed their GameChanger stats showed the game knotted at 6-6.

When the ump waved the challenge off, groundskeepers took the field, the next team moved into the dugout for its game … and the opposing coach had a meltdown in the handshake line.

The Vipers, who could have walked off with the win, instead chose to have the game be resumed, so there would be no doubt of the victory.

After consultation with the tourney director, the head ump, and any opposing coaches not crying like a toddler who dropped his cupcake, the game was picked back up under International Tie Breaker rules.

Bearing down with “great defense and pitching,” the Vipers preserved the tie, even gunning down a runner at the plate on a passed ball.

Coming to the plate in the bottom half of the frame, Whidbey promptly scored, “leaving no doubt we won,” said assistant coach Aaron Lucero.

While that win was the fieriest, what Viper coaches Grant Van Dyke, Lucero, and Mason Strevel were most pleased with was their team’s solid play through all five games.

“Many notable plays throughout the weekend and contributions from everyone,” Lucero said. “Truly a team effort.

“I’m extremely proud of the team and their focus,” he added. “They never wavered even through the chaos.”

Whidbey gets back at it two weeks from now, when it travels to the Tri-Cities for the NSA state tourney.

Chelsi Stevens is just here to terrorize rival pitchers. (Kristi Stevens photo)

Weekend stats:

Shea Allison — Three walks
Capri Anter — One single, one double
Haylee Armstrong — Two singles, two walks
Jolene Coleman — One single, six walks
Emma Cushman
Lena Heggenes — Two singles, one double, one walk
Ava Lucero — One single
Adeline Maynes — Three singles, two doubles, two walks
Chelsi Stevens — One single, three walks
Kennedy Strevel — One single, one walk
Cameron Van Dyke — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — Three singles, two walks
Abby Whitney — One single, one double
Sophie Ziegler — One single, one double, three walks