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Well played, Mr. Edwards!! Well played!!

Posted in Baseball, Football, Happy birthday, Track, tagged , , , , on September 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Joey Edwards

Joey Edwards

He was a tough guy with a soft center.

During his days at Coupeville High School, Joey Edwards took hits with the best of them, whether it was allowing himself to be drilled with a fastball to get a crucial runner on base or cracking a runner coming across the field on the gridiron.

Off the field, the avid biker and car buff could still be seen as a tough guy. But one with a huge smile seen frequently gracing his face.

He came across as a genuinely nice guy, someone who fit in with his teammates and was well liked.

A transfer from South Whidbey midway through his high school days, Edwards became a valued part of Wolf Nation, graduating from the school this past year.

Now he’s off in the Army, serving his country and making his family proud of the young man he has become.

Today he’s far from Whidbey (the military doesn’t give you an off day for your birthday), but those of us back here on The Rock send him our best wishes on his big day.

Keep on keepin’ on, Mr. Edwards.

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Lippo swings away!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Joey Lippo is currently playing tennis, but baseball remains his primary love.

Joey Lippo is currently playing tennis, but baseball remains his primary love.

Lippo also spends a little time on the basketball court. (John Fisken photo)

Lippo also spends a little time on the basketball court. (John Fisken photo)

Joey Lippo has no problem swinging away.

The Coupeville High School freshman is a baseball lifer, so the transition to playing tennis this spring for the Wolves has been a fairly easy one.

In the end, it’s still all about the swing.

“I started tennis this past summer and I wanted to play a sport that has the same qualities as baseball, like swinging the racket and hitting the ball,” Lippo said. “The thing about tennis that I enjoy is that I like hitting the ball and being on the court with all the great people on the tennis team.”

With a few minor adjustments, hitting a forehand in tennis is remarkably like hitting a baseball on the diamond, so it’s little surprise which of his shots is fast becoming Lippo’s strength.

“I think that I have a pretty good forehand,” he said. “I still have a lot to learn and I would like to work on my serve, my backhand and my forehand.

“I am not the best player, but even the best players need to practice sometimes.”

In the early days of his first season Lippo has been playing doubles, teamed up with another fast-rising freshman.

It’s a partnership he wouldn’t mind staying in for the long-run.

“My goals are to win a couple of my matches with my partner, Will Nelson,” Lippo said. “And, in the future, I would like to play with Will for the next four years.”

A fan of the “Star Wars” movies and his math class with CHS boys’ soccer coach Kyle Nelson, Lippo also enjoys running and basketball.

If they were in different seasons, he would likely embrace life on the pitch, but since they both fall in the spring, baseball will triumph over soccer.

“I would love to play soccer but Mr. (Willie) Smith has me for baseball,” Lippo said.

Regardless of which sport he’s playing, he credits a lot of his growth to those around him.

“All my family and teachers and fellow players have taught me so many good lessons,” Lippo said. “They have made me the person and player I am today.”

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Cardinals discover Payne!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on August 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Even a broken hand couldn't keep Morgan Payne off the baseball field. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

  Even a broken hand couldn’t keep Morgan Payne off the baseball field. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Payne patrols the infield.

Payne patrols the infield.

The cast is off and college ball beckons.

Former Coupeville High School baseball star Morgan Payne, having recovered from a broken hand that interrupted his senior season this spring, has been selected to take his game to the next level.

Payne will join the baseball team at Skagit Valley College, with school starting Sept. 22 and fall ball kicking off a day later.

“Just got all the paper work and will fill it out tomorrow!,” said mom Joan Payne. “He is really excited. We have lots to do in a short time.”

During his time as a Wolf, Payne was a clutch hitter and slick-fielding shortstop.

A four-year varsity player, he was also one of the key members of Central Whidbey’s Little League state champs when he was in eighth grade.

He’ll be the second recent CHS grad to play ball at Skagit, following in the tracks of softball sensation Alexis Trumbull.

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More Payne! Less pain!!

Posted in Baseball, Football, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Cole Payne, a man for all seasons.

Cole Payne, a man for all seasons.

If there’s a birthday cake, no one let him near the knife.

Coupeville High School junior Cole Payne is a pro at everything he does — football, baseball, being a freakin’ American hero — but he’s also pretty skilled at hurting himself.

Frequent injuries have been the only thing slowing down his rise to being a full-fledged star.

In fact, his latest surgery, which came just days before his birthday, will knock him out for the complete football season. That’s a huge blow to the Wolves.

When he was healthy last year, Payne was a heat-seeking missile on the gridiron.

If you had the ball and tried to run away from him, you usually ended up planted face-first in the turf, wondering how that freight train that just hit you managed to get on the field.

Cole was equally potent on the offensive side of the ball, both as a receiver and a runner.

But, while football coach Tony Maggio may (secretly) shed tears over the loss of Payne, there is a silver lining.

Having surgery on his bum shoulder at this point of the year should give him plenty of time to get back to full health by baseball season.

And it is as a boy of summer that Payne, like older brother Morgan, really shines.

Whether as a pitcher or, more often these days, as a catcher, he’s a sweet-swingin’, fleet-footed two-way terror, capable of turning the tide in favor of his squad on both offense and defense.

With five key seniors, including Morgan, having graduated, Cole should move into a leadership position and be at the forefront of Wolf baseball the next two seasons.

That is how we want to see him, on the field, kickin’ fanny and takin’ names, not on the sideline, arm in a sling.

I’m not saying he can’t be entertaining as he works those sidelines, but we want more Payne and less pain.

So happy birthday, Cole, and here’s to a bright future. May it include as few doctors as possible.

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Those darn Lippo kids!!

Posted in Baseball, Dance, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on August 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Skyy and Joey Lippo.

Skyy and Joey Lippo.

The next wave of Wolf athletic stars are on their way.

In less than two weeks, a new school year will kick off in Coupeville, with CHS being deluged with a fresh crop of ninth graders.

A lot of them will be intent on proving they can build new legends to replace the ones left behind by the stars of yesterday.

One duo that could be at the forefront of the new renaissance are celebrating a joint birthday today, and, in way of getting in good with them BEFORE they hit the big time, we send out our best wishes.

Skyy and Joey Lippo are multi-talented threats, but one field calls each of them the most.

For Joey, who will be trying his hand at tennis this fall, it’s being one of the boys of summer.

He’s a sweet-swingin’, slick-fieldin’ baseball star who has excelled on whatever team he ends up reppin’. Central or North Whidbey, the clothes don’t matter, cause the talent shines through.

This spring, he’ll be in red and black, trying to follow in the footsteps of recent Wolf stars like Ben Etzell and Morgan Payne, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes an immediate impact.

His sister, though, may be the brightest shining star in the family, as she has already scored in one of the toughest fields there is — the art of the dance.

No one is going to call ballet a sport, but everyone should acknowledge that it’s tougher to pull off than 97.4% of what are called sports.

The hours of hard work, sweat and sheer freakin’ pain dancers like Skyy or CHS junior Sylvia Hurlburt put in on the stage is remarkable. And, unlike most athletes, they have to smile through it all.

So, as the Lippo kids prepare for their entrance into the spotlight (with dad Joe live-tweeting the whole way), take a moment to send well wishes their way.

Then, maybe, just maybe, they’ll remember us “little people” when they hit the Big Time.

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