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Some schedules to put a spring in your step

Posted in Baseball, Girls Tennis, Softball, Track, tagged baseball, CHS Wolves, girls tennis, schedules, Softball, spring sports, track and field on February 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Mia Farris and Co. start spring sports practices Feb. 27. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It snowed in Coupeville last night. At least a few flakes.

So, perfect time to start thinking about spring sports.

Because, if the past tells us anything, it’s this — it’ll be cold, wet, and windy through almost every game, with perfect temps and sunshine for the season finale.

And ONLY the season finale.

It’s the Whidbey way…

That being said, Coupeville High School spring teams will hit the practice field (or court, or oval), Monday, Feb. 27.

Wolf baseball has a new head coach in Steve Hilborn, while Kevin McGranahan (softball), Elizabeth Bitting and Bob Martin (track and field), and Ken Stange (girls’ tennis) are all back to add another season to their resumes.

Nick Guay should be back to soar into the heavens.

With the pandemic having receded, there are full schedules for the first time in several seasons.

Both CHS softball and baseball are set to play 20 regular-season games, with three league games against fellow 2B schools La Conner and Friday Harbor, and two each against the 1B schools.

Mount Vernon Christian doesn’t field a softball program, however, so McGranahan’s crew picks up an extra road double-header with Eastern Washington power Onalaska.

Tennis is the trickiest sport to schedule, as just two of seven NWL teams play the sport.

That means four matchups between Coupeville and Friday Harbor, with the rest of the schedule filled out with bigger schools.

The Wolves currently have home-and-away series with 1A schools South Whidbey and Granite Falls, and Coupeville Athletic Director Willie Smith plans to add several more, with 3A Oak Harbor a likely contender.

The schedules below are valid as of Feb. 14, but can, and very likely will be tweaked as things play out.

For one thing, barring some kind of miracle all-sun-all-the-time spring for the first time in recorded history on the prairie, Mother Nature will shake things up.

“I can’t feel the lower half of my body on this sublime “spring” day, Skippy, but please kid, take your sweet time throwing a whole bunch of warmup pitches…”

To monitor those changes, keep an eye on these websites:

School calendar:

http://coupeville.tandem.co/

Northwest 2B/1B League site:

http://www.nw1a2bathletics.com/

And here are the skeds, with (*) indicating league contests.

BASEBALL:

Mon-Mar. 13 — @ Meridian — (4:00)
Wed-Mar. 15 — South Whidbey — (4:00)
Sat-Mar. 18 — @ North Mason — (12:00)
Tue-Mar. 21 — La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Mar. 25 — Forks — (1:00)
Tue-Mar. 28 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Mar. 30 — @ Mount Vernon Christian (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 1 — Orcas Island (*) — (1:00)
Sat-Apr. 8 — @ Concrete (*) — (1:00)
Mon-Apr. 10 — Sultan — (4:00)
Tues-Apr. 11 — Darrington (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Apr. 13 — @ La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Tue-Apr. 18 — Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Wed-Apr. 19 — @ South Whidbey — (4:00)
Thur-Apr. 20 — Mount Vernon Christian (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 22 — @ Orcas Island (*) — (1:00)
Tue-Apr. 25 — Concrete (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Apr. 27 — @ Darrington (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 29 — La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Thur-May 4 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)

GIRLS TENNIS:

Thur-Mar. 16 — Granite Falls — (3:30)
Tues-Mar. 21 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Mar. 23 — @ South Whidbey — (3:30)
Mon-Mar. 27 — @ Granite Falls — (3:30)
Fri-Mar. 31 — Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Fri-Apr. 14 — South Whidbey — (3:30)
Fri-Apr. 21 — Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Tues-May 2 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:30)

SOFTBALL:

Mon-Mar. 13 — @ Meridian — (4:00)
Wed-Mar. 15 — South Whidbey — (4:00)
Tue-Mar. 21 — La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Mar. 25 — Forks — (1:00)
Sat-Mar. 25 — Granite Falls — (4:00)
Tue-Mar. 28 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Fri-Mar. 31 — Cedar Park Christian — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 1 — Orcas Island (*) — (1:00)
Sat-Apr. 8 — @ Concrete (*) — (1:00)
Tue-Apr. 11 — Darrington (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Apr. 13 — La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 15 — @ Onalaska – Game 1 — (TBD)
Sat-Apr. 15 — @ Onalaska – Game 2 — (TBD)
Tue-Apr. 18 — Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 22 — @ Orcas Island (*) — (1:00)
Tue-Apr. 25 — Concrete (*) — (4:00)
Thur-Apr. 27 — @ Darrington (*) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 29 — La Conner (*) — (4:00)
Thur-May 4 — @ Friday Harbor (*) — (4:00)
Sat-May 12 — @ South Whidbey — (4:00)

TRACK:

Wed-Mar. 15 — @ La Conner (*) — (3:30)
Wed-Mar. 22 — HOME MEET (*) — (3:30)
Wed-Mar. 29 — @ Mount Vernon (*) — (3:30)
Fri-Mar. 31 — @ Trojan Twilight (Meridian) — (4:00)
Sat-Apr. 8 — @ Birger/Solberg Invite (Bellingham) — (10:00)
Sat-Apr. 22 — @ Eason Invite (Snohomish) — (10:00)
Sat-Apr. 29 — @ Sunny & 70’s Invite (Lakewood) — (10:00)
Wed-May 3 — @ League Championships (La Conner) — (3:30)
Sat-May 13 — Districts (HOME MEET) — (11:00)
TBD — @ Quad-Districts (TBD) — (TBD)
Thur/Sat-May 25-27 — @ State (Yakima) — (TBD)

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We’re trippin’ in the time machine

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-State, baseball, boxing, CHS Wolves, Jim Clark on January 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Jim Clark rules the diamond. (Photos courtesy Renae Mulholland)

I don’t know it all.

Sometimes it probably reads like I think I do, but man, I maybe know like 7% of Coupeville’s sports history.

And yes, that’s seven, and not 70.

Every day I discover something new, it seems, and my best source of info is you, the people who have lived in this town.

The Whidbey News-Times moved their back issues off the Island a while ago, and stashed them, Raiders of the Lost Ark-style in a warehouse, never to be seen by the light of day again.

But you, my saviors, going through your attics, and basements, and barns, are sitting on a lot of history, and I appreciate it when you pass it on.

Who knows? Someday someone may find my holy grail – Tom Sahli’s basketball scoring stats for the 1951-1952 season.

Could happen…

Anyway, today’s glance at the past gives a glimpse of Jim Clark, who went from being a beautiful brawler to life as a standout diamond dandy.

And check out his opponent in the boxing ring in the third clipping – one Joe Finkbonner.

I know, kid was like nine years old, but I like to imagine a ring announcer going all Michael Buffer on his intro.

“In the left corner, wearing the blue trunks, weighing in at a titanic 68 pounds, the terror of the mainland, Joe “The Fink” … FINKBONNER!!!!”

Boo! Boo! Boo!!!!

And then Jim “The Jab” Clark defends Whidbey’s honor in a thunderous hail of, well, jabs.

Of course, right below the boxing recap is a brief note about Mr. Hilderdink’s small calf being mistaken for a deer and shot to heck by hunters who left their bifocals at home.

Probably high school basketball refs in real life…

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Wolf grad has tee shots, book smarts

Posted in Golf, tagged all-academic team, baseball, golf, Joey Lippo, University of Maine at Presque Isle on January 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Joey Lippo

He’s got multiple talents.

Coupeville High School grad Joey Lippo is currently a two-sport star at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, playing both golf and baseball for the Owls.

He’s also doing pretty well in the classroom, having been named to the North Atlantic Conference Fall 2022 All-Academic team.

Lippo, who is studying agricultural science and agribusiness, is one of 408 NAC athletes to be honored.

Repping 12 different schools, that group hails from 66 unique teams across seven sports.

To be eligible, an athlete had to notch a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0.

Lippo was honored for golf season, where he played his second campaign at UMPI this past fall.

Now, with spring threatening to show up, he’ll return to the baseball diamond for a third year.

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Hilborn new hardball head coach

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, CHS Wolves, coach chatter, new hire, Steve Hilborn on November 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Steve Hilborn has been tabbed as Coupeville High School’s new head baseball coach. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Steve Hilborn is stepping up.

After several seasons as an assistant coach at Coupeville High School, plus a stint with the local Babe Ruth program, Matt and Scott’s dad is the new Wolf head baseball coach.

His hiring is on the agenda for Monday’s school board meeting.

The elder Hilborn follows in the footsteps of Will Thayer, who led the CHS hardball program for two seasons before moving to Las Vegas.

Hilborn inherits a team coming off of a Northwest 2B/1B League title.

While the Wolves lost a strong group of seniors to graduation, key returners should include Scott Hilborn, Jonathan Valenzuela, Chase Anderson, Peyton Caveness, and Cole White, among others.

Baseball gets back to action with the start of practice the final week of Feb. 2023.

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Diamond ace dazzles Sin City

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, CHS Wolves, Coop Cooper, Desert Fall Classic, Las Vegas on November 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

CHS freshman Coop Cooper, on his way to playing four baseball games in a weekend. (Ken Cooper photos)

Baseball is taking Coop Cooper across the USA.

The Coupeville High School freshman spent Halloween weekend in Las Vegas, but never had a chance to try the blackjack table.

Instead, Cooper was busy playing in the 32nd annual Desert Fall Classic, participating with the Cascade Baseball Club — a U16 squad which pulls players from Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties.

During his time on the Vegas diamond, the Wolf hardball ace played four different positions across four games.

Cooper brought the heat on the mound in his tourney opener, coming on in relief against a team from Minnesota.

Cascade trailed 4-0 and the bases were juiced with just one out when he took the ball, but the CHS hurler shut down the rally, and gave his team a chance to rally.

Cooper finished with three strikeouts, while scattering a trio of hits across 4.2 innings of work.