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Posts Tagged ‘Basketball’

Sean Toomey-Stout (John Fisken photos)

   Sean Toomey-Stout elevates and electrifies on the hardwood. (John Fisken photos)

Toomey-Stout hauls in a punt.

Toomey-Stout hauls in a punt.

The future of Wolf sports is here and it just came flying in the door.

Coupeville High School freshman Sean Toomey-Stout, much like twin sister Maya and older brother Cameron, is fleet of feet.

That speed, a love for competition and a willingness to work hard and mesh well with his teammates bodes well for his athletic future.

Like his siblings, Toomey-Stout plans to be a three-sport athlete for the Wolves, continuing a trend from middle school.

He’s currently out on the gridiron putting in practice time with the CHS football squad, then plans to follow that up with basketball and track.

While Toomey-Stout enjoys all of his athletic pursuits, it’s a close battle for which one is nearest and dearest to his heart.

“It is between football and basketball,” he said. “They are both sports I’ve loved to play and watch since I was little.”

Embracing sports, both as a fan and a player, is something which comes naturally.

From moms Lisa Toomey and Beth Stout on down, the clan loves the arena.

“My entire family, they are sports nuts,” Sean said. “I have learned to love watching and playing sports.”

He’s also learned to work well with others, blossoming as a rock-solid teammate while toiling for CMS squads.

“I like being a part of a team and learning new things,” Toomey-Stout said. “I like meeting new people when I play.

“I am able to rely on other people, and, if I mess up, I know they will have my back,” he added. “I try my hardest in everything I do and give my maximum effort.”

When he’s not playing organized team sports, Toomey-Stout can often be found on a paddle board or snowboard, while still carving out time to finish homework.

“I want to get good grades,” he said. “And enjoy my time playing sports and doing well at sports.”

While he comes equipped with strong athletic skills, Toomey-Stout is not content to coast on his natural abilities alone.

“I need to work on my overall speed and agility, as well as my physical strength,” he said.

And while sports are a big part of his life, they aren’t the only thing driving him.

He’s a drummer who “likes all kinds of movies” and has musical tastes which run from opera to rap.

In the classroom, he gravitates towards math, which is “pretty fun,” and band, which allows him to be creative.

“I enjoy playing the drums and I drum a lot at home,” Toomey-Stout said. “I love to try to figure out new pieces of music in band.”

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Matthew Kelley (Pat Kelley photo)

   CMS 8th grader Matthew Kelley and the fruits of his soccer summer. (Photo courtesy Pat Kelley)

Kalia and Mia

   Kalia and Mia Littlejohn pose with their select soccer teammates Sunday after a tourney win. (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)

(Katy Wells photo)

   Hoops sensation Izzy Wells (left) and lil’ sister Savina enjoy shaved ice as they try and beat the heat in Arlington. (Katy Wells photo)

3 v 3

   Wells (15) is joined by teammates (l to r) Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Audrianna Shaw and Ja’Kenya Hoskins. (Photo courtesy Dustin Van Velkinburgh)

Kelley

  Kelley (bottom row, far left) basks in the glow of the championship cup.

They took the heat and dished it back out.

Fleeing Whidbey Island during a hectic weekend when arts and crafts festivals, barbecues, hydroplane races and car shows clogged everything in sight, a group of Coupeville athletes took to the scorching-hot mainland.

Once there, the Wolves put in work at basketball and soccer tourneys, with several of them coming back home bearing championship glory.

Four young Coupeville hoopsters — Izzy Wells, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Ja’Kenya Hoskins and Audrianna Shaw — ended up in Arlington, playing in 90+ degree weather at an outdoor 3 v 3 showdown.

While they didn’t win any trophies, the Wolf stars of the future acquitted themselves nicely and earned their shaved ice treats.

“Those four are good athletes,” said coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh. “Girls played hard and gained valuable experience.”

Meanwhile, off in Bellingham, three Coupeville booters, playing on two separate teams, all won titles at the Phillips 66 Rimland Challenge.

CMS 8th grader Matthew Kelley and his Northwest United FC squad romped to four straight wins, outscoring their foes 14-3 en route to winning the BU15 COPA flight.

Kelley punched in a pair of goals and dealt out three assists as he added to his stash of soccer awards from a busy summer schedule.

Sisters Mia and Kalia Littlejohn, who will be a junior and sophomore at CHS respectively, were just as successful.

Rampaging across the turf, the duo helped spark Northwest United G’00 Black to a championship win in GU17-19.

They and their select teammates won four of five over the course of the weekend, avenging their lone loss in the championship tilt.

Northwest United nipped Blackhills FC in penalty kicks after battling to a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime.

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(Amy King photo)

  Wolf hoops stars (back, l to r) Kailey Kellner, Tiffany Briscoe, Mia Littlejohn and (front, l to r) Kyla Briscoe, Kalia Littlejohn. (David King photo)

Not content to rest.

Coming off of the program’s first trip to state in a decade, the core of the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad has been busy this summer.

From team camps to putting in work at open gyms, the Wolves, who return all but one player from last year’s 1A Olympic League champs, have taken advantage of the opportunities which abound in the off-season.

The latest excursion brought five CHS hoops stars — seniors Kailey Kellner and Tiffany Briscoe, juniors Mia Littlejohn and Kyla Briscoe and sophomore Kalia Littlejohn — to Seattle Wednesday.

Taking part in a shooting clinic at King’s High School, the Wolves were part of a group of 60+ basketball players in attendance.

Also on hand (to observe from the cheap seats) was CHS coach David King, who sent back the photo above and some video of a drill.

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Luke Merriman

Luke Merriman: Legendary. (John Fisken and Ann Merriman photos)

He is the legend that keeps on giving.

A sharp-shooting, slick-dribbling, nattily-dressed hoops sensation who glides through the world, sly grin on his face.

Luke Merriman, who celebrates a birthday today, is the real deal — a genuine superstar who is genuinely one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.

He’s a killer on the hard-court (as long as he can keep his bones intact) and willing to put up with my shenanigans off-court, which is a sweet combo.

Few high schoolers would step up and not only accept, but seem to mostly enjoy, the hubbub created by me publishing an infamous photo of said player going to town on a hotdog (during the middle of a game).

Even as the photo was republished just about everywhere, becoming our own little Cow Town version of viral, Luke just did his version of McConaughey, sliding by with a slightly amused “Alright, alright, alright.”

Mr. Merriman is a cool customer all around, and this upcoming basketball season should be his moment to shine even brighter than ever.

With a wide open path to varsity hoops glory opening up in front of him, Luke, who will be a junior, should have considerable freedom to rain down three-point bombs alongside his fellow Wolf sharpshooters.

After a mass graduation and recent defections, CHS will have only two varsity players returning and a limited number of last year’s JV players around to move up.

Merriman could be the team’s secret weapon, though, a born shooter who lives to slay from distance and cocks an eyebrow when people start talking about the school record for treys in a single boys basketball season.

It’s 62, courtesy Brad Sherman in 2002-2003, if you’re wondering.

So my advice to Merriman?

Enjoy your birthday, bask in the cake (though check for any wandering paparazzi before putting fork to mouth), then get back to perfecting the rotation on your shot.

This is your season, your time to rise up and write your legend.

Happy birthday, Luke. Now go get ready to shred folks.

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Matthew Kelley (Photos courtesy Pat Kelley)

   Matthew Kelley shows off the shirts worn by Wolf players. (Photos courtesy Pat Kelley)

Wolves

The Wolves, pre-sunburns.

Bennett Boyles (Photo courtesy Pat Kelley)

Bennett Boyles

They burned for Bennett.

Playing under scorching skies in Enumclaw, eight Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball players poured in buckets in support of a missing teammate this weekend.

Playing at an outdoor three-on-three tourney, the Wolves raised $402 as a fundraiser for Bennett Boyles.

The CMS hoops player is battling an inoperable brain tumor and has been sidelined at a hospital in Seattle for weeks.

While he wasn’t able to travel with his teammates, he was very much in their thoughts, with each basket scored by the Wolves raising money for Boyles.

Coupeville players got fans to pledge a certain amount per basket scored in the tourney and the Wolves combined to pour in 46 buckets.

Seven of the eight CMS players on hand for the tourney scored, while nearly all of them came home with sunburns.

The Wolves were hurt a bit by a thin bench, as local teams shared players among teams.

Still, win or lose, the tourney was more about helping their missing teammate and less about worrying over the score.

So, in the end, it was a rousing success.

“Very proud of the boys,” said Coupeville coach Pat Kelley. “Go Bennett!”

Donations to help Boyles and his family (his mom Lucienne Rivera, a CHS grad, had to quit her job to be with her son) can be dropped off at Ebey Academy (140 SE Terry Road) in Coupeville.

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