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Posts Tagged ‘Brian Thompson’

Booters stay scrappy against top-level foe

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Brian Thompson is a whirlwind of energy on the pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)

It was a rumble in the afternoon sun.

Playing earlier than normal thanks to a need for the visitors to catch a ferry, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad wrapped a season-opening three-game homestand Thursday with a hard-fought 3-0 loss to Friday Harbor.

The defeat, coming in a “non-conference” game against a key Northwest 2B/1B League rival, drops CHS to 2-1 on the season.

Now, after playing three straight at Mickey Clark Field, the Wolves ride the bus the next three times out, with trips to play Grace Academy, Evangel Classical, and La Conner.

The last of those three will be the first game to count in the league standings, before Coupeville plays four of its next five back in Cow Town.

Thursday’s matchup was competitive from start to finish, with Friday Harbor clinging to a 1-0 lead at the half before slipping in a pair of second-half goals to stretch the margin out.

Coupeville, which had racked up 12 goals across its first two games, had some good looks at the net, but was denied by an aggressive defense and a sure-handed goalkeeper.

The Wolves own defense put out maximum effort, forcing Friday Harbor to earn its scores and chasing down several would-be breakaways.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron keeps an eye on the ball. (Jackie Saia photo)

CHS coach Jim Kunz gave props to Brian Thompson and Wyatt Fitch-Marron for leading the fight, with the duo both ending the game with a collection of bumps and bruises, but an unbowed spirit.

“Brian worked his butt off out there for us, and I really appreciate it,” Kunz said. “Wyatt as well.

“This was very much a defensive game, and having our defenders stay on point and keep pushing the ball forward kept it close and didn’t allow Friday Harbor to blow us out.”

The teams meet again October 15 on Friday Harbor, in what will be the seventh of nine games which count in the race for playoff spots, and Kunz said his squad will be ready for the challenge.

“We’ll continue to refine things,” he said.

“Some mistakes were made, but we’ll work to clean those up, make the necessary changes and get ready for the second time we play them, then go crush it.”

Wolf fans of all ages were impressed by the effort shown. (Photo courtesy Jessica Van Velkinburgh)

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Her camera is fast, her aim is true

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on April 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Brian Thompson flies from one end of the prairie to the other. (Julie Wheat photos)

She’s still got it.

Coupeville grad Julie Wheat, a legend from her own time as a Wolf athlete, is operating as a shutterbug these days, and the track and field photos you see above and below come to us courtesy her.

Enjoy a range of events and a look at some of Coupeville’s best and brightest repping the red and black.

Myra McDonald

Zach Blitch

Laken Simpson

Davin Houston

Mikayla Wagner

Sage Arends

Isa Mc Fetridge

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Booters launch banquet season

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on November 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Solomon Rudat gets up close and personal with a rival. (Julie Wheat photo)

Every letterman can return next season.

With no seniors on this year’s roster, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad went 15 players deep, and first-year coach Jim Kunz awarded every man on his roster a varsity letter.

Which makes sense, since most of the Wolves saw considerable field time during a season in which CHS picked up four of its five wins on its home pitch.

The booters were the first of Coupeville’s six fall sports teams to hand out postseason honors, kicking things off with a pizza party Tuesday night.

Josh Richards jumps on an unsuspecting soccer ball. (Julie Wheat photo)

 

Varsity letter winners:

Sage Arends
Mal Chapa
Wyatt Fitch-Marron
Diego Gonzalez
Edmund Kunz
Liam Lawson
Jacob Lujan
Josh Richards
Sam Richards
Sawyer Rudat
Solomon Rudat
Shiloh Sandlin
Brian Thompson
Aiden Wheat
Edmund Wilson

The Wolves prepare to take the field on breast cancer awareness night. (Jackie Saia photo)

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Booters finish season with a bang

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on October 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

CHS boys’ soccer won four out of its final five games at home, capping things by thumping La Conner Thursday night. (Julie Wheat photos)

They were in it to the very end.

A young Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad, which had no 12th graders to honor on Senior Night, was still fighting for a playoff spot in the season finale, proof of the scrappiness of a new-look roster.

And while the Wolves just barely missed out on that postseason berth, it was through no fault of their own, as they ran visiting La Conner off the field Thursday night in a campaign-closing 4-1 win.

With the victory, its fourth in its last five games on the pitch at Mickey Clark Field, CHS finishes 3-5 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-9 overall.

Defending state champ Orcas Island (8-0), Mount Vernon Christian (7-1), Friday Harbor (6-2), Lopez Island (5-3) and Providence Classical Christian (4-4) will rep District 1 in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, Grace Academy, and La Conner finish in a logjam at 1-7 in league play, two games off of Coupeville.

Having finished his first season at the helm of the CHS boys’ pitch program, Wolf coach Jim Kunz sees a bright future for the booters.

Coupeville can return every player on its roster, with 12 of 15 players being sophomores, freshmen, or 8th graders.

“One of the biggest things for us was seeing the 8th graders step up and show they can play high school ball,” Kunz said. “We’ve got potential for our future years, and for building a really strong program.”

A growing number of Wolves have committed to playing select soccer and putting in off-season work, and while the team had no seniors, coaches used the opportunity to praise their three junior captains — Sage Arends, Solomon Rudat, and Sam Richards — for providing leadership to the young guns.

“Sage has been leading on and off the field,” Kunz said in pre-game comments.

“He’s a powerhouse on the field and spends personal time keeping teammates up to date on practices and games.

“Solomon is a graceful player on the field and has a knack for maintaining his temper and composure,” the coach added.

“Sam is an amazing goalie and vocally leads the team.”

It’s a war on the pitch.

While La Conner had little left to play for, the Braves put up a good fight in the first half Thursday, forcing the Wolves to scramble to reclaim the advantage.

Coupeville got on the board fairly early, as Edmund Wilson slapped a shot past the La Conner netminder less than three minutes into play.

Unfortunately, for the Wolves, they wouldn’t score again for nearly 40 minutes.

La Conner evened things at 1-1 thanks to a well-placed penalty kick, while Coupeville’s own chance to ring up a goal on a first-half PK slammed into the crossbar and bounced away.

Richards kept the game knotted up with several strong saves, including one in which he dove to spear a dangerous ball off the top of the grass, and the Wolves finally rediscovered their magic touch.

Arends slipped in the go-ahead goal in stoppage time, sending CHS into the break with a 2-1 lead, before Wilson came back around to punch in two more scores in the second half to net the hat trick.

With the late rush, Wilson finishes the season with eight goals, putting him one ahead of Arends in the race to lead the team.

With older bothers Aiden and Cael each scoring 13 times during their prep careers, the Wilson brothers have combined for 34 goals, second-most for one family in CHS boys’ soccer history.

Who are they chasing?

The Leyvas, as brothers Abraham (45 goals) and Aram (29) netted 74. Toss in Cousin Derek (38), and the number grows to an uncanny 112.

Arends also nabbed a bit of Wolf pitch history for himself, as his goal was the 10th of his high school career, making him the 14th CHS boy to crack double-digits.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Edmund Wilson – 8
Sage Arends – 7
Brian Thompson – 2
Edmund Kunz – 1
Liam Lawson – 1

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Wolf booters chase playoff berth

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on October 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Shiloh Sandlin leads the charge. (Julie Wheat photo)

Growth and improvement, yes. A win, not on this day.

Facing off Wednesday afternoon with Friday Harbor, which has been a powerhouse in boys’ soccer in recent years, Coupeville’s young booters continued to jell as a team, but were unable to topple the high-powered Wolverines.

Still, the 5-1 home loss was a step forward from the season opener, when CHS was blanked 8-0 by the same foe.

“Much better than our first game of the season,” said Coupeville coach Jim Kunz. “Our Wolves made them work for it. We worked as a team.”

Kunz adjusted his normal defensive setup, with Wyatt Fitch-Marron, Shiloh Sandlin, Sage Arends, and Brian Thompson anchoring the back line in support of goaltender Sam Richards.

“They shut them down,” Kunz said. “A few small mistakes resulted in goals, but we definitely had the ability to win, which is very exciting.”

Coupeville’s goal came off the foot of Arends, who notched his team-high sixth score of the season.

The tally pushes the Wolf junior to nine goals for his prep pitch career, right on the cusp of becoming the 14th Wolf boy to reach double-digits in career scoring.

With the loss, CHS drops to 2-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-7 overall, and sits in fifth place in the nine-team conference with three games left to play.

The Wolves hit the road for their next two, playing Providence Classical Christian Oct. 24 and Lopez Island Oct. 28, before wrapping the regular season with a home clash against La Conner Oct. 30.

The top five teams from District 1 advance to the playoffs, which start Nov. 4.

Defending state champ Orcas Island (6-0), Mount Vernon Christian (6-1), Friday Harbor (4-2), Lopez (3-3), and Coupeville (2-3) currently hold down those slots, with Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, Grace Academy, La Conner, and Providence all on the outside looking in at 1-4.

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