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Posts Tagged ‘Chimacum’

“They are playing their hearts out!!”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on May 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hope Lodell lashed a pair of hits Monday in Chimacum. (John Fisken photo)

Hope Lodell lashed a pair of hits Monday in Chimacum. (John Fisken photo)

There’s two ways to look at Monday.

The first take is the easy one, which is the Coupeville High School softball squad fell 14-4 at Chimacum, allowing the Cowboys to clinch back-to-back league titles.

The loss dropped the Wolves to 3-5 in the 1A Olympic League — guaranteeing they will finish third behind Chimacum (7-0, 11-4) and Klahowya (4-2, 9-6) but ahead of Port Townsend (0-7, 0-12) — and 8-8 overall.

But even at what could seem like a down moment, the positives continue to outweigh the negatives for an extremely young Coupeville squad.

Despite having no seniors and featuring five starters who are freshmen or sophomores, the Wolves have racked up their most wins in a season in some time.

And, even in losses like the one on Monday, they continue to fight until the final out.

“We lost today, but the score is definitely not a good representation of how we played,” said Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan. “We had them on the ropes, as their coaches were talking about changing pitchers, but she always wiggled out of it.”

Coupeville got on the board first and trailed just 6-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but that was when the floor fell out from beneath it.

“We were playing them tight and then a few little errors happened and caused a big inning,” McGranahan said.

The Wolves mounted a decent offensive attack, with Hope Lodell, Katrina McGranahan and Sarah Wright each bashing out a pair of hits, while Veronica Crownover added a single and Lauren Rose walked four times.

Coupeville had the bags juiced in both the first and second, but came away with just a single run each time.

“We just couldn’t get the hit or tough out we needed to put the game away,” Kevin McGranahan said.

Even in a loss, though, the diamond guru hasn’t lost faith in his team, which continues to show growth each time out.

“Just keep believing in these girls,” he said. “They are playing their hearts out and will only get better.”

The Wolves have three regular season games left, a home league game Wednesday (3:30) against Klahowya, then road games at Bellevue Christian and La Conner before heading off to the playoffs.

Since the team has no seniors to honor on what would normally be Senior Night, the players are planning to have a fan appreciation day Wednesday.

“They want it to be a thank you to the fans and community for the support throughout the season,” Kevin McGranahan said. “This is a testament to the character this group of young ladies (this TEAM) has.

“I really don’t know what they have planned, but, whatever it is, it is from their heart.”

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“We couldn’t get the bats working”

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on May 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

CJ Smith had one of the few hits for Coupeville Monday in a 3-0 loss. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

   CJ Smith had one of the few hits for Coupeville Monday in a 3-0 loss. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

Seven steps forward, one step backward.

A game after they clinched their first league title in 25 years, the Coupeville High School baseball squad came out a bit flat Monday afternoon.

Call it a hangover loss.

Unable to generate much offense, the Wolves fell 3-0 at Chimacum, taking their first league defeat under first-year head coach Marc Aparicio.

Now 7-1 in the 1A Olympic League, 10-9 overall, CHS will wrap its regular season with a home game against Klahowya Wednesday.

Win or lose, the Wolves open district play May 10 at Curtis High School.

They’ll also play May 12 and possibly May 14 and will need two wins to advance to state.

To see the playoff bracket, hop over to: http://www.olympicleague.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=1906&sport=6

Facing off with a foe they had beaten by a single run in each of their first two meetings, Coupeville got stung early Monday.

Chimacum plated all three of its runs in the first inning, using a couple of singles and two Wolf errors to do their damage.

It was the only time all afternoon the Cowboys had much going at the plate, but it turned out to be enough, as Coupeville struggled offensively.

“We played well, but couldn’t get the bats working,” Aparicio said.

Coupeville went down in order three times, and only managed to get more than one runner on in the same inning twice in the game.

Singles from CJ Smith and Cole Payne in the first went for naught, while a brief fourth inning rally sputtered out as quickly as it began.

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Fight for every out!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mikayla Elfrank

   Mikayla Elfrank was one of three Wolves, along with Tiffany Briscoe and Robin Cedillo, to pull off web gems Monday in a rough loss. (John Fisken photo)

Some days you need to embrace the small moments.

In terms of the large picture, Monday was the roughest afternoon the Coupeville High School softball squad has had this season.

Absorbing a 19-4 beating at the hands of visiting Chimacum, the Wolves slid to their fifth loss in their last six games and dropped into third place in the 1A Olympic League.

Now 2-3 in league play, 7-6 overall, Coupeville trails Chimacum (4-0, 8-4) and Klahowya (2-1, 7-5).

The Wolves remain in prime position to earn the league’s third and final playoff berth, however, with Port Townsend (0-4, 0-9) firmly mired in the cellar.

Win on Wednesday, when CHS travels to Klahowya, and they’re right back in a tie for second-place.

Chimacum, the defending league champs, teed off on the Wolves, launching laser shots in all directions, using a nine-run explosion in the top of the third to firmly put the game away.

Up until then, it was a nail-biter, thanks to some of those small moments.

In the first inning, both of Coupeville’s corner outfielders came up huge with web gems, helping Wolf hurler Katrina McGranahan toss a flawless inning.

On the first batter of the game, left fielder Tiffany Briscoe made a snag over her head while backpedaling, robbing a Cowboy slugger of a blast which seemed to have extra-base hit written all over it.

Not to be outdone, right fielder Robin Cedillo then went her one better, ending the inning by sprinting to her left and snaring a long smash down the line.

Coupeville made it three dynamite plays in four hitters when shortstop Mikayla Elfrank flat-out robbed Chimacum to start the second inning.

The Cowboys cleanup hitter smashed a sharply-hit shot into the gap between short and third, but Elfrank’s glove was too quick, as the slick-fielding sophomore speared the ball an inch above the ground, smothering it for an out.

While Chimacum then started putting the ball where the Wolves weren’t, McGranahan limited the assault to a mere two runs.

Kailey Kellner led off the bottom of the second with a high, arcing double to center and eventually came around to score on a sac fly by Briscoe, setting up what seemed like it would be a back-and-forth affair.

It wasn’t to be, though, as the Cowboys rattled off seven hits in the third, all hit with force and flair.

If nothing else, Coupeville can hang its hat on the fact it didn’t lose the game, Chimacum very clearly stepped up and won it.

An RBI ground-out by Wolf catcher Sarah Wright got one run back, and then the freshman moved out from behind the plate to pitch the game’s final two innings.

Coupeville loaded the bags in the fourth, but stranded all three runners, before netting two final runs in the fifth on a sweet two-run single by freshman Veronica Crownover.

Kellner paced the Wolves with two hits, while Crownover and Lauren Rose each delivered one.

While the loss stings, CHS coach Kevin McGranahan was pleased to see his players hold their heads high and keep fighting until the final out.

“They didn’t fall apart out there, which is nice to see,” he said. “That’s what we ask of them, to play 110% in every game, regardless of the score, and they did today.”

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“I like playing against really nice people!!”

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on April 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Renee Woods (John Fisken photos)

   Chimacum netter Renee Woods is skilled with a racket, but it’s her grace and spirit which will carry her the farthest. (John Fisken photos)

Bree Daigneault (John Fisken photos)

The same could be said for Coupeville’s Bree Daigneault.

Tennis has always been viewed as one of the most polite of all sports.

Fans don’t typically scream during points, players applaud well-hit shots, they call their own lines at most levels of competition and on and on.

Now, there are some exceptions — the three years I played at Tumwater High School we were a pack of wild animals who took great delight in drilling each other in the groin with the ball as often as possible.

But, by and large, tennis stands as one of the last bastions of manners and good taste.

Having watched some Coupeville High School matches this year, both boys and girls, I have to say, the game seems to be at an all-time high for sheer politeness these days.

The Wolf girls, in particular, go way out of their way to compliment their rivals on a regular basis, whether they’ve just drilled a gorgeous shot or been the victim of one.

Now, it’s safe to say CHS singles ace Valen Trujillo would most likely serve her foes tea and cakes mid-match if she was allowed (she’s a top-notch baker and probably the most sincerely nice successful athlete I’ve ever covered), but she has a fast-rising rival or two.

Wolf junior Bree Dagineault is the queen of compliments, and she never seems less than 179% sincere as she bestows them on her hard-court opponents.

Friday, as she faced off with Renee Woods of Chimacum, she might have met her doppelganger and it produced maybe the most blissful match I have ever witnessed.

Now, this was a hard-fought duel, with both players going full-tilt, often bounding along the baseline and slugging it out.

But, in between every shot, they found new ways to rain down praise on each other, and, when they exited, without hearing the score, you would have had no idea who won by their expressions, which were both beaming and topped with smiles.

Now, I once drilled one of my own teammates in the face with an overhead ON PURPOSE (well, it wasn’t just once…), but these two young women are operating in a whole different world from us late ’80s ruffians, and it’s really incredible to witness.

At one point, the following exchange was made. I swear.

“That was a REALLY nice serve.”

“Thank you! Well, you made a REALLY nice return.”

“Well thank you! That was a great rally!!”

“It was, wasn’t it!!”

“Thank you.”

“Well, thank you!!”

It never came across as sappy or cloying or fake, just two really bright, really well-adjusted high school athletes living in the moment, thoroughly enjoying the experience and proving you can compete hard without being a jerk.

As they exited at the end, after much more two-way praise, Bree turned to the Chimacum coach and said one of the best things I have heard in 25 years of covering prep sports.

“That was fun! I like playing against really nice people!”

The entire match, from start to finish, speaks well of Daigneault and Woods, their coaches and their families.

Next time you read about something cruddy happening in the world of sports, let your mind wander back to this day, this match, and rinse your mind out. Let the sunshine in.

Be like Bree. Be like Renee. Be a winner.

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“Very proud of their efforts!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on March 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Scout Smith (John Fisken photos)

   Scout Smith dropped the hammer in the fourth quarter Monday, lifting the CMS 8th grade varsity to a victory. (John Fisken photos)

Megan Thorn

  Megan Thorn tied for team-high honors with four points in the 8th grade JV’s win.

Scout Smith is an assassin.

Saving her best for crunch time, the Coupeville Middle School hoops star poured in seven of her nine points down the stretch Monday to lift the Wolf 8th grade varsity to a wild 33-24 win at Chimacum.

The victory lifted Smith’s squad to 4-2 on the season and gave CMS two wins in three games on their road trip.

Coupeville’s 7th grade varsity was nipped 30-28 in a thriller, while the 8th grade JV got buckets from everyone on their roster en route to a 20-15 win.

8th grade varsity — Hannah Davidson was a force in the middle, dropping in 12, while Smith, Maya Toomey-Stout (5), Avalon Renninger (5) and Tia Wurzrainer (2) helped the cause.

Coupeville pulled off the win despite a thin roster and sometimes playing what seemed like 5-on-7.

“The refs were not on our side tonight,” said CMS coach Bob Martin. “But they (the girls) all played their hearts out.”

Things got dicey after Emma Mathusek went to the bench with a wrenched ankle, followed by Davidson fouling out.

That forced the Wolves to play a man down for a bit, before Mathusek returned, one painful step at a time, to give CMS five players on the floor.

“Emma returned in the fourth with tears and a limp, but didn’t hold anything back, diving, jumping, and leaving it all on the court,” Martin said. “Very proud of their efforts tonight!”

7th grade varsity — The Cowboys got a bit of revenge for an earlier-season loss, holding off the Wolves at the very end.

The loss dropped the young guns to 2-4, but their coach came away pleased with the effort his players gave him.

“It was a great game,” Ryan King said. “Win or lose, I’m proud of these girls.”

Chelsea Prescott paced CMS with 10 points, while Mollie Bailey and Genna Wright each banged away for seven.

Morgan Pease banked home four to round out the offensive attack, while Luci Coleburn and Catherine Lhamon both chipped in with hustle and hard work.

8th grade JV — Seven different Wolves scored, but it was their work on the defensive end that sealed the deal.

Wurzrainer, Megan Thorn and Seraina Weatherford each knocked down four, while Cassidy Moody, Marenna Rebischke-Smith, Cynthia Rachal and Melia Welling all chipped in with a basket.

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