Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘CHS Wolves’

Sluggers swing for state glory!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Junior first-baseman Veronica Crownover is a key bat in a Wolf softball lineup chock full of big-time sluggers. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One strike.

That was how close the Coupeville High School softball squad came to advancing to the state tourney a season ago.

But, after a long road trip, then playing four postseason games in less than 24 heat-drenched hours, and winning two of them, the Wolves were denied at the very end.

It could have been a crusher, but instead, it has become the spark which has kept the fire burning deep in the heart of every CHS player this off-season.

Now, “spring” has arrived, and with it, the Wolves are ready to launch a new assault on the school record book and opposing pitchers.

“Our goals for this season are the same as always,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan. “Above all else, have fun and gel as a team; compete for the league championship every day;  advance to state and make sure they knew Coupeville was there by upsetting some teams.”

Coupeville went 19-5 last year, the second-best record in 39 years of Wolf softball, losing to just two teams.

Three tough losses, two on the road, to Chimacum, denied them an Olympic League title by the slimmest of margins.

Then, two defeats to perennial power Bellevue Christian at districts, packaged around wins over Vashon Island and Seattle Christian, ended the Wolves season.

Both Chimacum and BC absorbed substantial losses to graduation, while Coupeville, for the most part, is returning the core of its squad.

Second baseman Jae LeVine and left fielder Tiffany Briscoe graduated, while slugging shortstop Mikayla Elfrank is sitting out her senior season as she recovers from a devastating leg injury suffered during basketball.

While the trio will be missed, the Wolves will still be a very deep, very talented squad, with most positions manned by veterans.

Seniors Katrina McGranahan (P), Lauren Rose (3B) and Hope Lodell (CF) have been All-Conference players year in and year out, with McGranahan the reigning Olympic League MVP.

Junior catcher Sarah Wright has been a star from day one, launching moon shots and gunning down would-be base stealers, while junior first baseman Veronica Crownover is a threat to clear the fences every time she swings a bat.

Toss in sophomore jack-of-all-trades Scout Smith, who blossomed as a star during last year’s playoffs, and the Wolves can stand with just about anyone.

There is plenty of depth as well, with a mix of returning bench players and a talented group of freshmen headed up by former little league standouts Mollie Bailey and Chelsea Prescott.

“I feel that we are strong again as a team and that together these girls can all be the top returning player any given day,” Kevin McGranahan said. “All of them will be pretty much interchangeable on the field.

“We have a big freshmen class coming in,” he added. “So we will be strong in the future and will have to see how they look as practice takes shape.”

In the race for a league title defending champ Chimacum “will be a wild card,” while Klahowya, led by D-1 recruit Amber Bumbalough, “will be strong again this year.”

Port Townsend is mired in a 51-game losing streak dating back to 2014, but the RedHawks made huge strides in the second half last season and looked like a squad about to break through.

Instead of focusing on their rivals, the Wolves will look inward.

“Mental toughness is and always will be something a team needs to constantly work on,” Kevin McGranahan said. “The little things on the field will take care of themselves through practice.

“Our team strengths will be our team speed and the girls playing for each other and not playing for themselves.”

Read Full Post »

Veteran diamond squad hunts title!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Wolf junior Matt Hilborn will bounce between the mound, third and short this season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Right back to the top.

That’s where the Coupeville High School baseball squad wants to go, as the Wolves aim for a second Olympic League title in the last three years.

Last year saw a mid-season coaching change, as Marc Aparicio stepped away to focus on a real-world job and Chris Smith slid into the head gig.

Not missing a beat, the Wolves finished 11-9 overall, 6-3 in league play.

That was good enough for a second-place finish behind Klahowya, but the season ended too early when CHS was nipped 2-1 by Bellevue Christian in a loser-out district playoff game.

As he prepares for a full season as head coach, Chris Smith is excited to see what a veteran, skilled roster can produce.

“My goal for the year is to be the best team on the field every time we play,” he said. “Smaller goals include creating a new system that will directly relate to my style of coaching.

“To win a league title and to win at least one playoff game — everything after that is icing on the cake.”

Coupeville’s seniors have finished second, first and second in the Olympic League during their three years as Wolves, and want to go out on top.

“Senior leadership, experience of our varsity squad, solid pitching staff and solid defense will be our strengths,” Chris Smith said. “These attributes will give us the ability to compete with every team we play.

“If our bats come alive, we will be a significant threat to every team we face.”

Coupeville has a ton of pitching depth, with senior Hunter Smith joining juniors Dane Lucero and Matt Hilborn in the starting rotation.

Three seniors — long relievers Joey Lippo and Nick Etzell and closer Julian Welling — comprise the bullpen.

Flexibility is a huge positive for the Wolves, as players will slide around depending on who is on the mound.

When not pitching, Hunter Smith will be at short, Lucero at third base, Etzell at second, Welling at first and Lippo in center field.

Hilborn will bounce between short and third, with senior Jake Hoagland manning right field.

Other players expected to vie for major playing time include seniors Kyle Rockwell and Jacob Zettle, juniors Shane Losey and Jake Pease and sophomore Gavin Knoblich.

As he mixes and matches his lineup, Chris Smith looks forward to getting production from every slot on the batting order.

To ensure that, the Wolves will put in work on a consistent basis.

“We will swing the bats a ton this year,” he said. “We will be focused on creating a solid lineup from top to bottom of ‘big game hunters’,” he said. “We will work on perfecting this craft, knowing our pitch, knowing our objective and driving the baseball all over the field.”

This is the final season for the current line-up of the Olympic League, as Coupeville bounces to the new North Sound Conference in the fall. As they depart, the Wolves are ready to leave their mark.

“We match up very well with every team in our league,” Chris Smith said. “Overall, I believe we have a stronger team coming back then any of the rest.

“However I know that all of these teams bring their ‘A’ games when they play us and I don’t expect anything less this year,” he added. “My ultimate focus is not to be too concerned with our opponents but to put a team on the field that gives them a lot to be concerned about.”

The CHS coaching staff has two missions — to win at the varsity level while building at the JV level.

“I will be spending as much time with them (the JV) as possible to get them ready for the upcoming years,” Chris Smith said.

While no one knows exactly how things will play out, Coupeville’s coach, for one, is ready to attack the new season.

“It will be a fun and exciting year! We have big expectations, but we also have the team to deliver.”

Read Full Post »

Pelant returns to CHS pitch!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on February 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Luke Pelant (left), hangs out with coach Paul Mendes during the 2013 CHS boys soccer awards banquet. (Photo by Robert Pelant)

One by one, the former Wolves return.

Luke Pelant is the latest Coupeville High School grad to return to his alma mater, only this time as a coach and not a player.

He is joining the boys soccer team as an assistant coach to Kyle Nelson, in a move which will be official when the School Board gives its approval.

Pelant had an illustrious soccer career at CHS, capped by a senior season in 2013, when he was a captain, was named the team’s MVP and was tabbed as an All-League player by Cascade Conference coaches.

He also received the US Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award that year.

After high school, Pelant attended Washington State University, where he studied marketing.

During his time as a Wolf, he played for legendary soccer coach Paul Mendes, an international pitch star who capped his career in Coupeville.

A leader during his time on the field for the Wolves, Pelant is looking forward to helping shape a new generation of players.

“I just love the game so much,” he said. “I want to be around it more and hopefully bring more players to love it as much as I do.”

Read Full Post »

Wolves net hoops honors!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on February 22, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Hunter Smith led Coupeville in scoring, steals and assists, netting team MVP honors and recognition as a First-Team All-League player. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Hunter Downes, who paced the Wolves in rebounding, was one of six seniors honored for their defensive prowess at a season-ending awards banquet.

They were a potent one-two punch and everyone noticed.

Senior gunners Hunter Smith and Ethan Spark combined to score 598 of Coupeville’s 923 points during basketball season, and that helped the duo earn First-Team All-Conference honors when Olympic League coaches voted.

Kaiden Parcher, a beast all season for league champ Port Townsend, claimed conference MVP.

Smith, whose 382 points was the most scored by a Wolf in a season since Mike Bagby netted 414 in 2004-2005, was named team MVP Thursday when CHS held its season-ending awards banquet.

With 847 career points, he finished as the 12th highest scorer in program history, while also leading his squad in steals and assists as a senior.

Coupeville coach Brad Sherman broke down Smith’s strengths:

“Talented floor manager, unique ability to get to the rim and draw contact (102 points from the free-throw line this season), difficult to defend, handles the ball well against pressure, great mid-range game, which is very rare in today’s high school basketball game.

“Quiet leader, amazing competitor.”

Senior Cameron Toomey-Stout collected the Wolf Pack Award, which honors a player who exemplifies “a team-first mentality, commitment and reliability, a positive and encouraging attitude on and off the basketball court, effort and work ethic, and all-around character.”

“His work ethic, character, and level of commitment are clear to anyone who has worked with or knows Cam,” Sherman said.

When it came time to honor the Defensive Player of the Year, Sherman mixed things up a bit, spreading love to all of his seniors — Hunter Downes, Kyle Rockwell, Joey Lippo, Smith, Spark and Toomey-Stout.

“We stressed all year setting the tone with our defensive intensity and five players moving and communicating as one,” Sherman said. “We recorded 217 steals and had 177 deflections and played well on defense as a group.

“When we sat down to determine one defensive player of the year based on several statistical factors, it became difficult to pick one, which is a good thing,” he added. “Ultimately we felt the senior group as a whole deserved to be recognized for the way they worked together to disrupt teams on defense.”

Smith led in steals, Lippo in blocks and deflected passes, Downes in rebounds, Toomey-Stout “was a defensive workhorse,” Spark recorded 48 steals and 30 deflected passes and Rockwell was “a skilled shot blocker and came up huge at the end of the season.”

In fact, that effort at the end netted Rockwell the Play of the Year for an offensive rebound and put-back which sealed an upset of first-place Klahowya on Coupeville’s Senior Night.

Rounding out the awards, Spark notched Sharp Shooter honors, for draining the most three-balls, while Chris Ruck was named Most Inspirational for the JV squad.

“I’m really proud of this group and thought they played so hard this season,” Sherman said. “Had some successes and moments that they can remember for years to come — 101-year anniversary, big win on Senior Night, winning record in league.

“Looking forward, we take this year’s positives and continue to build on them,” he added. “We lose a lot of seniors this year and our entire starting five, but with that comes a great deal of opportunity for our younger guys – and we have a talented group of young players that we are excited about.

“This will be a big off-season for us to develop and grow as a team, and Coach (Chris) Smith and I are really looking forward to what the future holds for this group of athletes.”

Varsity letter winners:

Jered Brown
Hunter Downes
Mason Grove
Gavin Knoblich
Joey Lippo
Dane Lucero
Kyle Rockwell
Hunter Smith
Ethan Spark
Cameron Toomey-Stout
James Vidoni

Varsity participation:

Jacobi Pilgrim
Ulrik Wells

JV participation:

Trevor Bell
Koa Davison
Sage Downes
Mason Grove
Tucker Hall
Alex Jimenez
Gavin Knoblich
Ryan Labrador
Jean Lund-Olsen
Daniel Olson
Jon Partida
Jake Pease
Jacobi Pilgrim
David Prescott
Chris Ruck
Matt Stevens
James Vidoni
Ulrik Wells

Read Full Post »

Do what you can’t!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, tagged , , , on February 22, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Coupeville HS/MS Athletic Director Willie Smith has some words of wisdom for you. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Everything is in flux, with Coupeville jumping to the new North Sound Conference next school year, after being denied a chance to drop from 1A to 2B.

Into the fray wades one man, a gleam in his eyes and a deep burning commitment in his heart.

Wolf Athletic Director Willie Smith is here to kick you in the rear, pull you up by your bootstraps and calm your frazzled nerves.

A word (or three) from the big man himself:

Do what you can’t!

As we move into a new middle and high school league, together again with familiar schools such as King’s, Sultan, Granite Falls, South Whidbey, and our newest school, Cedar Park Christian, I believe this statement strikes a tone which rings very true for us.

What do we believe about Coupeville athletics?

Do we believe it’s an unfair advantage to pit public school athletes verse private school athletes?

Do we complain because we are the smallest 1A school, not only in our conference, but in the state?

Do we make excuses for not working out, attending summer camps/clinics, or not playing because (fill in the blank here)?

Is it the coach’s fault, other player’s fault, “we don’t win, so what’s the point of trying or turning out?”

What do YOU believe about Coupeville athletics?

As I’ve moved from player, coach, Athletic Director, retired coach, and back to Athletic Director, I’ve experienced possibly every league configuration, various levels of competition, equity in school size and disparity in school size.

I’ve heard every excuse in the world as to why we can’t compete, don’t win, don’t have good coaches, have poor support, yada, yada, yada…

The one thing that rings true throughout the entire span of my association with athletics is that no matter what the situation, good teams have the same intangibles: work ethic, leadership, commitment, and the ability to overcome adversity.

Do what you can’t.

1996-97 girls basketball team: lose two starters prior to districts, enter districts as #4 seed, play Lynden Christian, ranked #1 in state.

Down by two at half, they’ve taken off the press because it doesn’t work, end up losing by 12.

Play three loser-out games in a row, winning two, face King’s in loser out/winner to state, up 10-0 after 1st quarter, end up losing by 10 to eventual state champs who play Lynden Christian in championship … all with eight girls on the entire team.

Do what you can’t.

1999-2000 girls basketball team: new school in our league named Archbishop Murphy.

Playing with two seniors, one junior, a sophomore, and a freshman starter, win league, beat Murphy by 24 on home court, beat Murphy in loser-out to get to state tournament on a shot hit by 5’8” player over two 6’0 girls.

Down 15 at half in game two, loser-out, at state, storm back to win first-ever state tournament game in Coupeville girls athletics.

Do what you can’t.

2007 football team — down 12-0 in fourth quarter, score twice in last six minutes of game to win, and get to within one game of state tournament.

The 2007-08 track and field team that captured fourth as a team.

2007-08 baseball team, win-less in previous season of Cascade League play, finish third, take first in sub-districts, first in tri-districts, state appearance.

Do what you can’t.

2013-14 baseball, after going 0-fer freshman year and having the ten-run rule in effect for 10 of 16 games, finish 16-10 and a state appearance.

Do what you can’t.

I don’t mention these because I’m patting myself on the back as the coach.

I mention these teams, and I could go on with many other teams and individuals, but because I know, firsthand the work, the effort, the commitment, and their ability to handle adversity.

People will often say that those teams and individuals that won league titles, made it through districts and participated/placed at the state tournament had a lot of talent.

True, but what made them successful wasn’t the talent they had but the way they worked to raise their talent levels.

Our high-achieving teams and individuals don’t leave on vacation during the season, they don’t miss workouts in the summer or spring, they don’t make excuses as to why they aren’t being successful, they don’t take the easy road.

They work, they fight, they push themselves and others, they’re coachable and they’re committed.

They believed in what their coaches were teaching them, they trusted the process, they understood that you can’t beat somebody just because you’re more talented, and they certainly didn’t care who it was they were playing.

They were sure, they were confident, they believed, and they put the work in without question and without reserve.

Do what you can’t.

I keep repeating this and this is why — our sports programs are at a point where our community, parents, and kids need to make a choice, the same choices that our coaches have had to make.

Are we willing to commit to our programs, our coaches, and each other?

Are we excuse-makers or are do we accept accountability?

Do we work as hard as we can, every day, to push ourselves and our talent to the highest level or are we afraid of failure?

Failure isn’t a bad thing, in athletics and in life it should be accepted as a means to reach our goals.

If we choose not to fail then we choose not to excel, learn, or grow and we will never reach any height other than the one we are currently at.

Our coaches have dedicated themselves to providing opportunities throughout the spring and summer to help reach our goals.

Our current coaching staff understands commitment to our athletes, they are willing to give up time to help make our kids better people, teammates, and players.

They are determined to make an impact in our new league and beyond.

Are we ready to join them?

You will see “Do What You Can’t” on t-shirts worn by every coach and every athlete next year; it will be posted in the weight room, around the gym.

Take a risk, join a team, be part of something that is bigger than ourselves and you just may find out how rewarding, how strong you are, and how far you can actually go once you let go of all the self-imposed guards you’ve put up.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »