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Posts Tagged ‘CHS Wolves’

Young star writes own success story

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on May 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Nezi Keiper (middle) gets mugged in broad daylight, but refuses to surrender the basketball. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Keiper is one of the most promising athletes headed to Coupeville High School this fall.

Nezi Keiper is going to be a star.

Let’s just start there, with a little editorial comment.

There’s a strong group of athletes headed to Coupeville High School this fall, especially on the girls side of things, and Keiper, if she wants it, could be the kind of athlete people talk about long after her prep playing days are done.

She’s a standout on the soccer pitch, and a far better basketball player than she might think, one who showed tremendous growth from 7th to 8th grade.

Her time on the gridiron — she more than held her own while playing for the CMS football team — prepared her for the sometimes-vicious battle awaiting her down in the paint, and she showed a nice scoring touch for an 8th grade hoops team which went undefeated.

As Keiper prepares for her freshman year, she’s dead-set on following her love of soccer as far as it will carry her.

“I’ve been playing soccer since third grade,” Keiper said. “Soccer is my favorite sport because it was the very first sport I played.

“My mom got me into it at a young age and I continued to love it,” she added. “I only want to get better at soccer and I think I have a pretty good chance at being a starter on varsity this season if I give it my all.”

Keiper plays shut-down defense, and is a player not afraid to stand up to any foolhardy rivals who dare to crash into her side of the field.

“I’ve heard that I am a good defender and I will risk any body part to stop the ball from going into the goal, except my hands … that’s illegal,” she said.

“Soccer is also something I turn to when I’m not feeling myself, to remind me of who I am and what I am meant to do, be a good athlete and follow my dreams.”

Those dreams include playing on the soccer pitch beyond her high school days.

“My main goal is to make varsity for soccer and be a starter,” Keiper said. “I want to play soccer all four years and hopefully get into a college with a scholarship for soccer.”

As she progresses in her own sports career, she also continues to give back, helping keep the circle of life going for Coupeville sports.

“Being an athlete has its perks if you’re good,” Keiper said. “I’ve heard many people tell me they look up to me when it comes to soccer and I enjoy being able to help younger kids who want to learn how to play.”

While she’s firmly entrenched in the soccer world, she’s wavering a bit on basketball, intending to play her freshman year and then see how it goes.

When I hear Keiper say, “being an athlete includes getting respect from others and from older people if they think you are good,” I agree.

So, here’s another quick editorial comment.

As one of those older people, and one who has seen all your middle school basketball games, and a lot of other games before you hit CMS, let me say one more time — you are a far better basketball player than you may think.

I hope you don’t give up hoops, because with your combination of inside power, ferocious rebounding skills, and a surprisingly light scoring touch, you, Nezi Keiper, can be a star in two sports.

End of editorial comment, cause every young woman (or man) needs to choose their own path, what will make them personally happy, so, whatever route Keiper takes, good on her.

The bright, outgoing soon-to-be-a-high-schooler has a great mind-set (“I have a good attitude when it comes to what I love; win or lose I still have fun”) and is a star in the classroom, as well.

Language arts is her favorite class, she has her heart set on getting into AP English, and writing stirs her soul.

“Writing is something I really enjoy doing,” Keiper said. “I like to write essays about historical events or even just a story about something stupid.

“I do it a lot in my free time and I’m proud of my language arts grade; being able to write essays good is a big part of it.”

On or off the field and court, Keiper knows there is one person she can always look to for guidance and support.

“My mom has definitely helped me become the person I am,” Keiper said. “She has a strong personality and doesn’t give a crap about anything people say or think about her and I respect that and I want to be able to be like that one day.

“I look up to her when it comes to sports because she was a star athlete when she was my age,” she added. “She inspires me and I will need her to get through high school.”

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CHS football ready to tackle every challenge

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville QB Dawson Houston, who will be a senior this fall, returns to lead a football team which is transitioning to an independent schedule for a season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There’s a positive buzz in the air.

Coupeville High School’s football coaching staff met with players and parents Wednesday, acknowledging challenges which face the Wolf gridiron program, while focusing on the positives.

With gear being issued Thursday, and spring practice kicking off the next day, 40-50 people were in the stands in the CHS gym as head coach Marcus Carr kicked off his second season at the helm of the program.

“I’m looking forward to getting started!” he said.

Carr is currently hoping for somewhere in the range of 22-25 players, which would be very solid given 10 of the 22 players on last fall’s season-ending roster graduate next week.

The roster should be headlined by next year’s seniors, key contributors such as Sean Toomey-Stout, Andrew Martin, Dawson Houston, and Gavin Knoblich.

Younger players such as Gabe Shaw and Brian Casey have added muscle, while former CMS star Dakota Eck, who returned to town this spring after starting high school elsewhere, was one of several potential new players in the audience.

Coupeville, which started 3-1 last season before injuries steadily chipped away at the team’s depth during an 0-5 league campaign, is switching up the plan this season.

With the school expected to drop to 2B when new classification counts go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year, CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith was granted permission for the football program to go independent this fall.

All other Wolf sports teams remain in the 1A North Sound Conference next school year.

Football, however, will play a schedule made up of schools, ranging from 2B-3A, which are in the same boat as Coupeville’s gridiron squad, which has been small in numbers, and undersized in the trenches.

South Whidbey (and the battle for The Bucket) remains on the schedule, as does Port Townsend, La Conner, Friday Harbor, and Vashon Island.

But Kittitas, Northwest Christian, Interlake, and Anacortes will be new to Wolf fans.

“Most of the teams in our league had lines which averaged 230-245 pounds a guy, and our size just doesn’t match up right now,” Carr told his audience.

“We were looking for smaller schools, schools new to football (like Northwest Christian), or schools closer to us in numbers,” he added. “This will give us a chance to be competitive, get our system in place and help our players prepare for the (likely) move to 2B.”

CHS coaches are putting a major emphasis on player safety, and hope to lessen injuries, keeping players on the field all season and able to compete at a top level.

The school purchased Guardian Caps, soft shell covers which slip over the player’s helmets, and provide another layer of safety during practices.

According to reviews, the caps “reduce the overall buildup of small blows that occur over the course of a season by allowing greater energy dissipation at the point of contact with a pliable material.”

The Wolves will also have “less live tackling” in practice, while teaching proper techniques and utilizing The Tackle Wheel in place of always crashing into live bodies.

“I know some of you are going to try and jump through it while it’s moving,” Carr said of the device, which resembles a giant doughnut.

“And if you do that, you’re gonna feel pretty good about yourself. We’ll see if any of you are that talented…”

The team has also added Iron Neck devices, used to stabilize the neck and help strengthen muscles during workouts.

“You work on your neck muscles, it helps with everything,” Carr said.

The Wolf football coach wants to be able to turn to the sideline and see more than one or two reserves by midway through the season.

“We want to reduce in-practice injuries and have our guys be ready for the season,” Carr said. “We want to make sure we’re being safe and keeping everyone healthy.”

Along with safety, keeping players focused on putting in time in the weight room, which has been key to every successful football program since players wore leather helmets, is a major goal.

“Our summer weight program is very important,” Carr said. “Other teams are in there on a regular basis, and we should be, too, if we want to compete with them.

“We need to make every minute in there count.”

While laying out the day-to-day program for the season-to-come, Carr also took side detours to show off the team’s glossy new helmet stickers and have son/assistant coach Bobby detail a community service project for the Wolves.

The younger Carr is a professional painter, and is arranging for the CHS players to join him in painting the building used by the Coupeville Boys and Girls Club.

Along with the Carrs, returning CHS coaches include Bennett Richter, Tyson Boon, and Gabe Shaw, Sr.

Nathan Bellamy’s schedule won’t allow him to coach this fall, and Kwamane Bowens has moved out of state to pursue his musical career, but Brett Casey is moving up from the middle school to join the CHS coaching staff.

He became available when Smith shut down the CMS football program, citing a severe lack of players.

The middle school had to cancel half of its six-game schedule last fall.

Coupeville’s stated plan is to replace tackle football with flag football before high school, but little is known about the new proposal, which would reportedly include athletes in grades 3-8.

Smith was at a different meeting Wednesday, so issues such as whether the Boys and Girls Club will be involved, and whether the Wolves will play other schools, or just compete in-house, were tabled for another day.

Instead, the focus remained on the high school program (and the free pizza the players were eyeballing) and with Marcus Carr working the room like a pro, projecting a calm confidence, things seemed pretty good.

“We have to be in the weight room and dedicated to putting on muscle,” the CHS head coach told his audience. “And most of all, we need everyone putting in the effort in the classroom. That’s the big thing.

“We’ll go forward and tackle all our challenges, get bigger and better, get people in the right spots, and do our thing.

“We’ll be just fine.”

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Carolyn Lhamon a star on the rise

Posted in Girls Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Fast-rising Wolf star Carolyn Lhamon (left) plans to compete in soccer, basketball, and track and field at the high school level. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

If Coupeville wants to head to the water, I know one talented athlete who would be the first to pick up an oar.

Carolyn Lhamon, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, where she’ll join older sister Catherine, has made it clear she’d consider rowing crew if the Wolves ever offered the sport.

But, while she waits for CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith to add the activity (don’t hold your breath), the younger Lhamon is content to plan out a future in which she’ll bounce from sport to sport over the course of the school year.

That run will start with soccer in the fall, go inside for basketball in the winter, then head back outdoors for track and field when spring arrives.

After she ran cross country in middle school, there was probably some hope Carolyn would team up with Catherine as high school harriers, chasing down rivals and carrying the Wolves back to the heights of success enjoyed in earlier decades.

There’s just one problem with that scenario — the younger Lhamon loves soccer.

“I’ve been playing it the longest and find it overall really fun,” she said.

A veteran of select soccer, SWISH, AAU, and school basketball, as well as school cross country and track, Lhamon has excelled at every sport she’s played.

Tuesday, she claimed 2nd in the shot put at the Cascade League Track and Field Championships, despite only picking up the event recently while dealing with shin splints.

Yet, she ripped off a throw at Lakewood High School which was more than five feet better than her previous PR, and is now ranked #9 in the entire state among female middle school throwers.

Lhamon, who enjoys “practices and socializing with teammates and winning,” would like to work on “stressing out less about games and meets.”

That being said, the fast-rising star, who credits mom Helene “and all my coaches and too many teammates to name” for their support, has bold plans for her athletic future.

“Varsity basketball three or four years, varsity soccer three or four years, (go to) state one to two times for track,” are her goals.

And, while she works hard in the arena, Lhamon also devotes considerable effort to the academic side of things, while still carving out time to be social.

“When I’m not playing sports I like hanging out with my friends,” she said. “And, even though I don’t like it, I spend a lot of time studying and doing homework.”

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“Soccer is my life”

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Football, tagged , , , , , on May 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Daylon Houston, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, plans to play soccer, football, and possibly basketball. (Photo courtesy Houston)

Daylon Houston doesn’t hesitate.

While he plans to play two, and possibly three, sports next year as a freshman at Coupeville High School, the lure of the pitch is something he embraces.

“Soccer is my life, soccer has always been my first choice,” Houston said. “It gives me the rush of being in nonstop play; the constant movement and aggression is awesome, and it motivates me to push myself.”

Daylon plans to join older brother Dawson, Coupeville’s starting quarterback, on the Wolf football team this fall.

After that, he may lace up his shoes with the basketball program, as well.

But when next spring rolls around, Houston is most looking forward to keeping his run as a soccer player going strong.

A veteran of four seasons of select soccer, the sport has helped him grow through elementary and middle school years.

“Being an athlete helps me stay on track; it’s a big part of me,” Houston said. “I enjoy being an athlete because when I’m out of sports I have no guidance, but in sports I have a strong sense of guidance.”

He’s looking to make an immediate impact for the Wolves on the soccer pitch, and is confident in his ever-growing skill-set.

“I have a high enough skill level to be a starting freshman on our varsity soccer team,” Houston said with conviction. “My goals are to go out on the field and push myself.”

The young booter credits the many coaches he’s worked with for helping support and guide him.

“When I was about eight, I had a soccer coach named Miguel, and he has helped me because I was going into that season saying I wanted to quit due to a bad coach from before,” Houston said. “But he guided me through a great season and put my soccer life back on track.

“Also, my current coach, Ben, who has led me and taught me the deeper concepts of the game of soccer.”

Along with his coaches, Houston praises his mom, Alia, for being the ultimate sounding board and support crew.

“She told me I should try out for select and so I did,” he said. “She helped me enter select and she was there every step of the way.

“These three people (my mom and coaches) all play a crucial role in making me the player I am today,” Houston added. “Without any of them, I probably wouldn’t be playing soccer to this day.”

When he’s not on the pitch, Houston enjoys working out, listening to music and spending time with his dog.

But, like his older brother, who will be heading into his senior season, he comes alive when playing sports.

“My strength as an athlete is that I never give up,” Houston said. “Even in the hardest of times I keep pushing myself.

“I can be in the last game of a season with absolutely no wins and go out there and give it my all,” he added. “The only thing I can think of to improve is be a part of a team and build strong chemistry with my teammates.”

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CHS football sets informational meeting

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on May 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »

If you’re a Coupeville High School football player or parent, head coach Marcus Carr wants to see you Wednesday night. (Photo by JohnsPotos.net)

Spring has just sprung, so it’s time to think about football.

With recent announcements concerning the Coupeville High School team moving to an independent schedule, and the CMS program being shut down and replaced with flag football, there may be plenty of questions lingering in the air.

CHS head coach Marcus Carr will speak to the people this week, and here’s a letter he sent out Monday:

I would like to invite the parents/players of the 2019 Wolves Football Team (grades 9-12) to a mandatory informational meeting to be held on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 PM.

The meeting will be held at Coupeville High School’s gym, in the health room.

This meeting will be held only once this year and it is very important that at least one parent of the athlete attend this meeting.

We will be covering practice requirements for spring/summer football activities, which impact student athlete participation starting on May 31.

We will also be covering everything you need to know about the upcoming season — parent involvement, events, practice schedules, summer camp, summer weight program, and changes that have been made to the football program.

Lastly, I will be covering how we are making Wolves football the safest it has ever been through our use of the Seahawks tackling techniques, Guardian Caps, and other equipment.

Even if you do not have a child in football or may be on the fence of allowing them to play, I encourage you to attend.

I look forward to seeing you!

Respectfully,

Marcus Carr
Head Football Coach

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