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Posts Tagged ‘CMS Wolves’

CMS girls thrive on road

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Kennedy O’Neill makes a deposit. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

All in all, a successful road trip.

The Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams trekked to the wilds of Granite Falls Tuesday, returning home with two victories and a competitive loss.

Holding up well on their opening bus ride of the season, the Wolves nabbed their first wins, while getting two more players into the scoring column.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

Coupeville’s varsity finished strongly, but early offensive woes doomed it in a 30-16 loss.

Now 0-2 on the season, the Wolves scraped out just seven points across the first three quarters of play, before closing on a 9-8 run in the fourth quarter.

Tamsin Ward nailed a three-ball to get CMS on the board, but her squad trailed 4-3 at the first break and 12-5 at the half.

A 10-2 surge by Granite in the third sealed the deal for the hosts.

The fourth belonged to Tenley Stuurmans, however, as the Wolf 8th grader pounded away for seven of her team-high 10 points.

Ward (3), Sydney Van Dyke (2), and Lillian Ketterling (1) also scored, with Ari Cunningham, Olivia Hall, Adie Maynes, Laken Simpson, and Chelsi Stevens seeing floor time.

Wolf defensive ace Willow Leedy-Bonifas gives her rival nowhere to go.

 

Level 2:

Four different Wolves tallied points in the fourth quarter, propelling CMS to a come-from-behind 24-20 win.

Coupeville, now 1-1 on the campaign, trailed 5-4 after one, recovered to slide ahead 10-7 at the half, then retreated a bit, finding itself down 18-16 heading into the final frame.

That was when the Wolves clamped down on defense, closing things on an 8-2 tear, with Amelia Crowder, Elizabeth Marshall, Rhylin Price, and Amaiya Curry all scoring for the victors.

Kennedy O’Neill had the hottest hand on the afternoon, rippling the twines for eight points, while Willow Leedy-Bonifas netted six and Price banked in four.

Marshall (2), Crowder (2), and Curry (2) rounded out the offensive attack, with Sage Stavros, Allison Powers, Sophia Batterman, and Isabella de Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge bringing hustle on the defensive end of the floor.

 

Level 3:

Another strong close-out for Coupeville, with the Wolves evening their record at 1-1 thanks to a strong second half performance during a 21-16 win.

Down 4-2 after one, and 8-7 at the half, CMS rallied to finish the game with 8-6 and 6-2 runs across the final two quarters of play.

Brooklyn Pope made the net pop, scoring all eight of her points after halftime, while Emma Cushman rattled the rim for five.

Cassandra Powers and Kaleigha Millison chipped in with four apiece, while Zariyah Allen, Cameron Van Dyke, Selah Rivera, Annaliese Powers, Claire Lachnit, and Zayne Roos rounded out the roster.

 

Up next:

The Wolves travel to Everett Feb. 20 to square off with Northshore Christian Academy, before returning home for three straight rumbles in the CMS gym.

Coupeville hosts King’s, Lakewood, and Sultan on Feb. 22, 27, and 29 respectively.

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Never say die, never say surrender

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on February 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Ari Cunningham clamps down on defense. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Some things are clicking. Some things need to be worked on.

The Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball teams made their debut Thursday, squaring off with next-door neighbor South Whidbey.

While the Falcons escaped with narrow wins in all three contests, the host Wolves made fourth quarter rallies each time out and shared the scoring load.

But what killed comeback hopes was an unforgiving rim on free throw attempts, as the CMS squads combined to net just 4-29 from the charity stripe.

Still, even there, the positive was the Wolves showed a far superior ability to get to the line in the first place, with South Whidbey going just 2-8 overall.

How the day played out:

 

Level 1:

It was a defensive struggle for much of the game, with South Whidbey eking out a 25-17 win.

Ari Cunningham netted a free throw to account for Coupeville’s lone first quarter point, with the Wolves trailing 3-1 at the break.

From there the Falcons held on to an 8-6 advantage at the half, before stretching the lead to 19-9 through three quarters.

The Wolves put together their best offensive surge in the fourth, with Cunningham, Lillian Ketterling, Sydney Van Dyke, and Adie Maynes scoring down the stretch.

Cunningham paced CMS with seven points, while Tenley Stuurmans (3), Ketterling (3), Maynes (2), and Van Dyke (2) rounded out the attack.

Laken Simpson, Tamsin Ward, Ava Lucero, Chelsi Stevens, Olivia Hall, and Taylor Marrs also saw floor time for the Wolves.

 

Level 2:

Coupeville closed the game on an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter but couldn’t quite get all the way back in a 24-19 loss.

South Whidbey inched out to an 8-6 lead after one, stretched it to 20-11 by the half, then coasted into the fourth frame up 24-11 after the Wolves went scoreless in the third.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas got Coupeville’s offense re-started in the final quarter, tossing in a pair of buckets to give her a team-high eight points, while her teammates were locked-down on defense.

Kennedy O’Neill banked in five points to back up Leedy-Bonifas, with Amelia Crowder, Sophia Batterman, and Rhylin Price each recording a bucket.

Amaiya Curry, Isabella de Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge, and Elizabeth Marshall rounded out the CMS roster.

 

Level 3:

A slow first quarter hurt the Wolves, but they closed strongly during a 22-18 loss.

South Whidbey claimed the lead after a 10-0 run in the first, before the two teams battled dead even through the second and third frames.

Trailing 18-8 heading into the fourth, Coupeville rallied for a game-closing 10-4 run behind the shooting of Kaleigha Millison and Brooklyn Pope.

The duo finished the game with eight and six points, respectively, while Cassandra Powers and Emma Cushman both rattled the rim for a bucket.

Also seeing floor time were Zariyah Allen, Claire Lachnit, Zayne Roos, and Cameron Van Dyke.

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CMS boasts robust hoops roster

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Chelsi Stevens is one of six 8th graders playing both high school and middle school hoops. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

There is power in numbers.

Coupeville Middle School girls’ basketball coaches have so many athletes this winter, they’ve been able to field four teams.

Since other Cascade League schools only have 2-3 squads, that requires a bit of work to ensure every Wolf will see the floor.

After some scrambling by CHS/CMS Athletic Director Willie Smith, Coupeville’s fourth team will play on Saturday afternoons, with Jerry Helm and Eric Wagner coaching.

Coaches Bennett Richter (left) and Brooke Crowder share practice stories with Bob Martin, a veteran of the middle school wars.

The first three squads, under the tutelage of coaches Bennett Richter and Brooke Crowder, have an eight-game Cascade League schedule which kicks off Thursday at home against South Whidbey.

That group includes six 8th graders who doubled up this winter and also played high school basketball.

In the list below, those two-timers are indicated by an **.

 

Coupeville’s massive 45-player roster:

Ava Alford
Zariyah Allen
Sophia Batterman
Amelia Crowder
Annabelle Cundiff
Ari Cunningham **
Amaiya Curry
Emma Cushman
Isabella de Souza Oliveira Mc Fetridge
Marina Flood
Isley Garcia Fernandez
Hazel Goldman
Emma Green
Olivia Hall
Finley Helm
Addison Jacobson
Lillian Ketterling
Claire Lachnit
Emma Leavitt
Willow Leedy-Bonifas
Ava Lucero **
Taylor Marrs **
Elizabeth Marshall
Olivia Martin
Inara Maund
Adie Maynes **
Kaleigha Millison
Kennedy O’Neill
Brooklyn Pope
Pria Powell
Allison Powers
Annaliese Powers
Cassandra Powers
Rhylin Price
Selah Rivera
Zayne Roos
Katelyn Sellers
Laken Simpson
Sage Stavros
Chelsi Stevens **
Tenley Stuurmans **
Cameron Van Dyke
Sydney Van Dyke
Tamsin Ward
Marin Winger

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Wolf teen chases icy dreams

Posted in hockey, tagged , , , , on January 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville 7th grader Collin Mirabile is ready to rumble on the ice. (Photos courtesy James Mirabile)

Whidbey Island is not exactly a hockey hotbed.

Which doesn’t mean Coupeville teenagers can’t succeed on the ice — they just have to put in extra work to get anywhere near the ice in the first place.

One Wolf bucking the odds is CMS 7th grader Collin Mirabile, who makes the trek North to Bellingham to play for the Whatcom Warriors U13A squad in the Whatcom County Amateur Hockey Association.

A defenseman with a knack for scoring goals, the soon-to-be 13-year-old is following in the footsteps of big brother Ethan, a senior at Oak Harbor High School.

The duo first began playing hockey when the family lived in the other Washington on the far side of the country, hefting sticks and chasing pucks while growing up in the DC suburbs.

Collin Mirabile, who competed in track and field for CMS as a 6th grader, is now in his fourth season on the ice.

A two-way warrior.

With the move to Whidbey, pursuing hockey has meant either going to Bellingham or Seattle, and the brothers opted to play closer to the Canadian hub of the sport.

The Mirabile’s and Whatcom lace up their skates in a league based out of British Columbia, the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association.

It’s an intensive season, with games as far away as Whistler and 50+ contests on the schedule.

Whatcom boasts two U13C teams and the U13A team that Collin plays with.

That group is battling for 3rd place in its flight, with a pair of strong 2nd place finishes at B.C. tourneys already to its credit.

While his primary work comes on the defensive side of the ice, Collin is also a sharp-eyed sniper with the puck on his stick, having scored several times from the blue line or on breakaways.

He also has a string of assists, setting up other Whatcom players for goals of their own.

As he chases his icy dreams, Collin will make the jump to the U15 level next season, where full-scale checking is allowed.

It’s a change he’s looking forward to, according to his dad.

“That will be a whole new experience for him,” James Mirabile said.

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New CMS hoops coach preaches fundamentals, effort

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on January 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Brooke Crowder

“I care about you; I care about you as a person and then you as an athlete.

“You can do hard things.

“Also, I don’t expect perfection; I just expect you to try.”

That’s the message Brooke Crowder imparts to her own children, and it’s a message she’ll soon be passing on to Coupeville Middle School athletes.

When her hire is approved by the school board, the local rancher will join Bennett Richter as a CMS girls’ basketball coach.

Crowder, who owns and operates the 1902 Ranch, replaces Mia Littlejohn, who stepped down after a year to pursue educational goals.

CMS kicks off practice this coming Monday, Jan. 22, with the first contest in an eight-game season set for Feb. 8.

With their newest coach, the young Wolves are getting a woman who grew up deeply immersed in sports while living in multiple states.

“I played in all the community sports programs as a kid and ballet,” Crowder said.

“I fell in love with basketball in the 6th grade. From then on, it was my sport, even though I continued to play others.”

Crowder bounced from tennis to basketball to softball through high school, then continued on to play hoops on club teams during her college days.

Her time on the hardwood was a constant work in progress, as family moves gave her different opportunities at different schools.

After playing in California through her sophomore season, she finished up her prep hoops run in Reno, Nevada.

“I had a diverse experience coming from a very developed program to a new school’s program that was at the beginning of development,” Crowder said.

“I went from being #6 on the bench to the leader overnight. My confidence grew exponentially during those leadership years.

“In my senior year, my coach would regularly ask me to help others on my team 1-on-1,” she added. “This exposed me to a teaching experience that sparked my love for helping others.”

Crowder has continued to pursue that coaching dream while also balancing life as a Navy wife, mom, and business owner. She’s been a personal trainer and CrossFit coach for the past decade.

“Years after college, I found a community and team within CrossFit,” she said. “My love of coaching was reignited.

“I began coaching CrossFit classes for adults and kids and started to get involved in coaching my kid’s community sports.

“However, my available time to coach has always revolved around my husband’s deployments over the last 20 years.”

With his retirement from the Navy in 2023, the chance to expand her coaching opportunities has blossomed for Crowder.

“I felt that I had more time and support (now),” she said. “So that I could support my kids’ sports endeavors as well as be a part of a school program that aimed to provide kids with personal growth opportunities.”

As Crowder enters the CMS gym to begin her new duties, she wants to join Richter in fostering an atmosphere of positivity and growth.

“My goals this season are to build with fundamentals, create an inclusive team with communication, and grow the athlete’s confidence,” she said.

“I want to help create the feeder program for the high school to support the advancement of the athlete’s athletic careers.”

With her schedule opening up, and a prime chance to assist in the growth of Wolf athletes, Crowder plans to be around for the long haul.

“I hope to be in this position for a while as my own children are passing through the Coupeville ranks.”

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