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Posts Tagged ‘CMS Wolves’

“They hustled to every ball”

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Willow Leedy-Bonifas, seen here last season, played strongly Thursday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was a memorable trip.

Thursday’s trek to the wilds of Sultan was about more than just volleyball for the Coupeville Middle School spikers.

Wolf coach Cris Matochi had to push through a back injury to make an appearance, while the poor air quality — 295 on the index — left the outside of the gym looking like snow was falling.

Once inside the enclosure, CMS faced off with a tough Turks program in a rematch of an earlier-season rumble, with the host teams getting a bit of revenge.

How the day played out:

 

Varsity:

Coupeville pulled out a three-set win on Whidbey Island back in early October, but this time around Sultan came out ahead 25-20, 25-21, 15-10.

Sapped by the long trip and the stagnant, smoke-filled surroundings, the Wolves hit the floor missing a bit of their mojo.

“We started with lower energy and had to dig ourselves out of a hole,” said Wolf coach Raven Vick.

“By the end they played really well, but it was just too late in the game.”

Coupeville, normally a strong-serving team, struggled a bit at the line, and that hurt, though the Wolves did “execute the game plan well and had nice ball handling from everyone.”

Vick and Matochi praised the play of Adeline Maynes, who was on fire as a setter, and Haylee Armstong, who sprayed winners all day.

“Haylee was a standout, getting multiple attacks and had one kill that left us coaches speechless,” Vick said.

“She had amazing form and crushed the ball to the floor.”

 

JV:

The Wolves “played well and worked hard to get a consistent three touches but struggled with keeping the ball in” during a 25-12, 25-14, 15-8 loss.

“The times we did get all three touches, we would get the point,” Vick said.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas and Emma Leavitt were on point with their serves, setting up positive Wolf rallies.

“Everyone chipped in and did well,” Vick said. “We saw more people who have struggled with serves get at least one serve in, which was great.

“They had some positive energy which was great to see as they really wanted to play well.

“They hustled to every ball and gave so much effort. It was exciting to see.”

 

Coupeville closes its eight-match season with back-to-back rumbles against Island rival Langley next week.

The Wolves host the Cougars Monday, Oct. 24, then head south two days later.

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“So proud of their efforts!”

Posted in Cross Country, Middle School, tagged , , , , on October 18, 2022| 1 Comment »

Alexandra Lo was honored by the Cascade League for her sportsmanship. (Elizabeth Bitting photos)

They persevered.

Running through less-than-stellar air, thanks to wildfire smoke sweeping the state, the Coupeville Middle School cross country harriers still ended their season with a bang.

Competing at the Cascade League Championships in Langley, the Wolves claimed 3rd place in the girls team standings, and 5th in the boys showdown.

King’s earned both team crowns at the seven-school event, which drew 160 runners to a 3,000-meter course.

Coupeville also claimed an unexpected prize, with 7th grader Alexandro Lo honored with the league’s first sportsmanship award.

Ever-enthusiastic cross country guru Elizabeth Bitting was thrilled with how her runners finished, with many setting PR’s in the final race of the season.

“These Wolves ran amazingly!” she said. “So proud of their efforts!”

But then a momentary pause as it sank in this was her final go-round with a team which attracted an astounding 30+ runners this season.

“What am I going to do with my down time now?” Bitting wondered.

Axel Marshall cracked the top 10 Tuesday afternoon.

 

Tuesday’s results:

 

GIRLS:

Lydia Price (8th) 13:50.71
Mikayla Wagner (9th) 13:52.77
Olivia Hall (11th) 14:11.23
Laken Simpson (16th) 15:02.53
Tirsit Cannon (17th) 15:08.85
Ivy Rudat (21st) 15:35.20
Marin Winger (22nd) 15:36.41
Allie Powers (24th) 15:47.15
Sage Stavros (32nd) 16:48.61
Devon Wyman (47th) 18:17.49
Camilla Wolfe (48th) 18:20.21
Mary Western (50th) 18:40.74
Hailey Goldman (54th) 19:15.30
Arianna Cunningham (63rd) 21:19.83
Alexandra Lo (64th) 21:27.95
Maci Wofford (65th) 21:55.11
Elizabeth Marshall (66th) 21:57.15
Savannah Niewald (70th) 26:15.43
Emma McFadden (71st) 26:15.83

 

BOYS:

Axel Marshall (10th) 12:33.27
Beckett Green (17th) 13:37.71
Nathan Niewald (24th) 14:11.78
Cyrus Sparacio (25th) 14:16.16
Isaiah Allen (38th) 15:03.97
Roger Merino-Martinez (47th) 15:35.76
Johnathan Jacobsen (59th) 17:08.14
Dylan Robinett (60th) 17:24.14
Zach Blitch (62nd) 17:29.85
Ossian Merkel (63rd) 17:33.89
Avery Eelkema (75th) 19:14.85
Andre Volanos-Gerber (80th) 21:33.80

The Wolf girls, ready to rumble today, and in the future.

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CMS spikers shine brightly

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Raven Vick and fellow CMS volleyball coach Cris Matochi came away pleased with their team’s play Monday in Everett. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“This is the best game by far this season.”

Coupeville Middle School volleyball guru Cris Matochi was a happy guy as he, fellow coach Raven Vick, and their Coupeville Middle School spikers headed back from Everett Monday evening.

The Wolves had faced down private school power Northshore Christian Academy, coming away with an exciting win, a productive loss, and a lot of lessons learned.

Almost exactly the way Matochi and Vick planned it.

How the day played out:

 

Varsity:

“We decided when we stepped into the gym that we were leaving with a win, and the kids took the memo,” Matochi said.

Coupeville, getting contributions from everyone on the floor, swept NCA 25-18, 25-19, 15-8, raising its record to 3-2 on the season.

The Wolves used a very strong service attack to push the pace of the day, with Tenley Stuurmans being particularly effective.

The CMS 7th grader opened the first set with a six-point run, before going nuclear with a 15-point, 14-ace performance in set #2.

Stuurmans wasn’t the only Wolf firing on all cylinders, as Adeline Maynes fought through a migraine “to have a stellar performance, with great sets and strong passing.”

Matochi doled out praise across the board.

“Lexis (Drake) passed and served really well, while Haylee (Armstrong) had incredible passes and hits,” he said.

“Capri (Anter) had strong hits and good communication,” Matochi added. “This was the best we’ve seen Rylin (Price) play, and Capri and Addy had great coordination.”

 

JV:

The Wolf young guns fell 25-10, 25-18, 15-9, but had “by far the best ball control of the season,” according to Raven Vick.

“The volume of game was the best we’ve seen,” she added. “They did really well getting the first ball up and working to get all three touches.

“We struggled with serving but saw great improvement from all of the players.”

Vick noted 6th grader KeeAyra Brown was “a strong consistent player for us,” while Isabella Bowder and Myra McDonald also played well under pressure.

Coupeville’s energy goes through the roof when Olivia Martin is involved — “she’s a firecracker on and off the court” — with Alexis Hewitt, Willow Leedy-Bonifas, and Cheyanne Atteberry all playing strongly.

“It’s great to see Alexis improving on her serve and getting more playing time in that way,” Vick said.

“Overall, Willow was really consistent all around but specially with serves. Cheyanne is continually working hard and getting more and more serves in the court.

“I am extremely impressed with the playing ability and resilience they had.”

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Middle school hoops on horizon

Posted in Boys Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Carson Grove (left) is among CMS players who could return to the court this season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Hark! The squeaking of shoes on hardwood floors approaches.

God’s chosen sport — basketball — kicks off Oct. 31 with the first day of practice for the Coupeville Middle School boys hoops program.

High school teams begin in mid-November, while the CMS girls claim the court early in the new year.

But first up are the middle school boys, who will be led by returning coaches Jon Roberts and Craig Anderson.

Once they have enough practices under their belts, the Wolves kick off an eight-game season which runs from mid-Nov. to mid-Dec.

 

Thur-Nov. 17 — @ Langley — (3:30)
Tue-Nov. 22 — Lakewood — (3:15)
Tues-Nov. 29 — Sultan — (3:15)
Thur-Dec. 1 — King’s — (3:15)
Mon-Dec. 5 — @ Granite Falls — (3:15)
Wed-Dec. 7 — @ Northshore Christian — (3:30)
Mon-Dec. 12 — @ Sultan — (3:30)
Wed-Dec. 14 — Langley — (3:15)

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“Everyone played well!”

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

CMS spiker coach Cris Matochi continues to build a strong program. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Joining Matochi is Coupeville alumni Raven Vick (right), and, occasionally, her sister Willow.

Check another box on the list.

The Coupeville Middle School volleyball teams hit the road for the first time this season, surviving a visit Thursday to the wilds of Granite Falls.

The Wolves opened the season with three straight tilts at home, and now get the flip side, not playing on Whidbey again until Oct. 24.

The tale of the road trip:

 

Varsity:

Using a new player rotation, the Wolves pushed a high-class Granite squad to the limit before falling 25-23, 25-23.

CMS then rebounded to claim a third practice set 15-13.

The loss evens Coupeville’s record at 2-2 at the halfway point of its eight-match season.

Even in defeat, Wolf coaches Cris Matochi and Raven Vick came away pleased with a lot of what they saw on the floor.

“They played really well and everyone got a chance to have good contacts with the ball,” Vick said.

Coupeville was strong when serving, with Adeline Maynes “having long runs at the line every time she served.”

Tenley Stuurmans was also on fire, opening the second set with a six-point run on serve.

Vick praised the play of Lexis Drake, who “had some great passes and consistent serving,” and Haylee Armstrong, who “had many opportunities to hit the ball and had consistent passing.”

“Rhylin (Price) and Capri (Anter) chipped in with good passing and serving as well,” Vick added.

 

JV:

Granite claimed the match 25-6, 25-11, but Coupeville roared back to claim a third set 16-14.

The Wolves, now 1-3 on the campaign, got a season-best performance from 6th grader KeeArya Brown.

“KeeArya was on fire tonight with her passing and did well on serving,” Vick said. “She passed 80% of the balls and they were fantastic.”

Alexis Hewitt chipped in with stellar work at the service stripe, and the young Wolves continue to show growth and desire.

“They all played really hard and had good effort,” Vick said. “We struggled with setting up the second ball and that’s what failed us, but they picked it up in the last set to take the win.

“Everyone did their part and they played well.”

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