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Posts Tagged ‘CMS Wolves’

Dribble the day away

Posted in Basketball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, CMS Wolves, dribbling, hoops skills on April 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Young Coupeville athletes who want to play like Xavier Murdy should work on their dribbling skills now. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Grab a ball and get to work.

While the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools across Washington state, Coupeville youth basketball players are being encouraged to keep working on their ballhandling skills.

CHS coaches, with a big assist from middle school and high school Wolf hoops stars, are launching the Spring 2020 Youth Dribbling Challenge.

“It’s a collaborative effort, Coupeville athletes and coaches introducing this together,” CHS varsity boys coach Brad Sherman said. “Athletes willingly stepping up to keep working with youth basketball players!”

Each week, Sherman will post new videos showing current and former Wolf basketball players demonstrating skills for younger athletes to practice.

The videos will be on the Coupeville Youth Basketball page on Facebook (you can request to join) and here on Coupeville Sports.

If young Wolf athletes don’t have a basketball, they can check out a ball for the spring and summer.

Parents can contact Sherman at bsherman@coupeville.k12.wa.us.

“We hope you have fun with this and look forward to staying connected with you,” Sherman said.

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Let’s get ready to … brawl

Posted in Polls, tagged CHS Wolves, CMS Wolves, coaches, polls, spring sports on April 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Wolf coaches (left to right, top to bottom) Michael Barenburg, Elizabeth Bitting, Drake Borden, Reese Cernick, Mike Etzell, Jon Gabelein, Lark Gustafson, Matt Hilborn, Steve Hilborn.

Lincoln Kelley, Randy King, Aaron Lucero, Bob Martin, Justine McGranahan, Kevin McGranahan, Kyle Nelson, Jaylen Nitta.

Bryce Payne (black hoodie), Neil Rixe, Luke Samford, Chris Smith, Ken Stange, Will Thayer, James Vidoni, Robert Wood, Ron Wright.

They can’t win on the field this spring, but they can win in the digital arena.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down spring sports right as games were about to begin, leaving every Coupeville team, high school and middle school, sitting at a permanent 0-0.

But, as long as the blog is running, we can take every Wolf coach, set their fan bases at war, and sit back and watch the sweet, sweet page hits reign down.

And the votes, of course, since that will determine which spring coach is the coachiest coach of them all.

It’s simple.

There are 26 coaches, and we’re including those with paid gigs as well as volunteers, while hopefully not leaving anyone out.

You get 50 hours to vote as many times as your little heart desires, with the poll starting Saturday, April 18 at 3 PM and finishing Monday, April 20 at 5 PM.

The prize for the winner? A brief burst of internet fame and a warm glow in their chest.

Let the madness commence.

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CMS track might have been epic

Posted in Middle School, Track, tagged CMS Wolves, Elizabeth Bitting, rosters, spring sports, track and field on April 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Brionna Blouin (left) and Allison Nastali would have been part of the Coupeville Middle School track team this spring. (Elizabeth Bitting photo)

It was gonna be ginormous.

There were 50(!) athletes ready to turn out for track and field at Coupeville Middle School this spring, much to the delight of their coaches.

But, before the Wolves could get going, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, then erased the season before it could begin.

It’s a bittersweet moment for CMS coach Elizabeth Bitting, who would have been joined by fellow track guru Jon Gabelein.

“Very disappointing, but so understandable,” Bitting said.

“And our (high school) senior volunteer coach, Coach Kenji (Jaylen Nitta), was looking forward to coaching this season as well. He is very disappointed.”

While the trio of Wolf coaches won’t be working with their athletes at the track, Bitting, who also coaches in the fall, is already looking ahead with the hope prep sports will return.

“So I figure in the next few weeks I’ll send out an email for cross country!!!” she said with a note of conviction in her voice.

The 2020 CMS track team would have been:

6th grade:

Cody Badger
Teagan Calkins
Aleksia Jump
Jeann Nitta
Brynn Parker
Malichi Somes
George Spear
Liza Zustiak

7th grade:

Chase Anderson
Edie Bittner
Preston Epp
Mia Farris
Oktober Frost
Isabella Gaspio
Tavan Hughes
Katie Marti
Chloe Marzocca
Candace Meek
Jack Porter
Johnny Porter
Landon Roberts
Lyla Stuurmans
Nicholas Wasik
Savina Wells
Laila Wenzel

8th grade:

Brielle Armstrong
Brionna Blouin
Ryan Blouin
Alex Clark
Jackie Contreras
William Davidson
Logan Downes
Nick Guay
Issabel Johnson
Lauren Marrs
Erica McGrath
Hank Milnes
Ava Mitten
Allison Nastali
Timothy Nitta
Zane Oldenstadt
Alena Osborne
Skylar Parker
Desi Ramirez
Mikey Robinett
Olivia Schaffeld
Isabella Schooley
Ethan Smith
Cole White
Reese Wilkinson

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Always on our minds

Posted in Basketball, In memory, tagged Basketball, Bennett Boyles, cancer, Class of 2022, CMS Wolves on April 6, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Bennett Boyles (Photos courtesy Lucienne Rivera, Pat Kelley, and Konni Smith)

Never forgotten. Always loved.

Three years ago today Bennett Boyles battle with cancer ended.

He didn’t lose, as he fought with everything he had. But his body reached its breaking point.

Facing off with cancer is something no one should have to endure, much less a 12-year-old with his life stretching out in front of him.

Having lost family members to cancer, I know the mix of sadness, of anger, and of disbelief.

In his fight, in the way he faced an unyielding foe, Bennett touched many lives.

His fellow classmates, who are now sophomores at Coupeville High School, have never forgotten him.

They are carrying Bennett with them through every step of their school journey, from messages on the rock outside the school, to honoring him when they play basketball, a sport he loved.

When Hawthorne Wolfe launches a three-ball and the orb slips through the net without a ripple, Bennett is there with Hawk, his name written on the shoes which carry Wolfe up and down the court.

As we watch Xavier Murdy, and Grady Rickner, and Logan Martin, and Wolfe in action, it’s very easy to imagine Bennett out there, once again running the court with his friends.

That his classmates and coaches and friends and family and teachers and strangers alike embrace his memory, celebrate his life and accomplishments, keep alive everything good, binds our community together.

We will not forget Bennett.

There is anger, and there is sadness, and those are justifiable, and a lot of that will never fade.

But there is love and there is hope, and that is what Bennett means to Coupeville.

Every time a basketball net snaps, he’s here.

Every time we show kindness and grace to someone else, he’s here.

Every time we celebrate his soaring spirit — and it was there, firmly in place, long before his health problems — he’s here.

When the CHS Class of 2022 walks to the podium to receive their diplomas, when players like Hawk and X celebrate their Senior Nights on the basketball court, he will be there with them.

As a community we carry Bennett with us every day, and that will never change.

Never forgotten. Always loved.