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Posts Tagged ‘Concrete’

Haylee Armstrong is killin’ folks!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong sees your defense, and she is not impressed. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mama said knock you out, so Haylee Armstrong went and threw some haymakers.

Raining down 20 of her career-high 30 points in the second half Tuesday, the Coupeville High School freshman turned a JV game against visiting Concrete from a nailbiter to a blowout.

The Wolves went into the locker room up by just a single point, only to come away with a 47-26 victory thanks to their hot-shooting guard.

The win lifts Kassie O’Neil’s squad to 1-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 4-6 overall, with a road trip to Chief Leschi Saturday next up on the schedule.

Tuesday’s rumble with Concrete was a sticky one for the first 16 minutes, as the two teams exchanged body blows, warily circling one another.

Armstrong popped for 10 in the first half, propelling the Wolves to an 8-4 lead after one and a narrow 16-15 advantage as everyone heading in for pep talks and (maybe) orange slices.

Whether she got to nibble on citrus or not, the fab frosh came out flexin’ in the second half.

Raining down 11 points in the third quarter alone, Armstrong spurred an 18-8 run to bust the game wide open.

She had some help, with Tenley Stuurmans and Capri Anter combining for seven points in the frame, and the Wolves kept the heat cranked up in the fourth quarter.

Closing on a 13-3 tear, CHS slammed the door shut, locked it, and threw the key away.

While Armstrong’s 30 was the best performance by any Wolf girl this season, varsity or JV, she wasn’t the only young gun to score.

Anter backed up her cousin with a solid seven-point effort, while Stuurmans (6), Brynn Parker (2), and Ari Cunningham (2) also kept the scorekeeper busy.

Ava Lucero, Lexis Drake, Bryley Gilbert, Adie Maynes, Taylor Marrs, and Chelsi Stevens rounded out the rotation for the Wolves, who have four games left in their season.

Ava Lucero dares a foe to try and get past her.

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Holidays arrive, games on hold

Posted in Basketball, standings, tagged , , , , on December 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan rises up, ready to bank in a jumper. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re shutting down for a bit.

Well, not totally, as the Coupeville High School basketball teams will continue to practice during the holidays, but there are no more games on the schedule until Jan. 5.

That’s when the Wolves travel to the wilds of Darrington to kick off the 2024 portion of the 2023-2024 hoops season.

Coupeville’s boys enjoy a bonding moment.

For now, you can marinate in an up-to-the-moment look at where Northwest 2B/1B League standings currently stand.

Through Dec. 23:

 

Northwest League boys’ basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 3-0 3-5
Coupeville 1-0 7-2
Orcas Island 2-1 4-4
Concrete 1-2 4-4
La Conner 0-0 5-3
Friday Harbor 0-1 4-3
Darrington 0-3 3-5

 

Northwest League girls’ basketball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 3-0 8-1
Friday Harbor 1-0 2-5
Darrington 2-1 4-4
Concrete 1-2 5-3
La Conner 0-0 6-3
Coupeville 0-1 3-6
Orcas Island 0-3 0-8

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Spikers win big on somber night

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Issabel Johnson delivered three service aces Tuesday to help Coupeville capture a straight-sets win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

High school sports are larger than life, until they’re not.

Tuesday night the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball team rolled to its third-straight win, sweeping visiting Concrete off the floor.

The reaction to the 25-16, 25-14, 25-6 victory quickly became muted, however, as Lion coach Kevik Rensink gathered his players to inform them a classmate died earlier in the day after a car accident.

The young man lived in the same neighborhood as the Concrete coach, and his death comes just months after that school’s superintendent died after crashing into a tree.

Coupeville players and coaches joined their Concrete counterparts to the side of the floor, trying in some small way to ease their pain before the Lions departed for the trip back home.

Wolf team moms traditionally give road snacks to visiting players, and this time was no different, except for being delivered with quiet words of comfort.

Coming on the same night that Coupeville held its annual Dig Pink night to raise funds for those battling breast cancer, the events offer a stark reminder that there are things which matter far more than wins and losses.

“We feel for Kevik and his players, and everyone in Concrete,” said Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore.

“This is going to be a hard time for all involved, and we wanted to make sure they had what they needed before getting home safely.”

CHS coach Cory Whitmore lays out some strategy for his players. (Jackie Saia photo)

The match itself was a fast-moving one, as Coupeville dominated play from start to finish.

The Wolves never trailed, jumping out to 5-0, 2-0, and 8-0 leads across the three sets, with just one tie at 2-2 (very) early in the middle frame.

Coupeville’s spikers, while not playing flawlessly — perhaps distracted a bit by Homecoming week activities — were still able to flip the switch every time they needed to do so.

The Wolves peppered Concrete with precision serves, racking up 14 aces and keeping the Lions from mounting much of a resistance off of their returns.

Once the ball was in play, big hitters Lyla Stuurmans, Grey Peabody, Teagan Calkins, and Mia Farris took turns cranking winners out of the reach of their rivals.

Stuurmans, showing some serious hops, bounded across the court, slicing in from both sides to smash the air out of the ball, while Peabody was a particular force on defense, snuffing out many of Concrete’s best shots.

While everyone lurking around the net contributed, none was happier to do so than Jada Heaton.

The team spark plug delivered back-to-back kills in the second set, then came back around to crunch some more balls in the final frame, a giddy smile on her face as she continues to live her best life.

“I am Jada! Hear me roar!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Now 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 4-4 overall after earning Cory Whitmore his 80th win as head coach at CHS, the Wolves return to action Thursday when they welcome Mount Vernon Christian to Whidbey.

JV tips at 5:00 PM, varsity at 6:30.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 3 digs
Teagan Calkins — 5 kills, 1 ace
Mia Farris — 6 kills, 7 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Jada Heaton — 4 kills, 1 assist
Issabel Johnson — 3 aces
Katie Marti — 4 kills, 2 digs, 24 assists, 5 aces, 1 block assist
Madison McMillan — 8 digs, 2 assists, 1 ace
Grey Peabody — 5 kills, 1 assist, 1 block assist
Lyla Stuurmans — 10 kills, 5 digs, 3 aces, 1 solo block

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Young Wolves rule the gym

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The freshmen are here to take photos and win matches. Don’t get in their way. (Jackie Saia photo)

First came growth, now comes wins.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad is young — five of seven active players are freshmen — but they’re learning under the guidance of coach Ashley Menges.

Lately, that’s translated to victories, with the Wolves winning two of their last three matches.

The victim Tuesday was visiting Concrete, which fell 25-17, 25-16, 25-8 to a CHS squad which got more efficient as the night progressed.

The victory lifts Coupeville to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 3-5 overall, with Mount Vernon Christian scheduled to travel to Whidbey Thursday.

The Wolves struck early, they struck late, and they struck with a vengeance, never trailing at any point in the match.

In fact, the only tie came at 1-1 in the second set.

Cousins Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter kicked off the evening with back-to-back runs at the service stripe, shooting the Wolves out to a 10-2 lead in the opening frame.

From there, Coupeville kept firing BB’s and the Lions kept being unable to return most of the nasty offerings.

JV coach Ashley Menges doles out wisdom on the same court where she once played. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Chloe Marzocca kept Concrete on its heels with several aces, while Carly Burt and Armstrong kept up the attack from the line.

Set two was more of the same, with Dakota Strong joining Anter and Marzocca in controlling the match with sizzlin’ serves, while Armstrong, Myra McDonald, and Lexis Drake made the net a no-passing zone.

The play of the match came from Armstrong, who soared up into the clouds, hovered for a second or two while an incoming shot hit the net and bounced high, then drilled a winner cross court.

While the third set was only for practice, Coupeville turned up the heat even more.

Spike winner. Tip winner. Serve winner.

Didn’t matter where the ball came from Tuesday night, as long as the Wolves were swinging the hammer of the Gods, it was all good.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 5 kills, 3 digs, 8 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 5 kills, 1 dig, 8 assists, 3 aces
Carly Burt — 1 dig, 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 2 kills, 2 solo blocks
Chloe Marzocca — 1 kill, 3 digs, 3 assists, 5 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 kill, 2 aces
Dakota Strong — 1 ace

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“He has a great dedication to his position”

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , , on May 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Willie Smith, still smiling while doing 10,001 things at the same time. (Helen Strelow photo)

Randy Sweeney has seen them come and go.

Over the past two decades-plus, as a coach and athletic director at Concrete High School, he’s competed against, and worked with, an endless list of men and women who share his love for helping shape the future of young student/athletes.

One of the best of those, he said in a recent chat, is his counterpart in Coupeville, Willie Smith.

“He has a great dedication to his position and loves being involved at every level,” Sweeney said. “Willie always puts his kids first, and that’s what makes him successful.”

The duo faced off during baseball and football games starting in the late ’90s, after Smith arrived in Coupeville from Sequim, and the relationship has grown from there.

Friendly, though deeply committed rivals, they’ve carried a healthy respect for each other as Concrete and Coupeville have shared the same league, parted ways, then reunited.

Now, with possible budget cuts looming, including a proposal to strip Smith of his AD duties, handing them off to an assistant principal whose own job will be cut by 16 days, Sweeney is one of many to call shenanigans.

“Most people have no idea of what we really do as AD’s,” he said. “Of the amount of time we all put in, year-round, always being available from early morning until late evening to deal with any issues which come up.

“It’s the scheduling, the travel, running events, dealing with officials, crowd control — the extent of what we do for a relatively small amount of money at most schools would surprise people.”

Having someone like Smith, who mixes a calm personality and extensive knowledge with decades of working smoothly with their peers, is invaluable.

“Willie is a huge benefit to Coupeville, but also a huge benefit to the Northwest League,” Sweeney said.

“He is always prepared, pays attention to the needs of other schools as well as his own, and is willing to work to benefit everyone.”

While most high school AD’s in Washington state juggle other responsibilities, whether it’s teaching PE like Smith or being a school groundskeeper like Sweeney, athletics drive their day.

Asking someone to jump into that on a limited basis isn’t the way to go, said Concrete’s main man.

“I’ve seen it tried many times, in many ways, and things fall by the wayside,” Sweeney said.

“It’s nobody’s fault, you can have good people working hard, but you need someone from this world who is deeply committed to make things work.

“You have to look at the relatively small amount of money which would be saved, against what Willie brings to Coupeville. Which I think is a lot.”

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