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Posts Tagged ‘football’

Julian Welling (John Fisken photos)

   Julian Welling is one of several key returning players for first-year CHS football coach Jon Atkins. (John Fisken photo)

It’s the start of a new era.

Jon Atkins is diving in feet-first as the new head football coach at Coupeville High School, with two days of practice now under his belt.

As he and the Wolves get to know each other and prepare for their opener (Sept. 3 at home against South Whidbey), Atkins will be providing us with some of his thoughts on how things are unfolding.

He’ll be delivering a weekly address this season, which will hit the blogosphere Thursday (or early Friday in this case, since I went to bed early and ignored my emails…).

Anyway, without further ado, let’s head over to the Coaches Corner and see what Atkins has to say.

Hopefully David will let me hijack his blog for one post a week.

I don’t know if I have the knack for writing or the whimsical tone that he does, but I will try my best to keep Wolf Nation informed about our football boys throughout the season in this Coach’s Corner.

This is our first Thursday.

We have only had two days of practice and no game planning for an opponent this week; the coaching staff and the players have been working hard teaching, learning and memorizing a new playbook both offensively and defensively.

Each day the players are conditioning and getting their bodies ready for our first game on Saturday 3rd. (More on that in two weeks).

We are creating a new look for the 2016 season.

In the first few days of our fall camp in addition to installing our new defense and offense we have been installing our Core Covenants that will be the pillars in our program that the coaches believe in and will install in our players.

It is my hope that the community will see these behaviors  from our players in the community. 

The first two days we have focused on Competition and Leadership.

The players know that it is the coaching staff expectation that they compete in the classroom, on the field, or even in our Day 1 thumb war tournament competition, which ended with Co-Champions Woody Liquidano and Teo Keilwitz.

The second covenant is Leadership; all of our players are expected to be Leaders, and demonstrate Leadership in their position groups, in their PE classes and in the community.

We will install the last three covenants: Family, Commitment and Toughness.

We are thrilled to have the players out; we are still missing some faces from last year and would love to have them back out this year as well.

I believe that our program is going in a great direction and would love to have them hop on this train and enjoy the ride.

One of the differences you will see, well, you will hear if you come to practice, is a bit of practice music.

If you drive by practice you might hear some different sounds as our practice playlist changes up each day. 

We expect some AC/DC, Disturbed, Drake and Jake Owens to make an appearance on tomorrow’s practice playlist.

The coaching staff likes to make sure practice stay light and fun while getting our work done.

Next Coach’s Corner I will look to take on Burlington and La Conner in the La Conner Jamboree in our first test for Wolf Nation in 2016.

I am excited to meet all the football parents at our meeting Saturday, Aug. 20 at 4:00 PM.

PS — Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter — @WolfPrideFB.

Coach Atkins

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Ian Barron

   Ian Barron, the current CHS football record board and the documents which prove the identity of the one true rushing king.

Coupeville High School is making impressive strides with its athletic programs these days.

New bleachers in the gym, a sparkling new track oval blossoming before our eyes, and, of course, the project which has consumed me for the past year-plus about to come to fruition.

Next week 112 title boards will be installed on a wall inside the CHS gym, documenting league and district titles as well as state accomplishments won by the Wolves.

Finally, the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and the athletes and teams of those eras, will get their moment in the spotlight.

But, since I like tilting at windmills, before we finish with that epic endeavor (which has only been possible with the help of a ton of people inside and outside the school) I want to raise another issue.

And that is Ian Barron.

Or, more precisely, the indisputable fact he should be at the top of the football record board which greets visitors to the CHS gym complex.

The board is what it is, an honorable attempt to finally document some Wolf gridiron history in much the same manner the track record board has done for years.

It was a good start, though an incomplete one.

Records for CHS sports are notoriously hard to find, and I give the previous football coaching staff credit for doing what they could.

But Barron’s omission, while not being intentional, is glaring.

First, because his rushing marks, both for a season and a career, are so far ahead of what is currently listed as the records, and, secondly, because it is so easy to prove.

I have in my possession a two-page letter, signed by longtime Wolf coaches Ron Bagby and Tom Roehl, which breaks down precisely what kind of numbers Barron put up.

And, with all due respect to Josh Bayne, who is currently listed as the school record holder and was a beast on the gridiron and a quality guy off the field, those slots rightfully belong to Ian.

Bayne’s marks of 1,528 yards in his senior season and 2,154 for his stellar career currently sit atop the board.

Barron blows those away, however, even though he missed all but three games as a junior after breaking his leg.

His marks:

1997 — 425 yards
1998 — 1,753
1999 — 1,087 (in only three games)
2000 — 1,448

Career — 4,713

It’s right there in black and white, documented in a letter Roehl sent to the Everett Herald when CHS coaches were nominating Barron for the All-Area football team.

There’s no question of whether Ian deserves to be on the board, just a question of whether someone will do something about it.

So, as we welcome a new coaching staff to Wolf football, I’m calling on them to join me in asking the school and the booster club to make things right.

The board is up there to honor the past, while giving current CHS athletes a target. Let’s make sure it’s the right target.

Ian Barron is the one true rushing king, and he should be recognized as such.

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Uriel Liquidano (John Fisken photos)

Uriel Liquidano, busy being awesome. (John Fisken photos)

First you hear the explosion, then the screams.

Two kinds of screams.

When Uriel Liquidano unloads on a ball carrier, roaring across the football field and spearing them like a runaway missile, there’s often an audible boom.

Then, while his foe screams “Why? Why me?!?!?” through mouthfuls of turf, the Coupeville fans scream, just a lot happier.

Liquidano, who celebrates a birthday today, is a rampaging beast on the field, and we would have it no other way.

Cracking heads and blowing up blockers, Woody is a weapon, and it’s awfully nice to have him on the side of the good guys.

Following the example set by older brother Oscar, who rocked a few would-be rushers in his day, he has carved out a niche for himself.

As he gets ready for his senior season, the multi-sport wonder (he’s also a strong midfielder/defender for the Wolf boys’ soccer squad and could possibly return to basketball after some time off) is a key player for the CHS gridiron squad.

With the Wolves trying to bounce back from a 1-9 season, and with their third head coach in four years, elder statesmen like Uriel will be looked to as leaders and role models.

It’s a job he should fill nicely.

During his time in Coupeville, Liquidano has earned much love and respect from his teammates, and admiration from his fans.

He’s a rock-solid guy, well-liked by all it seems, and as talented off the field (where he sits on the honor roll) as on.

Our town got lucky when his family moved here, not just in picking up three athletes (Oscar, Uriel and younger sister Estefanny), but in nabbing a quality family.

From Uriel’s parents on down, the Liquidano clan is the best of what Coupeville is, and we wouldn’t be the same without them.

So happy birthday to a rampaging beast with a heart of gold, from all your many fans.

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Jacob Zettle (John Fisken photos)

Jacob Zettle puts in work during summer drills. (John Fisken photos)

Freshman Dawson Houston

Freshman Dawson Houston (left) runs the offense during a scrimmage.

(Claire Mietus photo)

   Coupeville’s five home football games are represented in these incredibly-detailed welcome signs drawn (freehand!!) by Wolf cheerleader Claire Mietus.

And so, it begins, again.

The 2016-2017 prep sports year officially kicks off at 9 AM Wednesday morning, as Coupeville High School football takes to the practice field for the first time in the Jon Atkins era.

Girls soccer, volleyball and boys tennis follow suit next Monday, Aug. 22, with the first official game Sept. 3, when the Wolves host South Whidbey on the gridiron.

With the Wolf seniors playing for their third coach in their prep career (Tony Maggio as freshmen/sophomores and Brett Smedley as juniors), it’ll be a season of transition.

The hope is to make it a successful one, as well, as Coupeville looks to improve on last year’s 1-9 mark.

Thoughts from the players as they pull on their helmets and prepare to put in work:

Jacob Zettle (junior):

This season is going to be a fresh start for us all; new playbook, new coach, new start.

I am excited and have been preparing all year, from getting in the weight room to catching with our quarterback.

We will have fun out there, and we will play hard.

And I can tell you this much, we ain’t goin’ 1-9 this year.

Hunter Downes (junior):

I just want to freaking win!

Clay Reilly (senior):

All I’ve got is I’m ready to embarrass South Whidbey and bring back The Bucket!

Jacob Martin (senior):

I think this season will be great because we’re disciplined, and have good leadership.

Our team goal is to win league and make the playoffs.

My knee is healing up well and I might make the first game.

Uriel Liquidano (senior):

South Whidbey doesn’t know what’s coming their way.

I just hope they are ready, because we have some hungry Wolves that want to eat some chicken.

It’s going to be a great season!

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Shane Losey (John Fisken photos)

Shane Losey (John Fisken photos)

Shane Losey is keeping the family flag flying high.

The Coupeville High School sophomore, who celebrates a birthday today, is the latest in a long line of athletic stars from a clan with a deep bench.

Older brother Mitchell and dad Scott excelled in multiple sports, while grandpa Bill helped open holes for record-setting rusher Paul Messner on the gridiron, when he wasn’t carrying the ball himself.

Toss in Shane’s great uncle, Glenn, who played on the 1969-1970 Wolf boys’ hoops squad which was the first basketball team in Whidbey Island history to win a district title, and it’s an impressive legacy.

And that’s not even counting cousins Julian and Melia Welling, who, like Shane, are busy writing new chapters in their family’s success story.

It’s a lot to live up to, but Shane seems ideally suited to the endeavor.

Low-key, confident but not overbearing, he’s a hard worker both on the gridiron and the baseball diamond.

Whether he’s flicking passes or turning double plays, the youngest Losey is a quality dude, on and off the field.

Combining his dad’s passion for the game with mom Melissa’s love of life, Shane has a bright future — one which we, as Wolf fans will get to see play out in front of us.

I look forward to it.

So happy birthday, Shane.

Now go seize the day and add another level to the Losey legend.

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