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After coming through a very dark period, Korbin Korzan embraces each new day.

Korbin Korzan is one of the most physically gifted athletes I have written about during my time in Coupeville.

He was a standout high school football and baseball player and a key member of a Central Whidbey Little League hardball squad which won a state title in 2010.

Very outgoing, he always seemed to enjoy being in the spotlight, and shared those moments with family and friends.

But no one ever truly knows what another is going through, and today Korbin has agreed to let me share his story.

He does so in the hope that it will help others reach their own inner peace.

In Korbin’s own words:

 

I originally intended on waiting a decade to share my story.

Some recent events have happened that are pushing me to share it now.

I don’t know if there is anyone out there that can benefit from hearing this, but if it makes a difference for just one person then I will be happy.

So, seven years ago … my life looked a little different.

I just turned 21, had an amazing career at Bank of America, just opened my drone business, and was engaged to the love of my life (Whitney).

Sounds like an awesome life, right?

Looking at pictures (from then) you would probably think I was a pretty happy guy.

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I was severely depressed and mixing a cocktail of drugs and alcohol to try to numb my pain.

It took hitting rock bottom to fully accept that I was not okay.

And friends, it is OKAY to not be okay.

The biggest thing is accepting that and being willing to accept help.

That is so much easier said than done but I know you can do it.

I don’t want to go into details about what happened October 2017, but I do want to discuss what happened AFTER I decided to get help and get clean.

The first few months were riddled with anger and pain.

I dug myself into a massive crater and it was time to start making my way out. As time went on things began to improve.

I focused on bettering myself and surrounding myself with people who showed me love and support.

So, what has happened since October 2017? How much could YOUR life change in seven short years — just like mine did?

Since trying to take my own life, I have:

Married my soulmate.

Korbin and Whitney

Expanded my drone company to a full production company.

Traveled out of state 30+ times and gone on so many amazing adventures.

Made new friends.

Explored areas I didn’t even know existed.

Made over two million dollars.

Tried amazing new foods and played video games I once dreamed of as a child.

Drove awesome cars.

Started fun new hobbies.

Flown in planes, big and small.

Found my silver lining in life.

The list goes on and on. I have experienced so many new and amazing experiences.

I don’t say this to brag … I honestly never thought any of these things would ever happen to me.

So, whether your passion is family, love, adventure, or money, all of that can still be yours.

If my life can change that much, so can yours!

You might feel like you are in a dark place now but I promise you it can and it WILL get better.

Surround yourself with friends and family that love you. Accept that it is okay to not feel okay.

Talk to others and ask for help! I am always here if anyone needs to talk.

Suicide is a very real and scary thing in our world. Reach out to your friends and let them know you are there.

Even if you don’t think they are sad, sometimes the “happiest” people are truly the saddest.

It would be a lie if I said I didn’t still struggle to this day … but it is not as bad anymore and continues to get better every year.

I know the same thing can happen for you!

I promise you things can get better.

You are more than enough, and the world is such a better place with you in it.

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Coupeville High School football coach Bennett Richter is losing one of his two league rivals. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

As the schedule for Coupeville High School’s 2024 football season begins to take shape, new names are appearing, and an old one is vanishing.

While things are still in flux, a partial schedule on the Northwest 2B/1B League web site shows the Wolves picking up home games next fall with Annie Wright and Winlock.

But what’s missing is La Conner, as the Braves gridiron program faces tough times.

With declining enrollment in the school overall and a sharp decrease in the number of athletes playing football, school officials petitioned the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to play eight-man football in the 1B classification.

La Conner would have remained a 2B school in every other sport.

While schools can play “up” in Washington state, football is the only athletic pursuit in which they can play “down.”

But only with WIAA approval, which La Conner did not get.

Now, La Conner officials are holding a community meeting Feb. 20 to seek input on the best way to proceed.

In a presentation to the school board Monday, Athletic Director Christine Tripp outlined three possibilities.

One, kill the football program and focus on other fall sports such as soccer, as league mate Orcas Island did several years ago.

Two, play eight-man football as an independent school. Under that scenario, the Braves have no opportunity to play in the postseason.

Or three, combine with 2A Anacortes, and send whatever players they have off to join the defending state champs. Just not in a Braves uniform.

Tripp told La Conner’s school board the plan is to make a decision by mid-March.

The group making that call will include the athletic director, a district rep, a coach, and a board member.

With La Conner unlikely to be playing 11-man football any time soon, that leaves Coupeville and Friday Harbor as the only 2B schools in the seven-team NWL to be doing so.

Mount Vernon Christian and Orcas move up from 1B to 2B next fall, but neither have a football program, while Concrete and Darrington are 1B schools already playing the eight-man game.

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From Coupeville to Spain, Dominic Coffman continues to tear up the gridiron.

He’s conquering one country after another.

Coupeville grad Dominic Coffman made his Spanish gridiron debut Saturday and immediately blew up the field.

The former Northwest 2B/1B League MVP now suits up for the Las Rozas Black Demons, a semi-pro football team in Madrid.

The squad competes in Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano (LNFA), the first-tier division for American football in Spain.

In his debut game, Coffman pulled in a swing pass and turned it into a 70+ yard touchdown romp.

In typical Dominator fashion, he blew up the first dude who had a chance to tackle him, then ran right through another would-be tackler as he hit the jets down the right sideline.

Not content to be a one-dimensional superstar, Coffman also blocked a punt as his team won its opener 35-6.

After going to state in three different sports at CHS — football, basketball, and track and field, where he earned a 2nd place medal in the 4 x 100 — he made the jump to a different continent.

So far, so good.

“Just blessed to be here,” Coffman said.

“Thanks to Bennett (Richter), Brett (Casey), my mom and dad. To my teammates, without you guys I don’t know where I’d be right now.

“I will keep playing for the small town in Washington.”

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Sean Toomey-Stout, now with mustache, hits the big time. (Michael Davidson photo)

Sean Toomey-Stout is still enjoying the brights lights of the big stage.

The Coupeville High School grad, the only former Wolf to ever rack up stats for the University of Washington football team, had to take a medical retirement at the start of the season.

But the Huskies have kept Maya’s twin brother as part of their program, and he’s been with his U-Dub teammates every step of the way during a miracle campaign.

That run included an undefeated regular season, with numerous close calls, a #2 ranking in the national polls, a narrow win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl, and, finally, an appearance in the national championship game Monday against top-ranked Michigan.

Sean is in the program, he’ll be wearing his #30 jersey on the sidelines, and he may even make an appearance on ESPN — if they want to see their ratings spike.

Following in the footsteps of older brother Cameron, “The Torpedo” was a football, basketball, and track and field standout at CHS, before beating the odds to become an NCAA D-I gridiron warrior for the storied Husky program.

Making the team as a walk-on, Sean played in six games, collecting five solo tackles and two assists.

He also made the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll twice and became the first Coupeville athlete to get his own trading card.

Welcome to ThunderDome. (Michael Davidson photo)

Grabbing a pic with the parentals. (Photo courtesy Beth Stout)

Looking snazzy and snappy. (Photo courtesy Beth Stout)

Part of history. (Photo courtesy Beth Stout)

Family and friends pack the stands. (Photo courtesy Beth Stout)

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Gabe McMurray powers to the hoop for a bucket during an alumni game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Gabe McMurray was a beast.

One of the big stars at Coupeville High School during my days as Sports Editor at the Whidbey News-Times in the early ’90s, he dominated in multiple sports and left an enduring impact on a writer only a few years older than he was.

The news that he passed away this week, well before his time, hits hard, and I extend my sympathies to his family and friends.

A 1995 graduate of CHS, Gabe scorched the basketball nets for 592 points, and surely grabbed as many rebounds, while playing alongside Brad Miller in one of the most formidable one-two combos I’ve witnessed during my on-again, off-again years in the Coupeville gym.

Standing at six-feet-two inches, he capped his prep hoops career by being named a First-Team All-League pick by Cascade League coaches.

That year, Gabe poured in a team-high 355 points for Randy King’s squad, still one of the best single-season performances by a Wolf basketball player, boy or girl.

That came on the heels of a 235-point performance during his junior campaign, while his first varsity bucket hit the bottom of the net when he was a sophomore.

Gabe, who was also a standout on the football field, was an inductee in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, and came back around in his later years to prove he still had it, throwing down buckets in alumni games while often facing off with younger rivals.

He was one of a kind, as an athlete and a person.

Gabe’s former classmates and fellow Wolf athletes gathered on social media to remember him as word filtered out.

In the words of Natalie (Slater) Fisher on Facebook:

“Today CHS lost a friend. You touched many with your kindness, sarcasm, and contagious smile. You will be missed.”

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