Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Friday Harbor’

Bring the brooms! It’s a sweep!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , on April 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

McKenzie Bailey (John Fisken photo)

   McKenzie Bailey, seen here in an earlier match, teamed with Jazmine Franklin Monday for a big win. (John Fisken photo)

Road Warrior Week kicked off with a bang.

The Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad is slated to play all or part of five matches in the next five days, all on the road.

And the Wolves took care of their tune-up, a trip to Friday Harbor, in style, sweeping their hosts quickly enough Monday that there was no absolutely no worries about getting back to the ferry on time.

The 5-0 decision was the second straight win for CHS, lifting it to 3-3 on the season.

Things get a bit more complicated the rest of the week, as the Wolves travel to Klahowya Tuesday and Granite Falls Friday.

Both of those trips will be super-sized, as Coupeville will play regular matches against both foes, while also trying to wrap up earlier-season matches which were put on hold midway through by weather or ferry concerns.

The Wolves and the Eagles were tied 3-3 back on Mar. 24, and that match will be decided by the end of a first singles match-up between Valen Trujillo and Klahowya’s Sydney Jackson.

When they left off, it was 5-5 in the deciding third set and the two netters had dueled for three-plus hours.

Jackson won the first 7-6(7-0), before Trujillo rebounded to take the second set 6-4.

If Trujillo can pull out the win, and then the Wolves, who were not at full-strength the first time around, win the regularly-scheduled match, it would take them to 3-0 in 1A Olympic League play.

When it caps the week in Granite Falls, Coupeville will carry a 3-1 lead onto the court to start the first non-conference match.

One singles match and two doubles matches were left unfinished when rain sent the teams scrambling way back on Mar. 14.

Survive three bus and ferry trips, and tons o’ tennis, and the Wolves will be rewarded with four of their final five matches at home.

Complete Friday Harbor results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Valen Trujillo beat Morgan Timmons 8-0

2nd Singles — Sydney Autio beat Madeline King 8-0

1st Doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger beat Yasmin Sarah/Aida Must 8-1

2nd Doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Jazmine Franklin beat Julian Urbach/Lucy Urbach 8-3

3rd Doubles — Bree Daigneault/Maggie Crimmins beat Midi Thomas/Mariah Dannaher 8-5

JV:

1st Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Kenzi LaRue beat Katy Kuleth/Renn DiBona 8-0

2nd Doubles — Julia Borges/Julianne Sem beat Cilena DePue/Nam Ketcharung 8-2

Read Full Post »

Quick and classy!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , on March 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Maggie Crimmins teamed with Kameryn St Onge to pull out a doubles win Monday. (John Fisken)

Maggie Crimmins teamed with Kameryn St Onge to pull out a doubles win Monday. (John Fisken)

Everything went to plan.

Playing on its home courts Monday, the Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad enjoyed sunny skies, warm weather, no breeze and a chance to paddle an opponent.

Facing a Friday Harbor team that was very young and very much in the development stage, the Wolves romped to a 6-1 win, their first official victory of the season.

Coupeville now sits at 1-1, with two matches (a 3-1 lead over Granite Falls and a 3-3 tie with Klahowya) still waiting to be finished later in the season.

The Wolves hit the road Wednesday to face Island arch-rival South Whidbey in Langley, then sit until Apr. 12.

Facing off with a green Wolverine squad (more than half its players are newcomers and the coach is in his first season), Coupeville put them down quickly.

Only two varsity matches resembled anything close to a battle.

Playing pro sets instead of the normal best two-of-three sets format to allow Friday Harbor time to ankle to the ferry, Coupeville dropped two or fewer games in five of seven contests.

Best moments:

Valen Trujillo dropping a series of lobs over her opponents head, artfully using her shot-making skills to baffle her foe.

Bree Daigneault rolling her eyes way into the back of her head and moaning “Moooooooooooommmmm, you’re making me nervous,” and then immediately proving she wasn’t really all that nervous by whipping a winner down the line.

The entire CHS squad proving once again it is the kindest, politest, most considerate tennis squad I have ever witnessed, stopping to compliment their opponents on almost every shot, even when the Wolves were rolling.

When I played at Tumwater High School back in the day, we took great delight in hitting our own teammates during practice and once set off a near-riot while in Aberdeen.

Monday, almost to a girl, the Wolves went out of their way to personally thank the Friday Harbor girls for making the trip to Whidbey.

Kids today, so much classier than we ever were…

Complete results:

Varsity:

1st singles — Valen Trujillo beat Morgan Timmons 8-0

2nd singles — Sydney Autio beat Alli Benz 8-1

3rd singles — Bree Dagineault beat Madeline King 8-2

1st doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger beat Jillian Urbach/Lucy Urbach 8-0

2nd doubles — Jazmine Franklin/McKenzie Bailey beat Midi Thomas/Mariah Dannibar 8-2

3rd doubles — Maggie Crimmins/Kameryn St Onge beat Katy Kalseth/Joely Loucks 8-6

4th doubles — Julia Borges/Julianne Sem lost to Morgan Timmons/Isabelle Brown 8-3

JV:

5th doubles — Kenzi LaRue/Jazmine Franklin lost to Yasmin Sara/Calina DePue 6-4

Read Full Post »

Softball sluggers off to historic start!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on March 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Melissa Otto made her varsity debut Saturday, as the Wolves rolled to an 11-1 win. (John Fisken photo)

   Melissa Otto made her varsity debut Saturday, as the Wolves rolled to an 11-1 win. (John Fisken photo)

The Team of Destiny rolls on.

After roaring from behind in almost every game this season, the Coupeville High School softball squad decided to play from in front Saturday.

Raining down runs from the first pitch, the Wolves jumped on host Friday Harbor quickly and never let up, cruising to an 11-1 non-conference win in a game called after five innings.

The victory, the fourth straight for Coupeville, lifts it to 5-1, the best start by a Wolf softball squad in more than a decade.

CHS will have a strong shot at keeping its early season success going, hosting Port Townsend (0-3) Thursday in the 1A Olympic League opener for both teams.

The RedHawks will enter that rumble carrying a 25-game losing streak that stretches back to April 28, 2014.

Coupeville, by stark contrast, has come alive under a new coaching staff, with its young roster runnin’ and gunnin’ teams to distraction.

Facing off with a Friday Harbor team that was coming off a one-run win over Concrete in its opener, the Wolves were ruthless.

Using five walks and booming doubles off of the bats of Katrina McGranahan and Sarah Wright, Coupeville exploded for six runs in the first inning.

The ability to eke out base on balls was a particular strength for the patient Wolf hitters.

“Walks were the theme today, as the opposing pitchers had a tough time finding the strike zone all day,” said Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan.

CHS continued to attack in the early going, tacking on three runs in the second (three walks and a timely hit from lead-off ace Lauren Rose), one more in the third and a final run in the fourth.

While the offense was clicking, the pitching and defense were just as on-target.

Wolf hurler Katrina McGranahan “pitched great all day and even unleashed a new pitch and had great success,” while Wright nailed two runners trying to steal second with strong throws from behind the plate.

“After that they stopped trying,” Kevin McGranahan said with a laugh.

The Wolf defense was solid all-around, with Mikayla Elfrank recording her second unassisted double play of the young season, going to her left to snag a screaming liner.

Pivoting quickly, the sophomore shortstop stamped on second for one out, then nailed the runner headed to first with a laser throw.

Jae LeVine also put her name in the battle for best defensive play of the afternoon, shooting from her spot at second to run down a ball behind first base.

Having corralled it, she flipped it to Kailey Kellner, who was covering the bag, for an out that brought a smile to her coach’s face.

“The defense was awesome today,” Kevin McGranahan said.

“Another team win and the girls all played as a team and are gelling faster than we expected,” he added. “I can’t be more proud of all of these girls; some of them are doing things for the team and I have not had anyone hang their head, they just keep going.”

Read Full Post »

Someone wake up the bats!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on March 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

CJ Smith, here making a thrown in an earlier game, whiffed nine on the hill Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

   CJ Smith, here making a throw in an earlier game, whiffed nine on the hill Saturday. (John Fisken photo)

They had their chances.

Looking to snap out of a recent offensive funk, the Coupeville High School baseball squad put runners on base Saturday.

Unfortunately, that’s where they left most of them, victim to double plays and stranded runner syndrome.

Unable to muster an offense to match pitcher CJ Smith’s performance on the mound, the Wolves fell 3-1 in a non-conference game at Friday Harbor.

After scoring 27 runs in its first three games, Coupeville has now been stuck on a single run for three straight contests.

Not surprisingly, the Wolves have lost all three of the low-scoring affairs, falling to 2-4 on the season.

They’ll get three chances to fix things next week, when they travel to Lynden Christian Tuesday, host Port Townsend Thursday and skip down the Island to visit South Whidbey Saturday, Apr. 2.

The middle match-up will be the 1A Olympic League opener for both the Wolves and RedHawks (0-4).

Facing off with the host Wolverines (3-0), Coupeville got stellar work from Smith.

The senior hurler whiffed nine batters while tossing a complete game.

“CJ pitched a great game,” said CHS coach Marc Aparicio. “Unfortunately we just couldn’t make the runs work this game.

“We were caught in three double plays and left runners on in scoring position three times. One time with bases loaded,” he added. “Friday Harbor played a good game. Not much more to say.”

Read Full Post »

“We will get better!!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

team (Amy KIng photo)

The Wolf JV, already pros at having their picture taken. (Amy King photo)

“Of course, I love to find the new successes!”

If ever there was a coach born to nurture and bring along young JV players, it is Coupeville High School hoops guru Amy King.

So, while her squad, playing without any of its veteran swing players Saturday, fell 41-20 at Friday Harbor, she was able to come away with a checklist full of accomplishments to herald.

From freshman Maddy Hilkey knocking down her first-ever buckets, to Brittany Powers notching her first free throw of the season, to the hustle her entire squad showed, King knows JV ball is all about improvement.

“Brisa (Herrera) got a rebound and drove down the court. Both Lindsey (Laxton) and Nicole (Lester) were going after rebounds, ripping the ball out of the hands of their opponents,” she said. “Both got shots off, that’s a great step.”

Of course, King also wants to win — she went 14-5 last year with a squad which sent a chunk of its players up to the varsity this season — and Coupeville came out strong Saturday.

Powered by Hilkey and Ema Smith, who each went for four in the quarter, the Wolves claimed an 8-5 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

Then the hosts, who had a far more seasoned team, switched things up.

“We started out great; guess we ticked off the home team, because in the second quarter they attacked with a full court press and caused us many turnovers,” King said. “Our young team would get successful passes only to have the ball stolen or we would end up in a trap.”

Using a 16-1 second-quarter run to blow the game open, Friday Harbor decided they liked the press so much they’d keep it on for almost the entire game.

Even after the score was lopsided.

“This game was tough,” a philosophical King said. “We will get better at breaking the press as the season goes on. It really is a learning process.”

She came away pleased with a lot of the in-game improvement she continues to see. That includes a freshman point guard who’s never played the position before.

“Ashlie (Shank) is moving with more confidence, setting up plays and starting to direct,” King said. “She even pulled up several times, taking jump shots from the outside. That is new for her.

“Maddy and Brittany flew around on defense all night and Sarah (Wright) was a force in the key, shutting down anyone trying to come into the key,” she added. “All the girls talked and worked hard on defense.

“We just need to be patient, we are getting it and wins will happen.”

Smith paced the Wolves with a team-high 10 points, while Hilkey (4), Wright (3), Shank (2) and Powers (1) all chipped in.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »