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Posts Tagged ‘Girls Soccer’

Booters chase playoff dreams

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Genna Wright enters her junior season on the soccer pitch tied for #3 all-time among Coupeville girls goal scorers. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mallory Kortuem (right) is part of a rock-solid group of seniors intent on leading the Wolves back to the playoffs.

They would love to still be playing in November.

A rough late-season loss on the turf at Sultan last year denied the Coupeville High School girls soccer squad a trip to the playoffs, snapping a four-year run of postseason activity for the Wolf booters.

But now, as it heads into year two in the North Sound Conference, Coupeville wants to get back to playing extra games.

The regular season is set to end Oct. 23, but the Wolves are aiming to stay in uniform after that.

“My goal is to form a well-organized, disciplined, exciting-to-watch squad,” said CHS coach Kyle Nelson. “And, with anyone who watches us play this year seeing improvement through the course of the season.

“I would like to finish with a berth to the postseason,” he added. “So, the season will be a success if we make postseason play.”

King’s, which went 18-3 and fell in the quarterfinals of the state tourney a season ago, is the overwhelming league favorite.

“Always an excellent team,” Nelson said.

After that, it should be a brawl, with South Whidbey, Cedar Park Christian, Granite Falls, Sultan, and Coupeville vying for the other four postseason berths.

While the Wolves lost several key players to graduation, including four-year star Lindsey Roberts, the roster is still jam-packed with quality players.

Leading the way is junior forward Genna Wright, who has tallied 17 goals through her first two seasons on the CHS pitch.

That puts her in a tie with Roberts for #3 all-time among Wolf girls, chasing Mia Littlejohn (35) and Kalia Littlejohn (33) on the career scoring list.

Wright’s support crew includes four seniors who have combined to pepper the back of the net for a combined 17 goals during their prep days.

Midfielder Avalon Renninger leads that group, with six career goals, while midfielder Mallory Kortuem (4), defender Tia Wurzrainer (4) and forward Anna Dion (3) have also shown a nice touch around the net.

There’s plenty of other battle-hardened players on the roster, with senior defender Natalie Hollrigel, junior goaltender Mollie Bailey, sophomore defender Mary Milnes, and sophomore midfielder Audrianna Shaw primed for big seasons.

“We are returning quite a few starting varsity players in most positions on the field,” Nelson said. “We are also lucky enough to be bringing in a few experienced players to fill in some of our holes.

“We will be looking to incorporate some new players who look to be important to our team,” he added. “But it can take a while for both the defense and the new players to fully integrate.”

Sophomores Eryn Wood (defender) and Sophia Martin (midfielder/forward) are also expected to contribute, while freshmen Carolyn Lhamon (midfielder) and Nezi Keiper (defender) were both standout youth league players.

Coupeville kicks off its season this week, with a four-team jamboree Thursday in Oak Harbor (5 PM), followed by a home non-conference clash Saturday with Meridian (1 PM).

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Play. Just play.

Posted in Ranting and Raving, tagged , , , , , , , on August 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Sports provided a spark for Natasha Bamberger, launching her to a life rich in success. Current Wolves like Alana Mihill (center) and Catherine Lhamon follow in her footsteps. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

I believe in you.

One week from today, on the morning of Monday, August 26, a new high school sports year officially begins. And I want to see every single Coupeville student in grades 9-12 at a practice.

EVERY … SINGLE … ONE.

OK, technically, football kicks off practice five days earlier, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, but let’s not get caught up in technicalities.

Anyway, a week from today, Wolf boys tennis, volleyball, girls soccer, cheer, and cross country athletes join their gridiron compadres, and the countdown to the beginning of fall sports is fully underway.

But let’s get back to my point, which is a simple one.

If you are a student at CHS, I want to see you play a sport.

Whether you’re a life-long athlete, or have never stepped onto a field or court before, opportunity abounds in Cow Town. Take advantage.

Your school has a small student body, one of the tiniest in 1A (which is why CHS will likely move down to 2B next school year), and it’s set up for everyone to shine.

For one thing, there are no cuts at this school. You show up, you stay around, you are on the team.

You play, you — and your parents, and your grandparents, and all your Instagram followers and on and on — will see your name on the internet.

Often.

Coupeville Sports is unique in that it covers every level of athletics in this town plopped on the prairie in the middle of a rock anchored in the water in a far-flung corner of the Pacific Northwest.

You play varsity? You’ll see your name (and probably your photo).

You play JV? You’ll see your name (and probably your photo).

You play C-Team? You’ll see your name (and probably your photo).

State champion or role player? You will be celebrated, you will have something to read today, something to look back at years from now (unless the internet implodes).

Sports build confidence, they help/force students to stay on top of their classroom work (if you want to stay eligible), and they offer a unique way to interact with others.

With CHS having increased its fall sports offerings by bringing back cross country last year after a two-decade absence, there is something for everyone.

If you look at me and say “I have no skills. I can’t play volleyball, or football, or soccer, or fly through the air and do double back-flips like a cheerleader,” I would say two things back to you.

First, “You’d be surprised what you can do with no skills.”

I have seen CHS tennis coach Ken Stange take countless players, girls and boys, put a tennis racket in their hand for the first time in their lives, and transform them.

They walk on the court not knowing how to keep score, or the proper way to swing, and, four years later, they walk off with athletic letters, awards, and a confidence which has bloomed ten-fold.

Let the magic man do what he does.

And second, if you can put one foot in front of the other, or at least come reasonably close, cross country offers a safe harbor.

Of all sports, cross country and track and field offer maybe the easiest access point for someone who claims to be a non-athlete.

You essentially compete against yourself, each PR along the way a personal validation.

Whether you’re the quietest, smallest, library-lovingest young girl or boy, or the student who got an eight-inch growth spurt over the summer break who is trying to adjust to their new height, the trail was meant for you.

There’s no contact, you don’t have to suddenly learn a bunch of rules, no one expects you to digest a playbook.

You run, and you’d be amazed where it will take you.

We have had two NCAA D-1 scholarship college athletes emerge from Coupeville in the 2000’s, and Kyle and Tyler King landed at Oklahoma and U-Dub thanks to running.

No less impressive, in its own way, is listening to the kid who finished 97th in a high school race, the kid who rarely talks, light up like a Christmas tree when they realize they beat their previous-best time by two seconds.

But this conversation isn’t just for the first-time athlete.

I’m also talking to the Wolves who aren’t going to play because they want to get (or hold) a job, want to take driver’s ed, or offer a billion other “reasonable excuses.”

Don’t. Just don’t.

You will get to spend a great deal of your life working. Work is overrated.

You will get to spend a great deal of your life driving. Driving is overrated.

But you only get four years of high school sports. Twelve seasons total. It will be over faster than you expect.

At this point of your life, my words won’t mean the same as they will in 10 years, in 20, or 30.

It’s then you will have regret, then that you will wish you could go back.

You’ll be stuck in traffic on a freeway somewhere, on a way to a job you don’t want to go to, and it will hit you then.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When you’re sitting in that car, on the way to that job, you could instead reflect on all your memories from a better time, a time when you were a high school athlete.

You are young right now, somewhere in the 13-18 age group.

The decision is yours to make. Choose wisely.

There are a million reasons to play sports during your high school years. Find the one which means something deeply personal to you.

But play. Just play.

I believe in you. Believe in yourself.

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A star, now and forever

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , on July 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Ema Smith fires up the offense during a senior-season game. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sister Ciara is part of a large fan club for the ever-outgoing star.

Ema in her natural environment, entertaining everyone around her.

“I’m kind of a big deal, you know.”

Ema Smith is one cool cat.

In a sea of high school athletes, she stood out for many reasons, but the biggest was her attitude.

Nothing seemed to ruffle her all that much, even when she was down on the floor rippin’ arms off as she came away with every loose ball, every wayward rebound.

Ema played with intensity, fought with passion, always showed great heart and a willingness to step up in the big moment, regardless of the sport, but she never lost the grin.

The half-smirk, the wink and a nod to her coach, the whispered one-liner, complete with arched eyebrow, that made a tense teammate relax.

She is the closest thing Coupeville has to having its own Matthew McConaughey.

Talent carries you a certain distance, hard work takes you the rest of the way, but attitude – how you conduct yourself, how you handle your business – is what sets true legends apart from the crowd.

It’s what makes the people in the stands remember you always.

And no one is going to forget Ema anytime soon.

She arrived in town as a middle schooler, red hair flashing in the sun as she leaned out the passenger window of the family car, firing off finger guns at passerby and intoning “Alright, alright, alright.”

OK, maybe not, but Ema did become part of the fabric of Wolf athletics in less than 2.1 seconds, immediately contributing to every team she played on.

From the softball diamond, where she was a hard-hitting warrior until injuries slowed her roll (but just a bit), to the soccer pitch, the track oval, and the basketball hard-court, she was a star who soared even higher by being willing to accept her role.

That carried over off the field, where Ema has been one of the quickest to embrace younger athletes coming up behind her.

When she couldn’t take the softball field herself, she stepped into the dugout and worked as a volunteer with little league squads.

During her own basketball season, Ema worked the scorer’s table at middle school games, offering advice and (frequent) hugs to the girls who would one day replace her in the CHS lineup.

Theses days she’s the swim instructor with the biggest fan club, spreading the love some more in the weeks leading up to her departure to college.

Of course, there’s her photo game, as well, where Ema excelled as both a subject and the person operating the camera.

She shot a ton of photos across several Booster Club Crab Feeds, and they showcased an already-assured eye.

Some people just point and click, but Ema is already telling stories with her camera. She knows how to draw out her subjects, and captures images which captivate the viewer.

Put her in front of the camera, and she rivaled all-time greats like the “Photo Bomb Queens” themselves, McKayla, McKenzie and Mollie Bailey.

Ema never met a photo she couldn’t be a part of, on or off the field, and losing her to college is a major blow for Coupeville Sports as it hunts for those sweet, sweet page views.

Of course, at the top of all of this, is her performance while in uniform.

If her body had held up, Ema could have played a crucial role for a CHS softball program which has reached new heights in recent years.

But, while that wasn’t meant to be, her impact on the Wolf basketball squad can’t be denied.

A deft passer, a strong rebounder, and a defender with a nice little chip on her shoulder, Ema could also put the ball in the basket on a regular basis.

While playing with top-notch scorers like Lindsey Roberts and Mikayla Elfrank limited her touches at times, she always stepped up and took advantage of her opportunities.

A deadly threat from behind the three-point arc, Ema carried the team for a stretch during her senior season, especially when a crunched finger sent Roberts to the ER.

That injury came in a game down in the wilds of Sultan, a contest Coupeville desperately needed to win, to snap a losing skid and hold on to a top playoff slot.

Roberts was hospital-bound, the Turk fans were shaking the roof of the gym, the Wolves needed a spark, and whammo, Miss Cool Cat picked up the ball and went to work.

Scoring six of her game-high 14 in the fourth, Ema drilled a jumper, flipped a running layup through a maze of defenders, then banked home another bucket while three Turks hung all over her.

A big-time performance delivered under the blazing glare of the spotlight, it lifted CHS to a season-defining win.

By the time she finished, Ema retired with 228 career points, making her the #48 all-time scorer in modern Wolf girls hoops history, a period which stretches from 1974-2019.

But, as shown in the Sultan game, it wasn’t how many points she scored, but when she scored them.

And that we know, that, after that game, she probably fist-bumped every single person in the Sultan gym, including the locals, as she exited, mega-grin on her face, enjoying every last moment.

Ema is truly a one-of-a-kind person, both as an athlete and a young woman, and she will go far in life.

That we here in Central Whidbey got to experience a slice of her story was sweet. As she gets ready to go write the next chapter, we want to take a moment to honor her.

Her induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame today is based on many things.

Ema has stats, she has talent, she has fight and desire, but, most of all, she’s got that elusive quality that makes someone truly memorable.

After this, when you look at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, she’ll be easy to find.

She’ll be the one everyone else gravitates toward, cause she’s a star, baby. Now and forever.

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Plan your fall days and nights

Posted in Boys Tennis, Cross Country, Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , on July 23, 2019| Leave a Comment »

CHS volleyball ace Maya Toomey-Stout returns for her senior season. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

James Wood (left) and Mason Grove are among the netters who can return this fall.

There’s less than seven weeks.

We’re still very much in the midst of a Whidbey summer, in all its 55-degree glory, but Coupeville High School fall sports teams start practicing in August, with games launching the first week of September.

As you plan ahead for volleyball, cross country, tennis, soccer, and football, now is the perfect time to peruse the schedules and make some early plans.

As always, changes can, and often do happen, especially for tennis, the one sport which can be drastically affected by rain.

So, keep an eye on the league and/or school web sites as we move forward.

And always bring a coat. Always.

PS — If you haven’t been paying close attention, you may wonder why some sports seem to have radically different foes.

The short breakdown is this – volleyball, cross country, and girls soccer play in Coupeville’s primary league, the North Sound Conference.

But, since CHS and South Whidbey are the only NSC schools to field boys tennis teams, the Wolves and Falcons join the Emerald City League for that sport.

And, finally, football is taking a one-year break from league play and playing an independent schedule while trying to build the program.

PPS — Cross country’s schedule may look a bit off.

Spoiler alert – it is, as the school has yet to post anything resembling a complete schedule on the league site, the school site, or athletic.net.

What’s below is the best I’ve been able to pull together so far.

So, there you go, and as you scan what’s below, a * denotes a league contest.

 

BOYS TENNIS:

Wed-Sept. 11 — South Whidbey (3:30) *
Fri-Sept. 13 — Eastside Prep (3:30) *
Mon-Sept. 16 — @University Prep (3:30) *
Wed-Sept. 18 — @Bush (4:00) *
Fri-Sept. 20 — Overlake (3:30) *
Mon-Sept. 23 — @Bear Creek (4:30) *
Wed-Sept. 25 — Seattle Academy (3:30) *
Fri-Sept. 27 — @South Whidbey (3:30) *
Tues-Oct. 1 — @Eastside Prep (3:30) *
Wed-Oct. 2 — University Prep (3:30) *
Fri-Oct. 4 — Bush (3:30) *
Mon-Oct. 7 — @Overlake (4:00) *
Wed-Oct. 9 — Bear Creek (3:30) *
Mon-Oct. 14 — @Seattle Academy (3:45) *

 

CROSS COUNTRY:

Sat-Sept. 14 — @Sehome Invitational (4:00)
Sat-Sept. 21 — @South Whidbey Invite (TBA)
Thu-Oct. 10 — @South Whidbey (4:00)
Sat-Oct. 12 — @Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational (Lakewood) (TBA)
Thu-Oct. 17 — @King’s (4:00)
Sat-Oct. 26 — @North Sound Conference Championships (Lakewood) (TBA)
Sat-Nov 2 — @Districts (South Whidbey) (10:00)

 

FOOTBALL:

Fri-Sept. 6 — Port Townsend (6:00)
Fri-Sept. 13 — @Vashon Island (6:00)
Fri-Sept. 20 — @Friday Harbor (6:30)
Fri-Sept. 27 — LaConner (7:00)
Sat-Oct. 5 — @Kittitas (3:00)
Fri-Oct. 11 — @Northwest Christian (7:00)
Fri-Oct. 18 — South Whidbey (7:00)
Fri-Oct. 25 — Anacortes (TBA)
Fri-Nov. 1 — @Interlake (7:00)

 

GIRLS SOCCER:

Sat-Sept. 7 — Meridian (1:00)
Thur-Sept. 12 — @Friday Harbor (TBA)
Tues-Sept. 17 — @King’s (6:00) *
Thur-Sept. 19 — @Sultan (7:00) *
Sat-Sept. 21 — Chimacum (1:00)
Tues-Sept. 24 — Cedar Park Christian (6:00) *
Sat-Sept. 28 — Mount Vernon Christian (1:00)
Tues-Oct. 1 — South Whidbey (6:00) *
Thur-Oct. 3 — @Granite Falls (6:00) *
Tues-Oct. 8 — King’s (6:00) *
Thur-Oct. 10 — @Port Townsend (6:00)
Tues-Oct. 15 — Sultan (6:00) *
Thur-Oct. 17 — @Cedar Park Christian (6:00) *
Mon-Oct. 21 — @South Whidbey (6:00) *
Wed-Oct. 23 — Granite Falls (6:00) *

 

VOLLEYBALL:

Thu-Sept. 12 — @Friday Harbor (TBA)
Tues-Sept. 17 — @Anacortes (7:00)
Sat-Sept. 21 — Chimacum (2:30)
Tues-Sept. 24 — Cedar Park Christian (7:00) *
Sat-Sept. 28 — @South Whidbey Invite (10:00)
Tues-Oct. 1 — South Whidbey (7:00) *
Thur-Oct. 3 — @Granite Falls (7:00) *
Sat-Oct. 5 — @Orcas Island (TBA)
Mon-Oct. 7 — King’s (7:00) *
Wed-Oct. 9 — Sultan (7:00) *
Thur-Oct. 10 — @Port Townsend (6:15)
Tues-Oct. 15 — @Cedar Park Christian (7:00) *
Thur-Oct. 17 — @South Whidbey (7:00) *
Tues-Oct. 22 — Granite Falls (7:00) *
Thur-Oct. 24 — @King’s (7:00) *
Mon-Oct. 28 — @Sultan (7:00) *

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Humble and kind, Daigneault a masterpiece

Posted in Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , on July 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Bree Daigneault being Bree Daigneault. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Daigneault prepares to launch a serve.

Some quality time with lil’ sis Noelle.

Bree Daigneault will save the world some day.

She’s that smart, that committed, that kind and caring, that environmentally-conscious, that much of a superhero disguised as a college student.

Two years after she graduated from Coupeville High School, Daigneault is off in the world, doing her best to light a fire under the rest of us, but in a really polite, friendly way.

During her days at CHS, when I used to watch her play soccer and tennis for the Wolves, it often amazed me how chipper she could be, win or loss.

Whether she demolished a foe on the tennis court, or went down after putting up a ferocious fight, when Daigneault departed the scene of the battle, something unusual always happened.

The other young woman playing against her, often a rival she had never met before that day, would walk off the court practically floating on air.

Even when they had just spent two hours trying, and failing, to stop Daigneault from cruising to a victory.

It’s because the player rockin’ the red and black, in between whipping forehands and crushing overheads, always dispensed a constant flow of friendly banter.

Daigneault showered her opponents with compliments, and not a single one ever seemed false or calculated.

That just was, and is, her personality. Open, friendly, receptive to all, and back to the two words which I think probably describe Bree better than any others – kind and caring.

That’s ingrained in her nature, so she complimented her opponent on their shot-making ability (even when she had just short-circuited it), their style, their fashion sense, and their intelligence.

There was one moment, when she faced off with Chimacum’s Renee Woods, sort of the off-Island mirror image of Daigneault, and the universe almost folded in on itself as Compliment Bowl went nuclear.

I don’t remember who won the match, but I do remember it felt so perfect, yet so alien, from my own days smacking tennis balls back at Tumwater High School.

In the late ’80s, the T-Birds tried to paste our own teammates with well-placed shots as much as possible, leaving precious little time to even think about complimenting players from Aberdeen or Olympia.

Probably why none of us went on to cure cancer or solve the world’s environmental problems…

But Daigneault is part of a different generation, and she was always at the forefront of things during her CHS days.

She was a regular presence on the theatrical stage, adept at drama and comedy in equal measure, was a student body rep to the School Board, and finished in the top 10 graduates for the Class of ’17.

Along the way, Bree found time to run the soccer pitch and slide across the tennis court, and did both as a polished varsity vet.

While she might not hold any school records, she was a vital part of both programs, both for her skills and her temperament.

Daigneault could launch shots into the back of the soccer goal, or zing winners down the line before a rival could reverse course and get to the tennis ball.

But, ultimately, she’ll be remembered by sports fans for many of the same reasons she’ll be remembered by theater addicts and education nuts.

Bree is, has been, and will likely always be, one of those truly amazing people who makes everyone else’s lives a little better by gracing the world we share.

Highly-intelligent, graceful, funny, a strong young woman with deep convictions and a burning desire to help others, whether by complimenting them or working to improve their lives, she is a rare one.

Daigneault has pulled in her share of honors, and that won’t stop anytime soon.

Today, we swing open the doors of the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame and induct her into our lil’ on-line community.

She goes in for her athletic ability across multiple sports, but also for the way she played her games – with fire, with passion, and with deep love and respect for her teammates, coaches, and opponents.

After this, you’ll find Bree at the top of the blog, up under the Legends tab.

In the grand scheme of things, this sports induction will probably be a minor honor for a young woman who will likely win all the real-world honors.

I said all of them!

She’s gonna do big things, change lives for the better.

You can take that to Vegas, bet the mortgage on it, and go to sleep with a smile on your face cause that’s as close to a sure thing as we have.

However her coming years play out, I hope that Bree, occasionally, will look back on her time in a Wolf uniform and smile.

I hope she’s as proud of herself as we all are of her.

And that she realizes with a word here, an action there, she made others smile, made them want to be better, made them want to treat others with as much kindness and care.

If people were paintings, Bree Daigneault would be a masterpiece, treasured and priceless.

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