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Posts Tagged ‘Grace Academy’

Pitch squad romps to road win

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Wolves have scored 17 goals across four games. (Julie Wheat photos)

The first road trip was a rousing success.

Attacking with wild abandon, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad ran host Grace Academy off the turf Wednesday, romping to a 5-0 win in a “non-conference” game against a Northwest 2B/1B League rival.

Playing under mostly sunny skies in Marysville, the Wolves got balanced scoring and superb defense to get to 3-1 on the season.

Sam Richards, Sage Arends, Wyatt Fitch-Marron, Chayse Van Velkinburgh, and Edmund Wilson tallied goals for Coupeville, benefitting from strong ball movement.

“Our coaches made some adjustments this week to strengthen some areas,” said CHS coach Jim Kunz. “I saw much improvement in our passing.”

Wilson leads the Wolves with five goals through the first four games, with Arends having notched three and Van Velkinburgh and Fitch-Marron netting their second of the campaign.

Chayse Van Velkinburgh unleashes a laser.

It’s the 13th career goal for both Arends and Edmund Wilson, with the latter moving into a tie for family scoring honors with older brothers Aidan and Cael.

Wednesday’s score was the first at the high school level for Sam Richards, normally the team’s starting goaltender.

Younger brother Josh Richards manned the net in the first half at Grace, with his older sibling returning to the position after halftime.

While the Wolves peppered the goal on offense, rattling home three scores before the game was 10 minutes old, the Coupeville defense was equally on point.

“The defense, led by Shiloh (Sandlin), was solid in slowing the momentum and maneuvering the ball forward,” Kunz said. “Grace had pushes toward our goal but couldn’t get the net.”

Wednesday’s game was the first of three straight on the road for the Wolves, who head back to Marysville Friday to face Evangel Classical before traveling to La Conner September 29.

That bout with the Braves will be the first to count in the league standings this season.

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Booters shine in prime-time performance

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Edmund Kunz scored his first high school goal Friday night. (Julie Wheat photos)

The spotlight suits them.

Playing under Friday Night Lights, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad rolled to a 4-1 win over visiting Grace Academy, sending their fans into a tizzy.

The victory is the third in the last five games for the Wolves and lifts them to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-6 overall.

Playing on its home turf as the sun set over Mickey Clark Field on a fairly serene mid-October night, Coupeville’s pitch kings were in control of the game from start to finish.

Playing for the first time this season with a completely healthy roster, including the debut of Jacob Lujan after he battled back from a leg injury suffered during the first day of practice, Coupeville attacked in waves.

And the goals came, fast and furious, as Sage Arends put together a hat trick, in just one half of play.

His first score came on a charge up the middle barely three minutes into the game, as he dared the Grace goalie to stop him, then offered the netminder no chance.

The ball left Arends toe like a rocket, splashing into the back of the net, and the rout was on.

From there, the silky-smooth junior banged home shots while on the move at the 22-minute mark, then again at the 34-minute mark.

With those three goals, Arends has five on the season, moving him back to the top of the team scoring chart, and eight for his CHS career.

While spending most of the half on the retreat, Grace did manage to get a few shots of its own off, only to have Wolf goalie Sam Richards deny them.

His best move? A block where he went parallel to the ground to punch the incoming shot off to the side, where it rolled out of bounds harmlessly.

The visitors did break through in the second half, scoring their lone goal on a laser to the corner of the net with 18 minutes left to play.

But the Wolves, to the delight of a group of high school fans beating out a steady rhythm on the metal stands with their legs, had an almost immediate response.

A Coupeville player was sent sprawling to the turf during an ensuing scrum, earning a penalty kick for the Wolves, and CHS coach Jim Kunz sent his son, Edmund, to the line for the one-on-one play.

The move paid off, with Edmund Kunz hammering the crud out of the ball, spinning it past the flailing goalie, notching his first high school goal, and capping the night’s offensive performance.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron, man of many talents.

With the Wolves basking in the afterglow of a home victory, Jim Kunz praised his team’s play, while honoring Wyatt Fitch-Marron as his game MVP.

The sophomore helped anchor the team while playing as both a defender and midfielder and showed consistent bursts of speed and an ability to kick-start the Wolf attack.

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Toasty temps, sweet success

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on September 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Am I going to shoot with my right foot, or my left? Doesn’t matter, cause I’m deadly with both!” (Jacob Lujan photo)

The day was hot, while the Wolves were scorching.

It was 89 degrees on the turf in Marysville Tuesday, but the heat never bothered the visiting Coupeville High School boys’ soccer team.

Banging home their first scores of the young season, the Wolves slipped past host Grace Academy 2-1 in a nail biter, raising their record to 1-2.

Coupeville controlled the pace of play most of the way, with their private school foes netting their lone goal off of a penalty kick late in the going.

Other than that, it was all Wolves, all the time.

“We put some changes and plays in action,” said Coupeville coach Jim Kunz. “They came out strong from the beginning. Communication and passing was much better.”

Shiloh Sandlin clear the net. (Julie Wheat photo)

The Wolves kept the Grace goalie jumping all day, with Edmund Wilson finding the back of the net off of a pass from Sawyer Rudat, before picking up the assist on a score by Liam Lawson.

It was the first high school goal for both Wolves, with Wilson becoming the third member of his family to score in a CHS uniform.

His older brothers, Aidan and Cael, finished their prep pitch careers with 13 goals apiece, tying them for 7th best in program history.

Lawson, a freshman whiz kid, is part of a legendary prairie family which includes athletic standouts such as grandpa Dale Sherman, aunt Katie Smith, and mom “Killer” Kassie (Lawson) O’Neil.

The Wolves get back at it Friday, Sept. 19, with a home soccer doubleheader at Mickey Clark Field.

Pitch powerhouse Mount Vernon Christian is the foe, with the girls game at 4:00 PM and the boys kicking off at 6:00. Admission is free.

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Thompson terrific, Wolves win

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on October 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Brian Thompson fuels up after a busy day on the soccer pitch. (Robert Wood photo)

The ancient prophecy states – a young gun will carry them to nirvana.

If you believe that, then Tuesday’s trip to Marysville played out perfectly for the Coupeville High School co-ed soccer team.

With Wolf 8th grader Brian Thompson banging home the first two goals of his prep pitch career, the Wolves nipped host Grace Academy 2-1, and now find themselves battling for the top spot in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

CHS is 4-4-1 overall, 2-0 in conference action, tied with Lopez Island, La Conner, and Orcas Island atop the nine-team league.

At least for the moment, as Orcas also played Tuesday, and a win against Friday Harbor will put them a half-game up on everyone else.

Next up for Coupeville is a home rumble Friday, Oct. 18 with Mount Vernon Christian (0-2, 5-3-1).

Kickoff is 6:00 PM at Mickey Clark Field, and it’s free to attend.

After playing four of their last five on the road, the Wolves now close with four of six on their home pitch.

Tuesday’s road game wasn’t the prettiest ever played, but CHS came up big when it needed to, according to Wolf coach Robert Wood.

“A chaotic game. No real substantial form, but success when needed,” he said.

“Brian’s touch and focus were absolutely perfect when it counted.”

The Wolves return home to play at Mickey Clark Field this Friday. (Parker Hammons photo)

 

Schedule change:

The end of the regular season has been tweaked due to a need to conclude things earlier than originally planned.

That’s mainly to give NWL teams time to play tiebreakers for playoff spots, if needed.

Coupeville’s regular season finale, a home clash with Orcas Island, set for Nov. 6, has moved up to Saturday, Nov. 2.

The new kickoff time is 12:30 PM, and there will be a modified JV game following the varsity contest.

With that change, Coupeville’s Senior Night festivities have also moved, landing on Oct. 29, when the Wolves host Providence Classical Christian.

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Wilson wows, Wolves win

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on September 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cael Wilson brings the lightning and the thunder. (Finn Price photos)

The opening act was a huge success.

Kicking things off Saturday in the first game of a soccer/football doubleheader at Mickey Clark Field, the Coupeville High School co-ed booters romped to their first win of the season.

Controlling the action from first whistle to the last moment of action, the Wolves bounced visiting Grace Academy 3-1 in a game which felt incredibly one-sided.

The non-conference win against a league rival lifts CHS to 1-2-1 on the season.

The teams will meet a second time later this season in Marysville in a tilt which will count in the conference standings.

If Saturday’s game was a taste of what’s to come, it should make Wolf fans quite happy.

Punching in two goals before halftime, Coupeville seized control of the game and never let go.

The first score came courtesy senior Cael Wilson, who got a gift from the Grace Academy goalie.

The visiting netminder lost control of the ball while trying to clear it in front of his net, with the orb bouncing right to the rampaging Wolf.

Wilson slipped past his rival, took a quick step or two, then slapped home the game’s first goal a little over 12 minutes into play.

Sage Arends outduels his rivals.

From there, the Wolves added a second tally, with Sage Arends alertly picking up a loose ball while stuck in a pack of players, before popping a shot into the back of the net.

CHS goalie Hurlee Bronec was lights out while holding Grace Academy scoreless in the first half, then moved out into the field after the break.

Sam Richards replaced him in net and also clamped down on the visitors, though one ball got through (barely) during a wild melee with 17 minutes to play.

Mason Butler preaches loves, while hammering fools on defense.

Coupeville’s defenders stood tall in the waning moments, denying Grace a chance to tie, with Mason Butler and Lillian Ketterling among those blunting incoming attacks.

The insurance goal came in stoppage time after Wolf 8th grader Brian Thompson and the Grace goalie collided in the box.

The young whiz kid stepped aside to let his fellow ginger, Wilson, line up the penalty kick, and the grizzled vet hit paydirt.

Banking in his second goal of the afternoon, he notched his third score of the campaign and ninth of his prep career.

Wilson is now tied with Angel Partida as the team’s top scorer this season.

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