Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Hall of Fame’

Big impact, big legacy

Posted in Hall o' Fame, Softball, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Kevin McGranahan, softball guru. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No fear.

During his nine years at the helm of the Coupeville High School softball program, Kevin McGranahan, and his teams, never backed down from a challenge.

Ever.

The Wolf sluggers won a lot of games, collected some nice hardware, and built a solid reputation for not only excelling on the field, in the classroom, and in the community, but for how they did it.

When McGranahan took over the program in 2016, the Navy veteran was employed at a school playing in the 1A classification.

Midway through his tenure, the Wolves returned to their old stomping grounds in 2B, reflective of the size of the student body, not of the heart displayed by those teenagers.

McGranahan proved to be a master of strategy, and a man who nimbly walked the line between having his team beat its rivals, while never unnecessarily embarrassing inferior, or rebuilding programs.

He used his whole bench whenever possible, made sure that the last girl on the roster saw field time in real game action, and that every Wolf felt valued.

But he also challenged his players, and they grew because of it.

During McGranahan’s time sitting on the bucket at the edge of the dugout, Coupeville challenged bigger schools, and legacy programs whenever possible.

The Wolves always played to win, but the value of a hard-fought non-conference loss against an Onalaska, or a Forks, or a Lynden Christian, was worth its own weight in gold.

Having a heart-to-heart with Jae LeVine. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

So, Coupeville played 3A Oak Harbor, on its field, and beat the Wildcats as Veronica Crownover’s homer sailed high over the fence.

And yes, the big city diamond dandies haven’t played CHS again since that moment — but that’s on them, and not McGranahan, who always was ready for a rematch.

His nine-year run appears to have come to an end with his recent resignation and a planned move across the country so he and wife Justine can be closer to family.

But as he departs, he leaves the Wolf softball program in a really solid position.

Every player from the team that went 14-5 this spring can return next year, but it’s more than that.

McGranahan followed a divisive coach who lasted almost a full season and had no interest in working with the media — literally running away from Jim Waller and myself after one game rather than answer a question.

From day one, the former little league coach turned high school guru brought a different energy to the program, recalling previous highlights like David and Amy King and Jackie Saia.

He’s been open, willing to speak truth, and always accommodating.

One of the best for sending info from the road, and a straight shooter in person, McGranahan is a personal favorite of mine.

Directing traffic on the basepaths. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

On the field, his success is undeniable.

His teams crafted a 111-49 record, with seven consecutive winning seasons after the 2016 team went 9-11.

Having taken the Wolves to the 1A state tourney in 2019 — where they fought valiantly against eventual champ Montesano, thrashed Deer Park, and came within a play of upending Cle Elum — McGranahan and his girls were shafted by the pandemic.

A team primed to make a return run at big dance glory never got to play a game in spring 2020, but the Wolf coach was instrumental in not letting real world disappointment crush his program.

Coupeville stormed back to go 12-0 in a shortened 2021 season which marked the school’s return to 2B and is 56-14 across the last four seasons.

Softball has been one of the most successful Wolf sports programs over the years, first in slow-pitch, then in its current incarnation as a fast-pitch endeavor.

McGranahan built on what was crafted by Randy Dickson, the Kings, Saia, and others, and his successor will be walking into a prime opportunity.

Coupeville softball players take the field expecting to win, prepared to compete, and unwilling to back down from anyone, regardless of the name on the other uniform, or what future D-1 college player may be chucking fastballs from the pitcher’s circle.

As he and Justine depart, we take a moment to hail Kevin McGranahan for what he accomplished, both in terms of the win-loss record, and in terms of building a respected program.

So, let’s swing open the doors to the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, and add him to the pantheon.

After this, while he’ll reside on the other side of the USA, he’ll always be a Wolf, living large up on top of the blog under the Legends tab.

His impact will be remembered and appreciated.

One team, one dream. (Kim Brotemarkle photo)

Read Full Post »

Silky smooth Guay always delivered

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged , , , , , on July 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Nick Guay, having fun every step of the way. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

So, one night, Nick Guay swung by the duplex and dropped off chocolate chip cookies sent my way from his mom.

Was that, in itself, enough to earn him induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame?

Well, it didn’t hurt…

Still, cookies or no cookies (and always choose cookies), Guay more than earned HoF status with his year-round play across the last four years.

The lanky one suited up for Coupeville High School in soccer, basketball, and track and field, and made sizable contributions in all three.

On the pitch, Guay rattled home 14 goals, the sixth-most in program history.

And he did so even with his freshman season reduced to just a handful of games thanks to the pandemic.

Guay scored in all four of his campaigns, jumping from one score as a frosh to five as a sophomore, punching in two as a junior, then closing with a six-goal burst in his final go-round.

Carried off the pitch by his teammates after a playoff thriller. (Morgan White photo)

But he was more than a goal scorer, as he was also a goal denier, often playing in the net for Coupeville, with maybe his biggest day coming in the playoffs as a junior.

Squaring off with Lopez Island and Providence Classical Christian in a three-team tiebreaker on the turf at Oak Harbor Stadium, the Wolves won both games to earn the lone bi-district playoff slot up for grabs.

Guay blanked the Lobos 1-0, then came up big on both sides of the ball during a penalty kick shootout to break a scoreless regulation tie with PCC.

Stepping out of the net, he joined Preston Epp and Aidan Wilson in popping balls into the corner of the net to stake CHS to a 3-2 lead.

Down to its final shooter, PCC needed a miracle, and its prayers went unanswered under cloudy skies as Guay caused his rival to shank the ball to the left on the final shot of the day.

Taking his silky-smooth style of play to the hardwood, he saw varsity action in three seasons, racking up 213 points with a mix of three-balls and swooping layups.

That puts him 136th all-time for a program which has played since 1917, right between fellow all-timers Ryan Keefe and Jordan Ford.

But again, Guay’s contributions were about far more than just scoring.

He was a crafty rebounder — using his long reach to snag key boards — a smart defender, and a guy who always brought a big burst of energy with him to the floor.

Along the way, Guay was part of two squads which won league and bi-district titles while advancing to state.

Making it to the big dance was something he also accomplished in track, where he closed out his CHS career by earning 5th place at the state meet in the high jump.

Stretching for that elusive extra inch. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

That senior season saw Guay also compete at state in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.

Overall, he racked up 27 wins across three seasons of track and field, competing in sprints, relays, the high jump, the long jump, and, for one moment, the shot put.

A talented athlete who could do it all, and look smooth at every moment, Guay was also one of Coupeville’s top 10 seniors in terms of GPA and received his fair share of honors for his off-field accomplishments.

From the stands, it always looked like he greatly enjoyed his time wearing a Wolf uniform, bringing a sense of style and an upbeat attitude, whether he was in the middle of the action, or cheering on his teammates.

So, yes, even if he hadn’t delivered chocolate chip cookies to Coupeville Sports world headquarters, we’d most likely still be doing this.

Nick Guay will be remembered by Wolf fans, young and old, and hailed for what he accomplished and how he accomplished it long after his graduation.

Today, we swing open the doors to the Hall o’ Fame, adding him to our roster.

After this you’ll find him up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, making the joint a whole lot cooler for his presence.

A fan favorite. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Read Full Post »

Sherry Phay fought the good fight, every day

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , on June 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Sherry Phay

It takes a special kind of person to be a school board director.

Merely making a commitment to run for the position, then endure the sheer tsunami of information dumped on your head once elected, requires a certain amount of steel in the spine.

Having sat through too many board meetings, whether watching them in-person or streaming on the computer, I can state with utter conviction — it’s a post I would be horrible at.

So, I already have a great deal of respect for those men and women who choose to put themselves on the line.

If they didn’t believe in what they were doing, they wouldn’t be there in the first place.

But, as board members come and go over the years, nationally or locally, a few invariably stand out.

Some for what they accomplish. Others for what they don’t.

Here in Coupeville, we have been blessed to have pretty rock-solid board members, at least in the years in which I’ve been paying attention.

Today though, as she prepares for her next-to-last monthly meeting, I’d like to single out one director.

Sherry Phay, who is resigning effective the end of July, has accomplished something remarkable in her two terms on the board.

There is no question she is outspoken, resolute in her beliefs, and unwilling to go along just to get along, but she also has remained relevant, passionate, and a check on power.

Phay has been on the losing end of votes many times, been willing to endure personal attacks, because at the end of the day, when she looks out across the Kathleen Anderson Boardroom at those in the audience, she can look us in the eye.

She fights, every meeting and every moment, to remind us that when finances aren’t right and budget cuts have to be made, those are real humans who are losing their jobs, and not just numbers on a spread sheet.

Her support for paraeducators, for teachers, for support staff, for the people on the ground who make this school system work, has never wavered.

Phay is as committed as any board member I have witnessed in action, and she has stood resolute even when it may have been personally painful.

Some have tried to dismiss her impact, to say “Well, she’s losing 4-1, she’s not accomplishing anything.”

Bullshit.

Phay is not a crank, like some candidates have been, someone seeking to nab a board slot just so they can spend their time disrupting things.

In her work on the board, and as its legislative representative, she has championed good causes, helping Coupeville’s schools shape a positive road forward — especially in the rebuilding time after the pandemic.

But she’s also not someone who seems fond of being mansplained to, of being dismissed, of being talked over.

Like all leaders should, Phay chooses her words carefully when she speaks at public meetings and realizes the power of those words to shape things.

But she ain’t here for your fake promises and platitudes, either.

I don’t really know Phay on a personal basis. We’ve exchanged a few words at most.

What I see, what I know, is what I have witnessed, and that is she is a woman of rare conviction.

The board has been better for her presence, the school district and town as well.

I hope that whoever inherits her position on the panel, whatever their opinions or personal causes may be, upholds Phay’s willingness to engage, to challenge, to stand tall and say “People matter. Don’t forget that.”

As she departs, the board will have to make tough choices when it comes to producing a balanced budget.

People will be cut. That’s a painful reality.

But they are not mere numbers on a spread sheet.

Phay has never forgotten that, to her immense credit.

I am sure that come July, she will be acknowledged by her fellow board members for her contributions. That’s their thing.

For what it’s worth, today I am inducting Sherry Phay into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame for her work on the board. She’ll be included under the Contributor category.

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

I’ve never put someone into the Hall strictly for school board work before, despite the fact there’s been numerous standouts, from Don Sherman to Karen Bishop and beyond.

I know, it’s a sports blog, and there are some who have wished I would “stay in my lane.”

To which I say, my lane is whatever I say it is.

And my lane today is to honor Sherry Phay, for refusing to sit down and shut up, for always speaking from her heart, for fighting for what is right, every day.

We saw you. We see you. We appreciate you.

Read Full Post »

White was just right for Wolves

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , , , on June 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cole White drills a jumper. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

He bled for Wolf Nation.

Frequently.

Cole White, the pale prairie prince, has been one of Coupeville’s best athletes and students over the history of this blog, and one who never shied away from sacrificing his body for the good of his team.

This past winter, as he helped lead the Wolf boys’ basketball team back to the state tourney, he got smacked in the face, had his fingers stepped on, got kneed in the groin, and frequently had to meet behind the bench with the athletic trainer to deal with the aftereffects of being roughed up.

And yet, almost every time, White was back in the game, and back in the thick of the action, moments later.

Fingers taped up, bandages applied, stuff jammed up his nose, he was back at it, draining jumpers in his rivals faces, ripping a ball loose during a battle on the floor, or whipping a pass between defenders to set up a teammate for an easy bucket.

Like his dad, Greg, before him, Cole led by example, a solid leader and award-winner in three sports a year.

Dependable could be his middle name, as the lanky whirlwind was like a second coach on the floor, the pitch, or the diamond — calm, cool, and collected.

He played soccer, basketball, and baseball at CHS, and even ran cross country in the early going and was Mr. Smooth no matter the season.

Off to dominate on the soccer pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)

On the soccer pitch, Morgan’s favorite son and Riley’s big brother knocked in 10 goals — one of just 12 Wolf boys to reach double digits in their career.

He might have gone higher, but his freshman season had just six games, thanks to the pandemic.

White shrugged that off, trending upwards as he bashed in six of those 10 goals as a senior, when he earned First-Team All-League honors as a midfielder.

Better yet, he helped lead the Wolves to their best record in years, during a season in which Coupeville held its own in a league anchored by state soccer powerhouses like Friday Harbor and Orcas Island.

Winning is kind of his thing. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Once he moved to the hardwood for basketball, White was a key member of a senior-heavy team which won a bi-district title and advanced to state for the second time in the last three seasons.

A Second-Team All-League pick, he snagged the Defensive Player of the Year award from his coaches, while also pumping in 205 points.

Cole finished his high school hoops career with 405 points, and he and Greg (604) are the first father-son duo to combine for 1,000+ points in the 107-year history of CHS basketball.

But he wasn’t done there, as he anchored a Wolf baseball team which made its second consecutive trip to state.

Excellence fueled by sunflower seeds. (Jackie Saia photo)

Playing shortstop and swinging a lethal bat, the Second-Team All-League pick racked up 19 runs, 15 walks, 15 stolen bases, 13 hits, and eight RBI during his senior campaign.

Oh, and he was honored by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association with the Cliff Gillies Award, which recognizes student/athletes who excel in scholarship, citizenship, and participation in activities.

Plus, he was valedictorian, so smart as well as athletic.

For all those reasons — the quality stats, the commitment, the work ethic, the intelligence — plus the fact he’s an internet star thanks to mom’s streaming service, and he has always just seemed like a really good guy, Cole is an easy pick to join the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

As he heads off to Gonzaga in the fall, the world is his, and I have little doubt he will accomplish much in the years to come.

But before he goes, let’s take a moment to honor Cole for what he has already done, and the classy manner in which he has done it.

After this, he’ll join dad up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

He’s earned it, every step of the way.

The first steps on his way to being a Hall o’ Famer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Read Full Post »

Record breaker, fan favorite

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Logan Downes, the CHS boys’ basketball all-time scoring champ. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

He did it his way.

Being the youngest of three boys in his family, Logan Downes had the trail blazed for him by older siblings Hunter and Sage, but then he went out and told his own story.

As he prepares to exit Coupeville High School, Angie and Ralph’s baby boy holds almost every major offensive record both as a football quarterback and a basketball scorer.

On the gridiron, Logan flicked passes to the left, to the right, short, and long, and had a rare knack for delivering six points for the Wolves.

When he first pulled on a CHS football uniform, the school’s single-game touchdown passing record was four, jointly held by Corey Cross, Brad Sherman, and big brother Hunter.

Now it’s five, with Logan twice achieving the mark in lopsided wins over La Conner.

The first came at home, the second on the road, with the latter performance being achieved in just a single half of play, as the signal caller sliced ‘n diced the Braves defense in spectacular fashion.

Add single-season (20) and career (40) marks, and Logan owns all three TD passing records in program history, setting a goal for all those who follow in his footsteps.

Of course, he wasn’t a one-way player, often playing defense and picking off passes — when Coupeville coaches let him see both sides of the field.

While Logan had a knack for setting personal records, he is one of those athletes who has always seemed to care most about team success, however.

Leading Coupeville to a league title and a trip to the state playoffs as a junior — things which no Wolf QB had done since Jason McFadyen in 1990 — cements his status as one of the best to ever throw the ball.

Logan’s fan club president and the woman who brought him into this world. (Photo courtesy Angie Downes)

But as rock-solid as he was on the football field, it was on the basketball court where Logan found a true transcendence.

A four-year varsity player who made his debut as a freshman during a pandemic-shortened season, he was a key part of two league title winning teams, squads which went on to win district titles on Coupeville’s home court before making runs at the state tourney.

In the 100+ year history of CHS boys’ hoops, the Wolves have won three district titles, the first coming in 1970 and now two in three years with Logan and the Class of 2024 leading the way.

Oh, and he shattered the program’s most-vaunted record, pouring in 1,305 points to eclipse Jeff Stone and Mike Bagby, who both racked up 1,137 during their stellar careers.

Logan popped for 52 during that short freshman year, before slapping home 172 as a sophomore, putting him #3 on a senior-dominated squad which went 16-0 in the regular season.

His final two years were a master class in putting the ball in the hoop, as he rampaged for 554 and 527 points as a junior and senior, respectively.

That is the second and third-best single-season performances in school history, boy or girl, trailing only Stone’s Whidbey Island record 644 in 1969-1970.

Logan scored 30+ points in a game 11 times during his career, topping out with a pair of 40-point performances against Orcas Island and Auburn Adventist Academy as a junior.

Again, though, while he obviously wanted the records, and worked his tail off to achieve success, his happiest on-court moments seemed to come when he and his teammates won their titles.

There were nine seniors on this year’s basketball team, and the group had played together since they were young boys.

They all brought something to the team, and if Logan’s job was to be the lance of the spear, he also embraced other aspects of the game, such as rebounding and setting his friends up for buckets with precision passes.

He was a quiet leader, not prone to screaming in public, or tearing his jersey in half — he wasn’t a La Conner bench player, after all.

But he led, both in action and words, and in the way he treated his teammates and the little kids who filled up the bleachers game after game.

Logan is escorted to the bus by his security detail. “No autographs! I said NO AUTOGRAPHS!!” (Angie Downes photo)

After games, Logan, who never once in four years asked to look at the books or inquired as to how many points he had scored, could often be seen hanging out with the next generation of players.

He thrilled them with his three-balls fired up from the parking lot, and his slashes to the bucket.

But it’s the times he let them dribble around him for a bucket post-game, or walked to the bus while talking to them which has the biggest impact.

Like Xavier Murdy and Hawthorne Wolfe before him, Logan’s interactions off the court with Coupeville’s elementary school hoops addicts are what carries him from being a really good player to being a legend.

There’s little doubt he will be the CHS Male Athlete of the Year when awards are announced in a few weeks. Any other result, and Brad Sherman’s sons lead the riot.

But I’m jumping in first, as today we make official something which has also been a foregone conclusion for a long time.

Logan Downes already has all the records, or most of them at least, and he has the mandate of the people, and now he has residence in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

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

Exactly where he belongs.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »