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Posts Tagged ‘Happy birthday’

Rockin' Robin Cedillo and her prairie. (John Fisken photo)

Rockin’ Robin Cedillo and her prairie. (John Fisken photo)

One of the enduring images of this spring came as I was walking back to my car after a CHS baseball game.

Robin Cedillo and Jake Hoagland were walking ahead of me, both wearing their respective uniforms — one for softball, one for baseball — both carrying bats slung over their back.

As they walked and talked, their bats clinked against each other and it was like a freakin’ Norman Rockwell painting come to life. Seriously.

Ballplayers on a Summer Afternoon, or something like that.

And it was, pretty much, a perfect summation of the duo, who are two of the nicest young athletes currently playing in Cow Town.

Since it’s Robin’s birthday, we’re gonna forget about Jake for the moment and focus on the athlete with the braids and the smile which could power an entire prairie on its own.

Miss Cedillo is a walking, talking ray of sunshine, a hard-working, successful, strong young woman who always seems to get a great deal of enjoyment out of her athletic pursuits.

Whether she’s putting in work on the softball field or on the football and basketball sidelines as a cheerleader (she was a captain during hoops season), Robin is one of my personal favorites.

She’s talented, sure, and it was nice to see her take huge strides on the diamond this past season.

Pulling a fair amount of duty in right field, Cedillo proved to be an able, sometimes inspired fielder who would charge balls and make plays, as opposed to sitting back and waiting on them.

At the plate, she swung with more aggression this season and she was quick and dangerous when on the base-paths, while always being one of those players who lock on their coaches with a laser-like focus when they’re in the middle of a discussion.

It’s apparent Cedillo is working on her game, fine-tuning her skills and finding her strengths, and she does so with a passion for the game and her teammates.

As a cheerleader, she has few equals.

Some people are just born with more spirit than others, and there is little doubt it flows through Robin day and night.

Firing off routines with crispness, commanding her fellow cheerleaders without being abrasive, she channels the energy which resides in her soul and shoots it through everyone in the crowd.

Take her away from sports, and Rockin’ Robin is still a fireball, a regular on the school Honor Roll and, as I said before, simply one of the nicest people you are likely to meet.

I assume she’ll be spending most of her cake day being bombarded with well-wishes, all of which she deserves.

But toss this somewhere on the pile — Miss Cedillo, you are a phenomenal young woman, and your fan club grows by the day.

Happy birthday, and thank you for being just plain awesome.

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Birthday buddies Luke Carlson and Brittany Powers.

Birthday buddies Luke Carlson and Brittany Powers.

They are birthday buddies, united by a cake day, a school and a love for competition.

Coupeville High School sophomores Brittany Powers and Luke Carlson, who celebrate birthdays today, are fast-rising, outgoing athletes who are even better people off the field or court.

Carlson has played football and thrown in several events as a member of the Wolf track team, but his best moments this year came around the CHS softball field.

Hanging out with pal Jordan Ford in a couch they hauled to the side of the field, or handing out Popsicle’s to his track mates as they headed back to the gym, Luke is a friendly face wherever he pops up.

Powers, who has divided time between basketball and volleyball in her days at CHS, is just as friendly … off the court.

On the hardwood, the mighty mite is a raging beast unleashed, which is just how her coach, Amy King, likes it.

One of the scrappiest of the Wolves, Brittany helped power the Coupeville JV girls by fighting for every ball, banging elbows off of people’s heads (when necessary) and being an all-around ball-hawk.

She collected an impressive set of dings and bruises for King’s Maraduers, while also showing a touch for dropping baskets that should benefit her going forward.

Both of our birthday buddies have sparkled thus far, and I’m sure in the second half of their high school careers, sports and otherwise, they will continue to excel.

Happy birthday Brittany and Luke, from all of us in the stands.

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Zane Bundy

Zane Bundy, through the years.

The best-dressed booter in the biz. (John Fisken photo)

The best-dressed booter in the biz. (John Fisken photos)

Bundy

Doin’ what he does.

Zane Bundy is special.

The Coupeville High School senior, who celebrates a birthday today, is a rarity, in many ways.

I’ve seen him grow up seemingly for all of his life, because in his early days he was a fixture at Videoville and David’s DVD Den, the constant companion to mom Janine or dad Mark.

Whether he was knee-deep in the video game section, trying to fast-talk his way to renting a questionable movie that he absolutely, positively needed to see or scampering around the aisles, Zane was a friendly ball o’ fire.

As he grew, both in age and shooting up like a weed in height, young Mr. Bundy picked up the mantle of soccer star and ran with it.

Both as a select player and high school booter, he’s been one of the most consistent stars we’ve had in Coupeville in the last decade.

Zane had a nose for goal-scoring, but also showed an extremely deft touch with the ball when setting others up for the shot.

And, despite always being a pretty dang skinny kid, he has never been afraid to rumble in the scrums, taking and exchanging body blows with the burliest of foes.

Proving people can always surprise you, Bundy slipped off the pitch as a senior to join the CHS football team for the first time.

Utilizing his booming leg, he led the Wolves in scoring and was among the best prep field goal kickers in the state.

He even snagged himself a tackle late in the season, which delighted Zane and coach Ryan King, while causing his mom to (momentarily) hyperventilate.

And lo and behold, it’s football, not soccer, which he’ll be playing in college.

Who saw that coming?

Through it all, whether he was playing “the beautiful game” or staying one step ahead of grunting, 300-pound would-be tacklers, Bundy has never changed as a person.

And that, ultimately, is what has always made him one of my favorite athletes, on and off the field.

He remains today the same fresh-faced, super-friendly person he was as a young boy, though now, as a young man set to graduate high school in a week, he’s become quite the fashion fiend.

Athletes come and athletes go, and a few will always rise above the crowd, for any number of reasons. Some positive, some negative.

With Zane, it has been nothing but positive, from day one to his final moments as a Wolf.

I hope he goes down to Santa Barbara City College and makes a big splash with the Vaqueros gridiron squad. That goes without saying.

But regardless of how his entree into college football goes, this is a young man who will be a success in life, and that’s far more important.

He is too kind, too smart, too friendly, too talented, not to do well.

Today is a small sliver of his life, and I hope his cake day is a smashing one. But I also hope every day around his birthday is equally winning.

Face it, Zane, you’re a pretty awesome guy.

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Katrina McGranahan

   Katrina McGranahan: Mellow Superstar. (John Fisken, Joe Lippo and Justine McGranahan photos)

McGranahan (far right), during her earliest days on the diamond. (Connie Lippo photo)

   McGranahan (far right), during her earliest days on the diamond. (Connie Lippo photo)

She is a serene superstar.

When she’s competing, either on the softball diamond or volleyball court (or, back in the day, the basketball court) Katrina McGranahan burns with passion.

Of that there is little doubt.

The Coupeville High School sophomore, who celebrates a cake day today, has never given less than everything she has, at least in the many games I’ve witnessed.

She wants to win as badly as anyone who reps the red and black. Of that there is no doubt whatsoever.

But Katrina can flip that on and off, which bodes well for her.

She knows when to be fired-up and when to sail through life Matthew McConaughey-style, calm smile lighting up her face.

It’s a style she shares with older brother Wade Schaef, who operated in much the same manner during his time as a baseball and football player for the Wolves.

Hugely supportive of her teammates, whether it be with a grin, a hug or grabbing Lauren Rose and giving her a loving noogie, McGranahan is a true leader who has earned her captaincies.

She may not scream and holler and kick people in the rear, but not every captain leads that way.

Katrina leads by example, by not shying away from putting in work, by playing through pain, by always being accountable.

Others follow because they want to play LIKE her, and they want to play FOR her.

I have seen her devastated after a playoff loss and through the roof after winning a game on the final swing, and she was, in both cases, a sterling example of what we all hope to see in a young student/athlete.

Miss McGranahan exudes class every day, in every way, and having her as one of the most prominent faces of Coupeville sports is a genuine blessing.

Happy birthday, Katrina.

I hope you know how highly you are thought of by the fans you play in front of, and I hope today, like every day, is a great one for you.

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Nile Lockwood rips a backhand. (John Fisken photo)

Nile Lockwood rips a backhand. (John Fisken photo)

“He’s a wild one, but he’s also very kind and funny … and sometimes inappropriate.”

Coupeville High School freshman Nile Lockwood made an immediate impact on Wolf tennis coach Ken Stange this past fall.

As he was describing the impish one, Stange had a huge grin on his face.

A hustler on the court, and a bit of a fast talker off of it, Lockwood, frankly, has a lot in common with his coach.

As Nile celebrates a birthday today, he has a bright future ahead of him on the hard courts.

With the Wolves losing Sebastian Davis, Connor McCormick and Cole Payne to graduation, slots on the varsity will be up for grabs next season, and Lockwood should be in play to make a bid to move up.

As his first season progressed, he made huge strides in terms of confidence and skill, while still finding time to drop some choice one-liners, and certainly wants the call up to the big leagues.

“My goal is to have a great season and win most of my games and make varsity next year,” Lockwood told me during an interview for a story.

Continue to put in the work and I can see it happen.

But first, to the cake!

Happy birthday, Nile, and keep on swinging for the big time.

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