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Posts Tagged ‘home opener’

JV girls hone shooting skills

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Kassidy Upchurch (left) and Kierra Thayer wait for their moment in the spotlight. (Brittany Kolbet photo)

Celebrate the positives.

While the Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball team wasn’t able to upend large school rival Lakewood Saturday, the Wolves proved to be sharpshooters at the free-throw line.

CHS, a 2B school, fell 52-22 to the Cougars, who rep a 2A institution, but won the battle at the charity stripe.

Led by sophomore Madison McMillan, who banked in eight free throws, Coupeville claimed the advantage at the line, converting 12 bonus shots.

Bryley Gilbert, Kierra Thayer, and Desi Ramirez-Vasquez also netted free throws for the Wolves, with Gilbert a pristine 2-2.

Coupeville’s downfall in its home opener came because Lakewood was hitting a lot of shots from everywhere else.

The Cougars bolted out to a 10-0 lead by the first break, stretched it to 16-4 at the half, then coasted home with a solid second-half performance.

The Wolves popped for 11 points in the third quarter, however, making their best show of the game and keeping things interesting.

McMillan paced CHS with 10 points, while Reese Wilkinson powered her way to a season-high six in support.

Gilbert (2), Teagan Calkins (2), Ramirez-Vasquez (1), and Thayer (1) rounded out the scorers, with Liza Zustiak, Kayla Arnold, Brynn Parker, Kassidy Upchurch, Jada Heaton, and Skylar Parker also seeing floor time.

The Wolves, who sit at 1-1 in non-conference play, return to the court this Saturday, Dec. 10, when they host Sultan.

Tipoff for the JV girls is 4:45 PM.

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Rough loss, but plenty of fight

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Alita Blouin leads Coupeville’s varsity girls in scoring through the first two games. (Morgan White photo)

One bad stretch.

A span of five minutes and change — that’s what killed the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball squad Saturday night.

Take away that segment, when visiting Lakewood went on a 28-3 run to end the first quarter, and it was a much different, far closer contest.

But they count every point, so the 2B Wolves ultimately absorbed a 70-37 loss to the 2A Cougars.

The non-conference defeat evens Coupeville’s early-season record at 1-1, with a week to work on things before Sultan visits Whidbey Island Dec. 10.

CHS coach Megan Richter and her players will be able to look at the game film from Saturday’s tilt and pick out a lot of positives.

Though they may want to fast forward through the second half of the opening quarter.

Things were looking pretty good, with the score knotted at 5-5 after Alita Blouin plucked a steal and beat a pack of defenders down court for a layup.

Gwen Gustafson opened the night’s scoring with a pullup jumper, before Carolyn Lhamon added a free throw, and the Wolves were aggressive on both ends of the floor.

But then the roof fell in.

Lakewood ramped up its defense and stifled Coupeville, holding it without a field goal for the remainder of the first quarter, while scoring quickly and efficiently from multiple angles.

The Cougars splashed home a trio of three-balls during the 28-3 run, but it was a string of steals and breakaway lay-ins which really stung.

Then things went back to almost normal.

The scoring across the final three quarters of the night still came out in favor of Lakewood, but only to a 37-29 tally.

The Wolves, who were being hacked and pummeled all game, hit the majority of their free throws, while also breaking out some well-run plays to crack Lakewood’s press.

A 7-0 surge midway through the second quarter, with Lhamon slapping runners off the glass on feeds from Gustafson and Maddie Georges, was quality work.

As was Katie Marti’s debut as a WWE wrestler, on a play when the rough ‘n rowdy defensive dynamo flipped not one, but two Lakewood players end-over-end while battling for, and winning, control of a loose ball.

Lhamon and Mia Farris both pounded home multiple buckets in the paint in the second half, while Georges flipped the net on a long, low three-ball, but the deficit ultimately proved too much to overcome.

Still, Coupeville fought until the end, with its players still crashing the boards and pestering Lakewood ballhandlers even as the final buzzer loomed.

Blouin paced the Wolves in scoring for the second-straight game, rattling home 10 points, while Lhamon backed her up with a season-high nine.

Georges (6), Farris (4), Ryanne Knoblich (3), Marti (2), Gustafson (2), and Lyla Stuurmans (1) also etched their names in the scorebook, as all eight Wolves to see floor time scored.

With her six points, Georges moves into 40th place all-time on the CHS girls’ hoops career scoring chart, which dates back to 1974.

The senior guard sits with 265 points, passing program legends Madeline Strasburg (261) and Carly Guillory (260) Saturday night.

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Young Wolves show heart, hustle

Posted in Boys Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on November 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville Middle School 6th grader Liam Lawson is here to singe the basketball nets, just like mom Kassie and aunts Kayla and Katie did back in the day. (Photo courtesy Kassie O’Neil)

Use every step to build for the future.

There will be stumbles along the way, but the key is to focus on the positives, while being mentally strong enough to identify and work on correcting the negatives.

That’s the mission for this year’s batch of Coupeville Middle School boys’ basketball players, a collection of hoops stars who don’t have much on-court experience as a group but do have a burning desire to keep on growing.

Some days, like Tuesday’s home opener against visiting Lakewood, are bound to be rough.

The Cougars funnel players to a 2A high school, while the Wolves will be competing two rungs below that — at the 2B level — when they cross the gym hallway and become high school athletes.

That means Lakewood has a lot more bodies at its disposal, and a lot more players with prior hoops experience.

As a group, the Cougars are currently faster, tougher, more tenacious, and more skilled at things like snatching rebounds, running offensive sets, and playing heads-up defense than the still-developing Wolves.

But this is how you learn.

So, while Coupeville lost all three games Tuesday, and by fairly large margins, you hope once the lopsided scores vanish from the scoreboard, they partially fade from memory.

All I’m going to say here is that all three tilts went to a running clock, which happens in middle school basketball when you trail by 30 points,

But otherwise, I’m choosing to redact the final tallies.

Instead of dwelling on the score, we’ll focus on the moments players and coaches should remember.

Like when Wyatt Fitch-Marron went sliding across the floor, face-first, surfing the hardwood as he and a rival player fought for a loose ball.

The young Wolf bounced back to his feet, brushed off any pain from bouncing across the floor, and charged right back into the fray, even as mom and grandma (and a few other fans) gasped and winced.

Or we can stop to appreciate a solid move for a bucket in the day’s opening game from Joshua Stockdale.

Taking the ball down low and rolling through the paint for a layup to (momentarily) halt the Lakewood scoring express, it bodes well for the future.

The same with Cyrus Sparacio drilling the bottom of the net out with a three-ball from the top, then flexing for his fan club, or Riley Lawless swishing a sweet pull-up jumper in the paint while surrounded by defenders.

Young Coupeville players like Liam Lawson and Chayse Van Velkinburgh played with passion, driving the ball again and again into the heart of the storm, even while being smacked by a forest of Lakewood arms.

And shine a light on the Joltin’ Jacobsen brothers, as both Kenneth and Johnathan brought maximum effort to the floor, chasing after rebounds and poking balls away from the Cougar sharpshooters.

From Charles Hart to Hunter Atteberry, from Zach Blitch to Jacobs Meadors and Khanor Jump, the Wolves couldn’t be faulted for their effort, their hustle, and their desire.

The heart is there, and the skill will follow.

Tuesday also saw two more Wolves net their first points of the season, as Nic Laska and Stockdale each banked home a bucket.

That puts 14 Coupeville players in the scoring column two games into an eight-game season.

Games pick back up after the Thanksgiving break, with the Wolves heading to the wilds of Sultan Nov. 29, before hosting King’s Dec. 1.

 

Season scoring stats:

Cyrus Sparacio – 13
Carson Grove – 10
Jayden McManus – 10
Riley Lawless – 6
Chayse Van Velkinburgh – 5
Jacob Barajas – 4
Brantley Campbell – 4
Davin Houston – 3
Sage Arends – 2
Nic Laska – 2
Liam Lawson – 2
Nathan Niewald – 2
Joshua Stockdale – 2
Dylan Robinett – 1

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Track titans enjoy home cookin’

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on March 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Caleb Meyer roars to the finish line. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was a long, but very successful day.

Hosting their first home meet of the season Wednesday, the Coupeville High School track and field team outdueled 12 other schools to claim seven individual titles and 39 PR’s.

Not bad for a day full of rain spatters, and one in which everyone raced the setting of the sun.

“They ran/jumped/threw amazingly!” said CHS girls coach Elizabeth Bitting.

“The races in the twilight and into the dark were the most fun,” she added. “Seeing them come out of the darkness was very cool.”

The La Conner girls and Mount Vernon Christian boys notched team titles, with the Wolf squads claiming third and second, respectively.

Senior thrower Logan Martin paced Coupeville, earning titles in both the shot put and discus.

Joining him atop the victory stand were teammates Taygin Jump (javelin), Lyla Stuurmans (400), Aidan Wilson (long jump), Carolyn Lhamon (discus), and Ryanne Knoblich (long jump).

Reese Wilkinson set a PR in the discus.

 

Complete Wednesday results:

GIRLS:

100 — Ava Mitten (14th) 15.19; Taygin Jump (16th) 15.39; Issabel Johnson (19th) 15.76 *PR*; Mercedes Kalwies-Anderson (29th) 16.48 *PR*; Kaitlyn Leavell (45th) 19.07 *PR*

200 — Ja’Kenya Hoskins (2nd) 29.34; Lyla Stuurmans (4th) 29.46; Mitten (8th) 32.36; Johnson (11th) 33.14 *PR*; Leavell (18th) 43.27; Samara Maund (19th) 45.48

400 — Stuurmans (1st) 1:04.73 *PR*

1600 — Ayden Wyman (7th) 6:54.27

100 Hurdles — Claire Mayne (6th) 24.63 *PR*

300 Hurdles — Mayne (9th) 1:10.67

4 x 100 Relay — Mayne, Jump, Mitten, Johnson (4th) 1:00.51; Kalwies-Anderson, Cristina McGrath, Leavell, Carolyn Lhamon (6th) 1:03.79

4 x 200 Relay — Stuurmans, A. Wyman, Ryanne Knoblich, Hoskins (3rd) 2:01.11

Shot Put — Lhamon (2nd) 27-06; Reese Wilkinson (6th) 22-09.50 *PR*; Erica McGrath (13th) 18-00

Discus — Lhamon (1st) 82-10 *PR*; Wilkinson (6th) 69-01 *PR*; Jump (11th) 53-08; E. McGrath (13th) 46-08; Aby Wood (14th) 45-08

Javelin — Jump (1st) 86-11 *PR*; A. Wyman (10th) 59-03 *PR*; Wilkinson (10th) 59-03 *PR*; E. McGrath (12th) 59-02; Mayne (19th) 44-02; Maund (30th) 27-06

High Jump — Knoblich (3rd) 4-08; Kalwies-Anderson (6th) 4-02

Long Jump — Knoblich (1st) 13-04.50; A. Wyman (4th) 12-08.50 *PR*

Triple Jump — Stuurmans (2nd) 28-00

 

BOYS:

100 — Dominic Coffman (4th) 12.09 *PR*; Cael Wilson (36th) 13.94 *PR*; Alex Bowder (52nd) 15.66 *PR*

200 — Caleb Meyer (2nd) 24.46; Nick Guay (5th) 25.87; Reiley Araceley (8th) 26.59; C. Wilson (13th) 28.06 *PR*; Mikey Robinett (17th) 29.06; Bowder (23rd) 32.58 *PR*

400 — Meyer (2nd) 53.57 *PR*

800 — Aidan Wilson (2nd) 2:18.11; Thomas Strelow (7th) 2:44.44 *PR*; Hank Milnes (9th) 2:45.97; Alex Merino-Martinez (10th) 2:46.96 *PR*

1600 — Carson Field (2nd) 5:02.23 *PR*; Mitchell Hall (5th) 5:13.65 *PR*; Strelow (10th) 5:46.74 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (16th) 6:05.34; Tate Wyman (18th) 6:27.80

110 Hurdles — Araceley (3rd) 19.42 *PR*; C. Wilson (4th) 19.91 *PR*

300 Hurdles — T. Wyman (10th) 58.00

4 x 100 Relay — Araceley, Meyer, A. Wilson, Coffman (1st) 47.01; Strelow, Milnes, N. Guay, Robinett (6th) 52.40

4 x 400 Relay — Field, Cameron Epp, Hall, A. Wilson (3rd) 4:04.06

Shot Put — Logan Martin (1st) 44-08; Zac Tackett (8th) 31-05; Josh Guay (27th) 17-03.50

Discus — Martin (1st) 148-09; Tackett (5th) 91-02 *PR*; C. Epp (11th) 69-08 *PR*; J. Guay (24th) 51-02

Javelin — Hall (4th) 104-11 *PR*; C. Epp (8th) 91-05 *PR*; Field (12th) 81-0; Preston Epp (17th) 74-10; J. Guay (29th) 50-02 *PR*

High Jump — Coffman (2nd) 5-06; N. Guay (3rd) 5-04; Meyer (4th) 5-04; C. Wilson (9th) 4-08 *PR*

Long Jump — A. Wilson (1st) 18-04.50; Coffman (3rd) 17-05 *PR*; N. Guay (8th) 16-03; Araceley (9th) 16-00 *PR*; Robinett (12th) 15-05.25 *PR*; Field (23rd) 14-01.50; Milnes (26th) 13-07.50; J. Guay (30th) 13-03 *PR*; Merino-Martinez (32nd) 13-00 *PR*; Bowder (35th) 11-04

Triple Jump — Milnes (9th) 30-09.25 *PR*; Hall (11th) 27-00 *PR*

 

Ryanne Knoblich flies down the backstretch.

 

To see more photos from this meet, and possibly purchase some glossies for the in-laws, pop over to:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/Coupeville-Track-2021-2022/Track-2022-03-23-at-Coupeville/

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Wright goes yard in college diamond victory

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Sarah Wright, seen in earlier days, is a homer-hitting college softball star. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Not even the fog can stop her.

Playing on a day when weather first delayed her game, then shortened it, Coupeville grad Sarah Wright came up huge in the clutch Sunday in Tennessee.

Blasting a two-out, game-tying three-run homerun, the former Wolf star sparked Sewanee: The University of the South to a come-from-behind 6-5 win against the #5 ranked team in NCAA D-III softball.

Using a five-run rally to topple Birmingham-Southern in a game shortened to five innings, the Tigers won their second-straight game after dropping their first 11 contests of the season.

Sewanee was supposed to play three games this weekend, but Saturday’s doubleheader was postponed by weather.

Sunday’s twin-bill was cut down to one game, and only after the teams sat out a 30-minute fog delay midgame.

When she was on the field Sunday Wright was a holy terror.

The former CHS Valedictorian doubled, then came around to score to carry Sewanee to an early 1-0 lead.

She saved her best for last, however, crushing a ball down the left field line to knot the game at 5-5 with Sewanee down to its final out.

The Tigers won three batters later when Kendall Goodrum punched an RBI single to score Michaela Walker with the walk-off winner.

Wright, who is in her junior season at Sewanee, is finally set to play a full season on the diamond after her first two campaigns in Tennessee were shortened by the pandemic.

She’s piled up nine hits, including three doubles and Sunday’s four-bagger, to go with seven runs, seven RBI, and three walks this season.

The crunch-time home run against Birmingham-Southern was the third round-tripper of Wright’s collegiate career.

Sewanee returns to action — weather permitting — next weekend, when it squares off with Hendrix College from Arkansas.

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