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Posts Tagged ‘Island rivalry win’

New season, same winning style

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s JV spikers are off to a winning start. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ashley Menges is putting up some nice numbers.

The former Wolf volleyball star kicked off her fourth season as Coupeville High School JV spiker coach Wednesday, leading her team to a 25-18, 25-17, 10-8 win over visiting South Whidbey.

The only thing slowing down Menges‘ mashers was the clock, with the third (practice) set ending prematurely to allow the varsity to take the floor.

Coupeville’s second squad is 31-8 under its current coach, giving the fiery one the best winning percentage (.795) of any active Wolf coach in any sport, varsity or JV.

The spike squad actually started a bit slowly against South Whidbey, then roared to life midway through the first set.

Freshman Dakota Strong, making her debut for the school where mom Danette Beckley was a CHS Athlete of the Year, launched a spike crosscourt to spark the Wolves, and the match turned for the better in an instant.

Chloe Marzocca zipped one of her team-high four service aces past the Falcon defense to stake Coupeville to its first lead at 9-8, with Haylee Armstrong, Capri Anter, and Aby Wood adding lethal support from the service stripe.

Bounding back into the spotlight, Strong tipped a winner over a rival’s outstretched arm to ice the opening set.

Round two was a back-and-forth affair, with seven ties, the last at 14-14.

Coupeville closed like champs, running off an 11-3 surge to capture the match win.

Wood stood tall, collecting winners via both spikes and tips, while Myra McDonald, Lexis Drake, and Carly Burt chipped in with big-time hustle plays.

While the third set was just for show and destined to end when the clock hit 6:00 PM regardless of the score, Coupeville took care of business.

Marzocca sacrificed her body to save a ball, sliding across the floor to flick the falling orb back skyward, while Armstrong dropped a gorgeous tip winner which froze three Falcons in place.

Coming off their season-opening win, the Wolf JV heads back to practice.

Up next on the schedule is a non-conference home match Sept. 13 with Neah Bay.

 

Wednesday stats:

Capri Anter — 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 4 kills, 1 dig, 3 assists, 1 ace, 1 block assist
Chloe Marzocca — 1 kill, 2 digs, 4 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 ace
Dakota Strong — 4 kills, 1 block assist
Aby Wood — 1 kill, 5 digs, 2 aces

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Sluggers exit in style

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on May 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville seniors (l to r) Sofia Peters, Maya Lucero, Allie Lucero, and Melanie Navarro exit as winners. (Photo courtesy Paula Peters)

The season ended as it began, with the Wolves thumping their next-door neighbors.

Returning to the diamond after an eight-day break, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad swamped host South Whidbey 23-0 Friday in a game mercy-ruled after five innings.

The victory, fueled by a ferocious tsunami of hits, gives the 2B Wolves a sweep of their two-game season series with the 1A Falcons and leaves Coupeville’s final record at a sweet 14-6.

While there won’t be any playoffs for CHS softball this season, its five-pack of splendid seniors — Allie Lucero, Melanie Navarro, Sofia Peters, Maya Lucero, and Gwen Gustafson — finish their prep careers with a 42-9 record.

Not bad for a group which lost a season-and-a-half to pandemic restrictions but stayed together and finished strongly.

Gwen Gustafson tossed five scoreless innings and smacked three hits during her final high school softball game. (Photo courtesy Irene Gustafson)

Coupeville’s seniors, and their younger teammates, overwhelmed South Whidbey in the finale, crunching extra-base hits at the plate and playing precision defense in the field.

Wolf catcher Teagan Calkins, much spryer after a week-plus to rest an injured ankle, popped out of her crouch and gunned down a runner straying off the bag at first base.

The ball smacked into Allie Lucero’s glove before the wanderin’ Falcon knew what was what, and happened so quickly it almost seemed to catch the ump off guard as well.

He recovered, however, punching out the runner with an emphatic yell, which was quickly overwhelmed by the roar from the Coupeville bench.

Equally applause-worthy was a double play which could have been a triple play pulled off by sophomore shortstop Madison McMillan.

Spearing a liner out of midair for out #1, she whirled, slapped the tag on a runner going by for out #2, then whipped a laser to first in a bid to also catch that Falcon straying.

And she would have, except South Whidbey already had an out before the play happened, and you can’t get four outs in the same inning most days.

“We only need two, Maddie,” Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan said with a chuckle as he headed for the dugout. “But I like your thinking.”

Coupeville actually only scraped out a single run in the top of the first, as South Whidbey clamped down, for a moment, on defense.

Taylor Brotemarkle smoked an RBI single back up the middle to make it 1-0, and while CHS failed to get more at the moment, it soon made up for it.

The Wolves, swinging from their heels and spraying the ball all over the field, tacked on five more runs in both the second and third innings, then closed with six more tallies in both the fourth and fifth.

Everyone in the lineup was hitting, from top to bottom, as all 11 Wolves who picked up a bat Friday collected at least one base knock.

Mia Farris mashed a three-run triple to straight away centerfield to bust the game open, while Calkins, Allie Lucero, and Brotemarkle all zinged RBI doubles to deep and dark parts of the park.

Not to be outdone, Farris came back around, and flexing her biceps in true “sun’s out, guns out” fashion, thumped a pair of doubles to go with her three-bagger, having herself a day.

And then, with the end of the season just a whisper away, Maya Lucero erupted, launching a cannon shot which cleared the fence in left field for a titanic tater that’s never, ever coming back.

Her final high school at-bat and her first out-of-the-park dinger, in one compact swing. Kismet.

Maya “The Mad Masher” Lucero. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

While Coupeville loses its five seniors, and foreign exchange student Layla Heo, 10 of the 16 players on the roster can return next season.

And they’ll be around for a while, as Chloe Marzocca, Jada Heaton, Bailey Thule, McMillan, Farris, and Brotemarkle are currently sophomores, while Calkins is a freshman.

Haylee Armstrong, who started most of the season, Capri Anter, and Melanie Wolfe are just 8th graders.

 

Friday stats:

Haylee Armstrong — One single
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, one double
Teagan Calkins — Two singles, one double, two walks
Mia Farris — Two doubles, one triple, one walk
Gwen Gustafson — Two singles, one double, one walk
Jada Heaton — One single
Allie Lucero — Two singles, one double
Maya Lucero — One single, one home run
Madison McMillan — One single, one double, one triple, one walk
Melanie Navarro — One single, two doubles
Sofia Peters — One single, one walk

Coupeville’s young sluggers carry big bats and know what to do with them. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Welcome to blow-out city

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors (l to r) Carolyn Lhamon, Gwen Gustafson, Cecilia Acevedo, Alita Blouin, Maddie Georges, and Ryanne Knoblich. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Alita Blouin delivers hot death from above.

Sparked by their sweet-shooting senior guard, who knocked down a trio of three-balls as part of a 15-point performance, the Coupeville High School varsity girls’ basketball team romped on opening night.

Thrashing host South Whidbey 46-22 Wednesday, while surrendering points to only one Falcon, the Wolves earned big praise from second-year coach Megan Richter.

“I’m so incredibly proud of these girls and the way they played today,” she said. “They have been working so hard this year and it showed today.

“Before the game we talked a lot about being competitive but also having fun playing the game. And that’s exactly what they did.”

Other than a brief tie at 2-2, Coupeville led from start to finish, using tough defense to fuel big buckets on the other end of the floor.

“They played their game, came out aggressive on defense and played patient on offense,” Richter said.

“It was a really fun game to watch; it makes my job really easy when things that we do in practice come together.

“I’m excited for the rest of the season and to see where they go from here!”

That 2-2 stalemate evaporated as soon as Gwen Gustafson drilled the bottom of the net out on a jumper, earning a loud cheer from her sign-waving fan club president, Lucy Tenore.

The very next play might have been the best of the night, as Carolyn Lhamon rejected a Falcon shot, leading to a breakaway bucket for Maddie Georges.

Crashing through the backpedaling defenders, the senior point guard waited for the impact, then flipped the ball off the backboard, earning a third point the hard way thanks to a foul call and ensuing free throw.

With all five starters scoring in the first quarter, Coupeville surged out to a 13-6 lead by the first break, and never really looked back.

Yes, the Falcons, who got all 22 of their points from Isabelle Woods, briefly cut the lead to 16-12 midway through the second frame.

But that just seemed to inspire the Wolves, who finished off the half on an 11-0 tear.

Gustafson went for five of those points, with Blouin, Ryanne Knoblich, and defensive dynamo Lyla Stuurmans also scoring during the game-deciding rally.

The third quarter belonged to Blouin, who made the nets flip on free throws and three-balls alike.

Georges also buried a long trey, her shot arcing to the top of the gym roof before splashing home, while Mia Farris capped things with a picture-perfect layup while several defenders tried to decapitate her.

With the game long since decided, the final frame was largely a defensive brawl.

That gave varsity newcomers Cecilia Acevedo and Skylar Parker a chance to haul in rebounds and poke balls free, while the ever-rampaging Katie Marti terrorized anyone unlucky enough to be holding a basketball in her general vicinity.

The latest link in the Marti/Messner athletic dynasty, Katie remains one of the most entertaining disruptors to hit the hardwood.

She brings back fond memories of ’90s brawler Jodie Christensen — Aiden and Maggie Crimmins mom — crashing through folks like a bowling ball, handing out black eyes to teammates and rivals alike.

And that’s high praise, so never change, Katie.

Back in the pursuit of scoring records, Blouin’s 15 topped the Wolves, with Gustafson (9), Knoblich (8), Georges (6), Lhamon (4), Farris (2), Stuurmans (1), and Marti (1) all contributing.

And one last side note.

Lhamon now has 125 career points, which ties her (for one night at least) with Christi Messner, who is both Katie Marti’s mom, and the woman who was keeping the books for the Wolves on this night.

The more you know.

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“Proud of my girls!”

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville JV hoops coach Kassie O’Neil led her team to a rivalry win in her debut. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

She’s a winner at every level.

During her playing days, Kassie O’Neil dropped daggers on the hardwood, making rival teams cry and sparking Coupeville High School girls’ basketball teams to big victories.

Now that she’s moved to the bench, nothing has changed.

Making her debut as the Wolf JV girls coach Wednesday, O’Neil provided the game plan and her pack of hoops assassins responded, drilling host South Whidbey 27-21 in the season opener for both teams.

Bringing out a who’s-who of fans, including lil’ sis Katie Smith, a Wolf hoops legend in her own right, Killer Kassie will file this one away in her drawer of great memories.

“Definitely still riding on that winning high,” O’Neil said while basking in the afterglow.

“Proud of my girls.”

Coupeville opened strong and closed strong, turning a 7-2 lead after one quarter into a 15-8 advantage at the half.

While the Falcons put together a mini run in the third quarter, slicing their deficit to 18-13, the Wolves were too much for South Whidbey to handle down the stretch.

O’Neil got floor time for 11 players, with seven Wolves making the nets pop.

Desi Ramirez-Vasquez paced CHS with seven points, while Jada Heaton and Kierra Thayer backed her up with five apiece.

Coupeville’s attack was rounded out by solid scoring work from Madison McMillan (4), Teagan Calkins (3), Bryley Gilbert (2), and Skylar Parker (1).

Kassidy Upchurch, Kayla Arnold, Liza Zustiak, and Reese Wilkinson also saw floor time for the Wolves, who return to action this Saturday with a home game against Lakewood.

Tipoff time for the JV girls is 7:00 PM.

The bright future of Wolf basketball.

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JV boys romp to rivalry win

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on November 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Aiden O’Neill (left) and Malachi Somes helped spark Coupeville JV basketball to an opening night win. (Photo courtesy Ashley Blouin)

The young guns were firing on all cylinders.

Peppering host South Whidbey Wednesday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball team romped to a 62-46 win in the season opener for both teams.

Under the watchful eye of head coach Hunter Smith, the Wolves roared out to a big lead, before coasting home for the Island rivalry triumph.

With six different players knocking down buckets in the opening frame, CHS surged to an 18-3 lead by the end of the first quarter, driving a stake through the heart of Falcon Nation.

South Whidbey rallied a bit after that, (slightly) cutting the margin to 27-14 at the half, but the Wolves had an answer at every turn.

A 17-16 edge in the third quarter kept the lead at 44-30, before sophomore sensation Hunter Bronec threw down 10 of his game-high 20 points in the final period to seal the deal.

Seven Wolves etched their names in the scorebook, with Chase Anderson banking in 11 points and Hurlee Bronec rippling the nets for 10 more.

Aiden O’Neill (9), Johnny Porter (8), Carson Field (2), and Jack Porter (2) rounded out the offensive attack, while Yohannon Sandles, Mikey Robinett, and Malachi Somes also saw floor time for Coupeville.

The young Wolves get right back at it Saturday when they host Lakewood in another non-conference tilt, with the JV boys tipping at 5:15 PM.

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