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How sweep it is!!

Posted in Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , on September 24, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Andrew Aparicio was one of many winners Monday, as Coupeville tennis ruled the day against arch-rival South Whidbey. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Nathan Ginnings teamed with Jacob Burke for a major come-from-behind win at #1 doubles, as the Wolf varsity swept the season series from the Falcons.

Every match, every set, every point counted.

There were big chunks of time Monday afternoon when it seemed either Coupeville or South Whidbey could easily pull away for the win in their boys tennis clash, but in the end only one squad went home truly happy.

Powered by a pair of doubles wins, both of which involved CHS netters rallying from a set down, the Wolves slipped past the visiting Falcons 3-2 to sweep the season series from their Island rivals.

The win lifts Coupeville to 3-3 in Emerald City League play.

It also gives them local bragging rights.

After failing to net a win against their neighbors during Ken Stange’s first 13 years at the helm of the Coupeville boys program, the Wolves polished off South Whidbey both at home and away this season.

Monday’s match was locked at 1-1 for quite some time, with the singles bouts being quickly split.

Coupeville’s Drake Borden, facing a different Falcon rival this time around, matched his performance in the season opener, rolling to a win at #2 singles, while South Whidbey’s Levi Buck turned the tables on Jakobi Baumann in the first slot.

Then a war of attrition set in.

With all three varsity doubles matches on the courts at the same time, and all three stretching out to epic lengths, Stange (and both team’s fans) were left to bounce back and forth.

All three of the matches featured serious ebb and flow, with first one duo putting together a sweet run, only to have their foes come storming right back.

The match of the day came at #1 doubles, where Jacob Burke and Nathan Ginnings, a first-year pairing, rallied to knock off a Falcon team they couldn’t topple the first time around.

Down a set, the Wolves scorched the court in the middle frame, mixing in booming overheads with the occasional soft drop shot, forcing a winner-take-all final set.

It took a while, though, as Burke and Ginnings fell behind in the third set, but never gave in.

Instead of slumped shoulders, they slapped rackets, encouraged each other, and muscled their way back into the match, knotting things up at 6-6, before dropping the hammer in a deciding tiebreaker.

Though they had no clue their team had just gone up 2-1, Wolves James Wood and Mason Grove were off on a different court, putting together their own story of pulling a rabbit from a hat.

Bouncing around, joking and needling each other, they didn’t look like a duo which was down a set, maybe because they knew they were about to flip a switch.

The second and third set were all Coupeville, all the time, with Grove lashing approach shot winners and Wood smashing put-aways at the net.

The hardest-hit shot came during a break in play when Grove half turned as he went to slap an extra ball back to South Whidbey’s server and promptly drilled his partner, who took the gut shot with first a surprised look, and then a loud laugh.

Heck, when you’re winning, you can pick up an inadvertent bruise or two (and even bust your racket strings in a post-match hit-around like Wood later did), and it’s all good.

 

Complete Monday results:

 

Varsity:

1st Singles — Jakobi Baumann lost to Levi Buck 6-3, 6-2

2nd Singles — Drake Borden beat Ian Maddux 6-1, 6-1

1st Doubles — Zach Ginnings/Jacob Burke beat Brent de Wolf/Joey Lane 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7-4)

2nd Doubles — Mason Grove/James Wood beat Ranger Buck/Brent Batchelor 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

3rd Doubles — Tiger Johnson/Jaschon Baumann lost to Cormac Workman/Soren Bratrude 7-6(8-6), 5-7, 10-7

 

JV:

3rd Singles — Koby Schreiber lost 7-6(7-4)

4th Doubles — Andrew Aparicio/Schreiber won 6-3

5th Doubles — Harris Sinclair/Thane Peterson lost 6-1

6th Doubles — Aparicio/Peterson lost 7-5

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New year, new boss!!

Posted in Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , on September 5, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Drake Borden roared to a straight-sets win at #2 singles Wednesday, helping the Coupeville netters topple arch-rival South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

This one has been a long time coming.

Ken Stange kicked off his 14th season as Coupeville High School boys tennis coach Wednesday, and then his players stormed the courts in Langley and accomplished something none of his previous teams had.

They beat South Whidbey.

For 14 seasons, whether they were league foes or non-conference rivals, the Falcon boy netters have owned the Wolves.

The CHS girls have beaten South Whidbey under Stange, but their male counterparts couldn’t say the same.

There have been close matches and blowouts, but never once had Coupeville come out on top. Until the magic happened on a sunny early September afternoon.

Sparked by a gutsy comeback win by senior Jakobi Baumann, the Wolves jumped back on the bus with a 3-2 win in a match that doubled as the season and league opener.

Out of six schools in the new North Sound Conference, only Coupeville and South Whidbey play boys tennis, so they’re competing in the ultra-elite Emerald City League this year.

While both might have issues dealing with the private school powerhouses awaiting them, like two-time defending state champ University Prep, for the moment, the Wolves sit atop the league standings.

To get there, CHS got big-time performances from singles aces Baumann and Drake Borden, and first-time doubles duo James Wood and Mason Grove.

“Jakobi was amazing today,” Stange said. “After losing a 5-2 lead in the first set, he persevered, outlasting Levi (Buck) in the second, and playing some of the most consistent tennis in the third.

“Mason and James winning in James’ first match was special and Drake drubbed his opponent.”

 

Complete Wednesday results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Jakobi Baumann beat Levi Buck 5-7, 6-4, 10-8

2nd Singles — Drake Borden beat Soren Bratrude 6-1, 6-1

1st Doubles — Zach Ginnings/Jacob Burke lost to Brent de Wolf/Joey Lane 6-3, 6-4

2nd Doubles — Mason Grove/James Wood beat Ian Maddux/Brent Batchelor 6-2, 3-6, 6-4

3rd Doubles — Tiger Johnson/Jaschon Baumann lost to Ranger Buck/Max Rodriguez 7-6(7-3), 7-5

JV:

4th Doubles — Andrew Aparicio/Koby Schreiber beat Jordan/Caldwell 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

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Rivalry rout!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Lauren Rose reached base three times Friday as Coupeville hammered South Whidbey 10-0. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They love to hit the flame-throwers.

The Coupeville High School softball squad is a flawless 4-0 this season against pitchers who have D-1 scholarships signed, sealed and delivered.

Friday offered the Wolves a chance to hit against one of those top hurlers, South Whidbey ace Mackenzee Collins, and, after a few slow innings, they capitalized.

Putting together a 14-batter fourth-inning, CHS smacked eight hits in the frame, plated nine and were well on their way to a 10-0 romp.

The non-conference home win lifts the Wolves to 10-4 on the season and gives them a season sweep of Collins and South Whidbey.

The Falcons went to state in 2017, while Coupeville fell a single strike short while competing in a different district.

Jump forward to 2018 and the Wolves have dominated, outscoring their Island neighbors 22-0 in two games.

In fact, during Kevin McGranahan’s three-year run as Coupeville coach, his squad is a perfect 4-0 against South Whidbey.

With the two schools reuniting as league rivals next year, when the North Sound Conference debuts, that’s something to file away under “things that make you say alright, alright, alright.”

This time around, it was a scoreless pitcher’s duel between Collins and Wolf chucker Katrina McGranahan until the bottom of the fourth inning.

Coupeville had runners on in each of the first three innings — a single from Killer Kat in the first, a lead-off double by Sarah Wright in the second and a Lauren Rose walk in the third — but couldn’t drop the knockout punch.

That changed, and in a hurry, in the fourth.

Katrina McGranahan and Wright started things off with back-to-back base-knocks, before fab frosh Chelsea Prescott dropped a picture-perfect bunt and beat the throw.

“She had a great bunt and run, good to see, exactly the way we practiced it,” Kevin McGranahan said.

After Veronica Crownover reached on an error, the wheels really fell off for South Whidbey.

Coupeville still had five more base-hits to deliver in the inning, ranging from a single for Mackenzie Davis to a gargantuan triple from Wright.

With so many batters coming to the plate in the inning, Katrina McGranahan and Crownover both came back around and delivered base-knocks in their second trip.

Having gone from a nail-biter to a blow-out in a matter of minutes, the Wolves kept the pressure on, almost ending the game early in the fifth.

CHS had the bases loaded thanks to a Rose single and a pair of walks, but South Whidbey escaped unscathed.

For just a moment, however, as the Wolves found the 10th run necessary to end the game early in the sixth.

Mollie Bailey singled, moved around on a passed ball and two walks, then scampered home when fellow freshman Coral Caveness spanked a walk-off RBI single.

For the game, Coupeville spread its offense out, with nine hitters (including two off the bench) combining to rack up 12 base-knocks.

Wright paced the offense with a single, double and triple, getting 75% of the way to hitting for the cycle.

Katrina McGranahan, who scattered four hits and whiffed four in the complete-game shutout, added a pair of singles.

Meanwhile, Rose, Scout Smith, Prescott, Crownover, Davis, Caveness and Bailey all put good metal on the ball.

“She (Collins) is a good pitcher,” Kevin McGranahan said. “But once we got dialed in, we hit well through the line, top to the bottom of the order.”

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Don’t stop til you drop!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on April 25, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Elaira Nicolle teamed with Genna Wright Wednesday to win a match against South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Play until the sun goes down.

That seemed to be the objective Wednesday for the final two varsity doubles teams on the court as Coupeville and South Whidbey clashed.

By the time Wolves Kameryn St Onge and Maggie Crimmins finished their epic battle with Falcons Oliana Stange and Ally Lynch, every other court was empty.

And, even though the result of their bout wouldn’t change the outcome of the team match (South Whidbey eventually won 4-1), the duos raged on against the dying sun.

One second-set game went to 24,507 deuces (give or take a few) as all four players took turns whacking crowd-pleasing winners.

Then, at the end, as Crimmins and St Onge tried to pull out a second-set tiebreaker (and force another, match-deciding tie breaker) things got downright bloody.

St Onge, who had been cranking wicked left-handed winners that skidded through the alleys, ripped open a finger and had to make a bee-line for a first-aid kit.

“We’re never going home, are we?”, said Jon Crimmins, Maggie’s proud papa, chuckling as he gazed at a marsh occupying the space where the CHS baseball diamond of his youth once sat.

And, while Stange and Lynch pulled out the win a few points later thanks to a couple of sweet winners, it was a fairly-perfect cap for all involved.

While the final team score was the same as the first time these teams met back in mid-March, the scrappy underdog Wolves (4-8 on the season) showed marked improvement against the Falcons (7-1).

Sophomore sluggers Tia Wurzrainer and Avalon Renninger battled back from a set down to win Wednesday, while freshman Genna Wright won six more games in her second go-around with battle-hardened Ashley Ricketts.

The strong play continued to the JV matches, where Coupeville won twice and Emily Fiedler and Jaimee Masters, in particular, laid down some brilliant shots.

If nothing else, the non-conference match was a good tune-up for Thursday’s ultra-important match-and-a-half at Silverdale.

The Wolves (2-1 in Olympic League play) will wrap a rain-delayed match (it’s sitting at 2-2 with three bouts still undecided), then play their regularly-scheduled tilt with Klahowya (0-3).

Win both and CHS vaults a half game ahead of Chimacum (3-1) and guarantees it will play for a fourth-straight league title.

Complete Wednesday results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Claire Mietus lost to Robynn Maciel 6-0, 6-2

2nd Singles — Genna Wright lost to Ashley Ricketts 6-3, 6-3

1st Doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger lost to Mary Zisette/Alison Papritz 6-2, 6-2

2nd Doubles — Avalon Renninger/Tia Wurzrainer beat Farriss Jokinen/Ainsley Nelson 2-6, 6-3, 10-6

3rd Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Maggie Crimmins lost to Ally Lynch/Oliana Stange 7-5, 7-6(7-5)

JV:

4th Doubles — Jillian Mayne/Zara Bradley lost to Erin Brewer/McKenna Kelley 8-5

5th Doubles — Megan Behan/Nanci Melendrez lost to Elizabeth Simmons/Lynda Moran 6-4

6th Doubles — Jaimee Masters/Emily Fiedler beat Jenna Pfeiffer/Capri Pierce 8-4

7th Doubles — Bradley/Mayne played Sadie Wilson/Joanie Welever No score recorded

8th Doubles — Elaira Nicolle/Wright beat Mira Harvey/Denise Breton 6-2

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“Great day for Wolf Nation!!”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 17, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Coupeville catcher Sarah Wright opened her junior season with a single and triple Saturday as the Wolves massacred South Whidbey 12-0. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They were the last up, so they made their debut count.

With every other Coupeville High School spring sports team having played at least one contest, the Wolf varsity softball squad might have been getting a little antsy.

If the diamond sluggers were, they quickly got over any nerves, thrashing host South Whidbey 12-0 Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

The victory, called an inning early due to the 10-run mercy rule, was extra-sweet for several reasons.

One, it’s the Falcons in the other dugout, so a win is a clarion call for Island supremacy.

Also, for Coupeville, which came within a single strike of making the state tourney a year ago, it was a chance to send a message to a team which did make the trip to the big dance in 2017.

On this day the Wolves stared down Falcon ace Mackenzee Collins, who is headed to Colorado State on a D-1 scholarship, and picked her apart.

CHS sophomore Scout Smith got things going in the first inning with a one-out single, and the Wolves were off and running.

Using their speed and smarts to create havoc on the bases, the Wolves put a ton of pressure on South Whidbey’s defense and the Falcons cracked a bit.

A string of passed balls and a key error or two put Coupeville in prime spot, and its sluggers came up big when presented with a gift.

The top four hitters combined for seven hits, with Lauren Rose bashing a double and Sarah Wright crunching an epic triple.

Wolf hurler Katrina McGranahan, who scored all four times she strode to the plate, joined Rose and Wright with two base-knocks apiece, while Smith had her rally-launching single and crossed home three times.

While Coupeville’s offense was poppin’, McGranahan was lights-out in the pitcher’s circle.

A lead-off double to Collins in the second inning was the only hit she surrendered, and she whiffed three while tossing a complete-game shutout.

Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan boarded the bus for the short ride home with a huge grin on his face.

“It was a total team win,” he said. “We jumped on their ace right away in the first inning; Katrina and Sarah had their usual good days at the plate, but Scout was pesky all day.”

The Wolf softball guru was able to use all 12 players in uniform, giving freshmen Chelsea Prescott, Mollie Bailey and Coral Caveness their varsity debuts.

Prescott started at third-base, while Bailey and Caveness came off the bench to each score a run.

Hope Lodell, Veronica Crownover, Mackenzie Davis (who walked and scored in the fourth), Nicole Laxton and Emma Mathusek rounded out a CHS roster aiming to better last year’s superb 19-5 finish.

“I used the whole bench, so everyone got in the game to chase the jitters,” Kevin McGranahan said. “Great day for Wolf Nation.”

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