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Posts Tagged ‘Jack Elzinga’

Never forgotten, always remembered

Posted in In memory, tagged , , , , on December 22, 2022| 3 Comments »

Lathom Kelley — A bad ass with the biggest heart in the game.

Each life has a story to tell, and each life is part of a bigger tapestry.

As we head towards the end of 2022, we’re taking a moment to look back and commemorate some of those we lost this year.

This is not a complete list by any means, and no disrespect is meant to anyone left out.

But 14 of these men and women had a sizable impact on Wolf Nation, and two others are included here for their personal impact on me.

We remember them for what they added to our world, both as individuals and as part of something all-encompassing.

Never forgotten. Always remembered.

Bill Baas — A vital part of the 106-year brotherhood of Coupeville High School boys’ basketball. Scored at the varsity level in three seasons, while sharing the court with program legends like Barry Brown and Jeff Stone.

Joe Beckley — Former Island County Health Department Director and coach of Libby’s Little Ladies, the first fastpitch softball team in Coupeville. A Wolf Dad through and through who avidly encouraged his own daughters, and their friends, in their sports pursuits.

Carol Byng — Award-winning journalist and poet who wrote about many of the biggest stories to touch Whidbey Island, from the eruption of Mt. St Helens to a fiery shootout on the South End. Also, one of the nicest customers I ever had at Videoville.

Noel Criscuola — A four-year varsity basketball player, he tallied 298 points and was part of the 32-student Class of ’61 — largest in school history at the time.

Ray Edwards — Coupeville grad who did it all. An avid hunter, a golfing fiend, and a bowler who rolled a pair of 300 games, they never built a car or truck he couldn’t fix.

Jack Elzinga — Rattled the rims for 770 points and is the #15 scorer in Wolf boys’ basketball history. Later served in the Peace Corps, was a college professor, and wrote me very nice emails after discovering my obsession with his hoops career.

Dr. Joyce Foxx — Former Oak Harbor High School Athletic Director, the first I worked with during my tentative early days as a sportswriter in the early ’90s.

Andrea Huff — A dedicated Wolf Mom whose children and grandchildren featured prominently in many of my sports stories. Plus, she was always in a great mood when she came to Videoville back in the day.

Esther Hummel — Hardworking, sweet-natured woman who brightened many a day during her time working at her family’s business, The County Deli.

Lanie Kiel — Wolf Mom who spread love to daughters Katie and Kacie, and all of their teammates and friends. Her presence lit up the stands.

Roy Marti — Stellar all-around athlete whose 551 points on the basketball court rank him #40 all-time among Coupeville boys, and #1 in his family, edging sister Judy, who tallied 545.

Jack McPherson — Mayor and town councilmember who played a key role in the movement to preserve Ebey’s Landing. A veteran of two wars who retired as a Naval Commander, and also a proud grandpa.

Matt Mikos — Husband to former Miriam’s Espresso superstar barista Wendy (Frost) Mikos, and devoted father to four amazing kids.

Steve Smith — Phenomenal athlete who went on to serve with great distinction in Vietnam, before launching a family which provided Coupeville with some of its biggest stars of the past three decades. Could tell a story like few others.

Teresa Terry — Longtime Prairie Center employee, a starter on the first CHS softball team in ’78, and a freakin’ ray of sunshine.

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RIP to The Zinger

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Jack Elzinga, a Wolf hoops legend then and now.

They’re a part of the brotherhood of the hardwood, forever.

Wednesday night, Coupeville High School junior Mikey Robinett made his varsity basketball debut, knocking down a pair of buckets to become the 411th player to score for a program which began way back in 1917.

Or at least he’s the 411th player I can document, as there are still many players from the very early days whose names and stats remain hidden behind a veil of prairie fog, their fates bound to long-lost scorebooks.

For every Banky Fisher and Gaylord Stidham, who led the 1939-1940 CHS hoops squad with 44 and 41 points respectively, there remains a bunch of prairie guys from the ’20s and ’30s just out of my grasp.

Which is why it was such a thrill in May 2021 when a program legend suddenly surfaced with new info, gently bemused that I cared so much about his teenage days.

Jack Elzinga filled up the hoops for the Wolves in the early ’50s, then went on to lead an extraordinary life.

One day he Googles himself and finds to his amazement some dude back in his hometown has been name-dropping him on a regular basis.

An email exchange later, with his side of the conversation feeling more like a beautifully handwritten letter, “The Zinger” reveals he’s not only still alive, but possesses info on the 1953-1954 Wolf squad, one of my two holy grails.

Thanks to Elzinga, I’m able to finally lock down finished career numbers for both him and Jerry Zylstra, while getting halfway home in my mission to honor Tom Sahli.

Now, we know for a fact Sahli owns the seventh-best single-season performance by a Coupeville boy, knocking down 409 points as a senior.

Combined with the 310 he tallied as a junior, he sits with 719 points on my list, jumping from #90 to #20 on the career scoring chart.

Now there’s still the matter of that other missing holy grail — a scorebook for Sahli’s sophomore season of 1951-52 — but every time someone cleans out an old barn, hope flutters on the winds.

Thanks to Elzinga’s stats, Zylstra (527 points) moved from #59 to #44 all-time, while Elzinga (770) himself jumped from #25 to #14, then back to #15 after Hawthorne Wolfe passed him last season.

“The Zinger” twice led the Wolves in scoring, rattling the rims for 337 and 309 points as a junior and senior, coming after he notched 124 as a sophomore while playing alongside Sahli.

Last night, after Robinett joined the hoops brotherhood, I was talking to current CHS coach Brad Sherman (#8 all-time on the scoring list) and Elzinga’s name came up.

So today I did my own Google search and was saddened to discover “The Zinger” passed away at age 83 in late August.

His obit mentions he battled heart disease for several years, and in our emails, he mentioned he was likely the only All-District player of his time who had survived polio just five years prior.

In our last exchange, Elzinga capped things thusly:

This has been a ball for me. So happy to share things with someone with your quirky interests.

It was my honor, sir.

Coupeville Sports has opened a door to the past and allowed me, and many others, to remind the world the 106-year tale of Wolf boys basketball is not a dead history, but an ever evolving one.

From Roy Armstrong in the ’20s to Sid Mudgett in the ’50s, from Del O’Shell in the ’80s to Oscar Liquidano in the 2010’s, every player who pulled on the uniform is part of something bigger than themselves.

Why do I write so much about stats — tracking them, name-dropping old school players as new-age players craft their own stories?

Because last night, along with Robinett’s debut, Wolf junior Logan Downes popped for a game-high 17 points, which moves him from 318 points to 335, and bumps him from #91 to #82 on the all-time chart.

That means he passes Jim Yake (331), Aaron Trumbull (330), Brad Brown (328), Charlie Tessaro (328), Utz Conard (326), Ian Smith (324), David Ford (323), Bob Rea (320) and Chris Marti (319) — all heavy hitters.

It doesn’t make their stories any less compelling, but Downes pursuit of excellence gives us a chance to remember what those other players meant to the Wolf program.

Whether you scored 1,137 career varsity points like Jeff Stone and Mike Bagby, or are one of the seven dudes to record exactly one point, you are part of the brotherhood.

Celebrate the past, cheer the present, look forward to the future.

Take a moment to toast “The Zinger,” then show up at the CHS gym tonight as Downes, Alex Murdy, and the current cast square off with Sedro-Woolley, ready to pen another chapter.

 

To read Jack Elzinga’s obit, pop over to:

https://www.gainesville.com/obituaries/pgai0286914

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Wolves make nets jump for 104 seasons

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on June 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Logan Downes scored 52 varsity points as a freshman. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The hunt for history continues.

My obsession with tracking individual scoring totals for all 104 seasons of Coupeville High School boys basketball will never be fully satisfied.

I know that. I accept that we’ll probably never uncover a treasure trove of stats from the 1930’s.

Or will we???

As the pandemic-altered 2021 campaign played out, we also picked up one of the holy grails — a complete tabulation of scoring totals for the 1953-54 Wolves.

That was one of two missing seasons (1951-52, you still elude me…) which would have a measurable impact on the career scoring charts, so it’s a major step forward.

Now, we have a final answer on totals for Jack Elzinga and Jerry Zylstra, and are just a season short of fully documenting Tom Sahli’s standout career.

As I played my game of Indiana Jones and the Temple of (Possibly) Doomed Stats, the modern-day Wolves also shook up the career scoring list.

Ten of the 13 CHS players to score this season were first-timers, lifting us to 402 boys we’ve been able to document rippling the net in a varsity contest.

Of the three returning scorers, Xavier Murdy and Hawthorne Wolfe made the biggest jumps, with Hawk vaulting from #58 to #24 all-time while averaging 21 points a night across 12 games as a junior.

It’s an ever-changing list, but as of June 17, 2021, here’s we sit — all 76,595 points I’ve been to able to track down.

Active players are in bold:

 

Jeff Stone – 1137
Mike Bagby – 1137
Randy Keefe – 1088
Jeff Rhubottom – 1012
Mike Criscuola – 979
Bill Riley – 934
Pete Petrov – 917
Brad Sherman – 874
Denny Clark – 869
Arik Garthwaite – 867

Bill Jarrell – 855
Hunter Smith – 847
Corey Cross – 811
Jack Elzinga – 770
Barry Brown – 769
Hunter Hammer – 755
Steve Whitney – 730
Dan Nieder – 729
Tom Sahli – 719 (**MISSING SEASON**)
Chris Good – 688

Gavin Keohane – 677
Virgil Roehl – 674
Foster Faris – 668
Hawthorne Wolfe – 662
Pat Bennett – 659
Wade Ellsworth – 659
Jason McFadyen – 654
Rich Morris – 637
Kramer O’Keefe – 636
Wiley Hesselgrave – 632

John O’Grady – 611
Greg White – 604
Joe Whitney – 601
Brian Miller – 597
Mike Syreen – 594
Gabe McMurray – 592
Pat Clark – 583
Randy Duggan – 552
Roy Marti – 551
Jim Syreen – 550

Marc Bissett – 549
Denny Zylstra – 538
Jerry Zylstra – 527
Brad Miller – 526
Gary Faris – 524
JJ Marti – 520
Cody Peters – 518
David Lortz – 502
Jason Bagby – 499
Pat O’Grady – 472

Harold Buckner – 469
Sean Dillon – 469
Frank Marti – 462
Gary Hammons – 443
Del O’Shell – 440
Tony Ford – 432
Caleb Powell – 421
Mason Grove – 414
Ben Biskovich – 407
Casey Clark – 407

Nick Sellgren – 406
Blaine Ghormley – 393
Tom Logan – 385
James Smith – 382
Don Cook – 377
Chad Gale – 373
Mike Millenbach – 373
JD Wilcox – 373
Ty Blouin – 369
Caesar Kortuem – 369

Ray Harvey – 368
Pat Brown – 355
Dick Smith – 352
Ethan Spark – 352
Glenn Losey – 350
Timm Orsborn – 345
Robin Larson – 342
Byron Fellstrom – 340
Kevin Faris – 339
Michael Vaughan – 337

Jim Yake – 331
Aaron Trumbull – 330
Brad Brown – 328
Charlie Tessaro – 328
Utz Conard – 326
Ian Smith – 324
David Ford – 323
Bob Rea – 320
Chris Marti – 319
Gabe Wynn – 316

Nick Streubel – 314
Ben Hayes – 306
Allen Black – 305
Noah Roehl – 301
Blake Day – 299
Noel Criscuola – 298
John Beasley – 293
Risen Johnson – 291
Brian Fakkema – 290
Matt Frost – 290

Mike Mallo – 282
Keith Jameson – 277
Terry Roberts – 277
Kit Manzanares – 275
Boom Phomvongkoth – 275
Zepher Loesch – 274
Alex Evans – 272
Aaron Curtin – 271
Tyler King – 270
Joe Tessaro – 270

Eric Hopkins – 265
Harvey Wainio – 265
Rick Keefe – 259
Troy Blouin – 256
Sean Callahan – 256
Greg Fellstrom – 248
Casey Larson – 247
Don Schreiber – 247
Brandon Huff – 245
Richard Hammons – 240

Brad Haslam – 235
Sean Toomey-Stout – 235
Geoff Hageman – 227
Curt Youderian – 226
Xavier Murdy – 221
Ed Wood – 219
Rich Vaughan – 219
Joel Walstad – 217
Richard Cook – 216
Ryan Keefe – 214

Jordan Ford – 210
Andrew Mouw – 204
Vance Huffman – 203
Tim Quenzer – 202
Alan Hancock – 198
Shawn Ryan – 197
Mitch Aparicio – 195
Trevor Tucker – 194
Roy Mattox – 191
Dale Sherman – 188

Scott Stuurmans – 188
Pat Millenbach – 181
Wayne Hardie – 178
Chris Cox – 177
Evan Tingstad – 177
Jerry VandWerfhorst – 177
Anthony Bergeron – 176
Mike Ankney – 173
John Engstrom – 173
Ron Naddy – 172

Dale Libbey – 169
Roger Sherman – 168
Tim Walstad – 168
Randy Blindauer – 166
Mark Bepler – 165
Chad Brookhouse – 163
Jered Brown – 156
Monty Moore – 155
Geoff Wacker – 154
Bill Baas – 153

Ulrik Wells – 152
Jim Faris – 151
Steve Konek – 149
Gavin O’Keefe – 149
Ryan McManigle – 148
Ryan Griggs – 147
Hugh Abell – 145
George Libbey – 142
Craig Anderson – 132
Scott Franzen – 129

Ben Etzell – 127
Gavin Knoblich – 126
Len Buckner – 125
Brian Shank – 125
Joey Lippo – 121
Jessie Smith – 119
Sandy Roberts – 118
Scott McGraw – 116
Christian Townsdin – 116
Mitch Pelroy – 115

Taylor Ebersole – 114
Eric Taylor – 112
Jim Casey – 111
Jacobi Pilgrim – 111
Brian Barr – 108
Joe Donellon – 101
Jason McManigle – 101
Bryan Hamilton – 99
Brian Knoll – 98
Morgan Payne – 96

Christian Lyness – 95
Koa Davison – 94
Grady Rickner – 94
Ted Weber – 91
Hunter Downes – 89
James Meek – 89
Dan Miller – 89
Steve Bissett – 87
Andrew Cashen – 87
Carson Risner – 86

John Sinema – 86
Nick Morris – 83
Roy Armstrong – 80
Cameron Toomey-Stout – 80
Caleb Valko – 78
Ross Buckner – 77
Matt Shank – 77
JJ Johnson – 76
Duane Score – 76
Quinten Farmer – 75

Matt Ortega – 75
Mike Ellsworth – 74
Don Spangler – 72
John Zimmerman – 72
Joe Bruzas – 71
Jason Fisher – 71
Tony Prosser – 70
Les Jacobson – 69
Tom Conard – 68
Dean Grasser – 68

Matt Bepler – 67
Zack Swerdfeger – 66
Ron Lanphere – 65
Sage Downes – 64
Ben Hancock – 63
Randy Stone – 63
Mike Brown – 62
Jason McDavid – 62
Jeremy Staples – 62
Brian Hageman – 61

Erik King – 61
David Davis – 60
Tom Mueller – 59
Brandy Ambrose – 58
Sam Kieth – 58
Steve Smith – 58
Martin Walsh – 58
Matt Helm – 57
Dennis Terrell – 57
Drew Chan – 56

DeAndre Mitchell – 56
Daniel Olson – 56
Ellis Schultz – 56
Dave Stoddard – 56
CJ Smith – 54
Larry Zylstra – 54
Logan Downes – 52
Asa Owensby – 52
Marc Aparicio – 51
Chris Chan – 51

Joe Kelley – 51
Marvin Darst – 50
Troy Hurlburt – 49
Alex Murdy – 49
Stanley Bruzas – 48
Dalton Engle – 48
Jerry Helm – 48
Dalton Martin – 47
Eddie Fasolo – 45
Doug Speers – 45

Banky Fisher – 44
Keith Dunnagan – 42
Gaylord Stidham – 41
Erick Harada – 40
James Jorgensen – 40
Nevin Miranda – 40
Jeff Thomas – 40
John Wyatt – 40
John Moskeland – 39
Danny Bonacci – 36

Chuck Ruthford – 36
Charlie Toth – 36
Jim Marti – 35
Zeb Williams – 35
Robert Cushen – 34
Dante Mitchell – 34
Sid Mudgett – 34
Dave Brandt – 33
Ryan Kelley – 33
Brian Roundy – 32

Richard Barber – 31
Joe Libbey – 31
Logan Martin – 31
Ray Cook – 29
Tim Leese – 29
Ralph Lindsay – 29
Kyle Rockwell – 29
Rick Marti – 28
Toby Martinez – 28
Daniel McDonald – 28

Joe Rojas – 28
Todd Smith – 28
Scott Sollars – 28
Richard Benson – 27
Mike Duke – 27
John Holmes – 26
Lewis Berry – 25
Mark Short – 25
Tim Youderian – 25
Jared Helmstadter – 24

Trent Diamanti – 23
Trevor Mueller – 22
Dan Schleiffers – 22
Jay Roberts – 21
Dustin Van Velkinburgh – 21
Matt Douglas – 20
Jordan Emerson – 20
Dane Lucero – 20
Dean Strom – 20
Scott Fisher – 19

Scott Losey – 19
Bud Merryman – 19
Matt Petrich – 19
Jason Raymond – 19
Rob Blouin – 18
Rick Keith – 18
Marvin Mitchell – 18
Guy Walker – 18
Gary Boyke – 17
Jim Keith – 17

Jean Lund-Olsen – 17
Cedric McIntosh – 17
TJ Rickner – 17
Rick Frieze – 16
Chad Nixon – 16
Josh Wilsey – 16
Steven Cope – 15
Eric Dyer – 15
Mike Lester – 15
Brad Rogers – 15

Jonathan Valenzuela – 15
Henry Edwards – 14
Todd Brown – 13
DJ Kim – 13
LaVerne Arnold – 12
Mike Eaton – 12
Guy George – 12
Kole Kellison – 12
Glen Lanphere – 12
Desmond Bell – 11

Bill Hamilton – 11
Ken Pickard – 11
Jon Roberts – 11
Chris Squires – 11
Ben Winkes – 11
Ron Edwards – 10
Travis Hooker – 10
Daniel Graham – 9
Kyle King – 9
Bruce Seiger – 9

Jimmy Sullivan – 9
Fred Wyatt – 9
Erik Anderson – 8
Dave Bowers – 8
Rob Fasolo – 8
Kraig Gordon – 8
Cody Roberts – 8
Robert Shafer – 8
Dave Wells – 8
Charlie Cook – 7

Bobby Engle – 7
Brian Folkestad – 7
Wayne Hesselgrave – 7
Ed Cook – 6
Tucker Hall – 6
Chuck Hardee – 6
Kevin King – 6
Robert Kirkwood – 6
George Smith – 6
Nic Anthony – 5

Ariah Bepler – 5
Scott Davidson – 5
JD Myers – 5
Nate Steele – 5
Andrew Bird – 4
Bill Boze – 4
Miles Davidson – 4
Ralph Engle – 4
Jason Legat – 4
Morgan Roehl – 4

Rusty Bailey – 3
Luke Currier – 3
Frank Mueller – 3
Tracy Wilson – 3
Teo Benson – 2
Norm Enders – 2
Chris Locke – 2
Jeremy McCormick – 2
Rich McCormick – 2
Denny Moss – 2

Tony Sherman – 2
Marion Sill – 2
Stephen Stietenroth – 2
Robbie Wanamaker – 2
Cole White – 2
Paul Baher – 1
Bill Engle – 1
Robert Engle – 1
Bob Franzen – 1
Meryl Gordon – 1

Oscar Liquidano – 1
Raleigh Sherman – 1

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That’s a bingo!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on May 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

The Zinger lives!

One mission accomplished.

Thanks to a Google search where he inadvertently discovered my obsession with his high school hoops exploits, Jack Elzinga has helped me fill in one of the missing pieces of Coupeville High School boys basketball history.

As I’ve tried to compile a complete scoring record for a program which began in 1917, it’s been an uphill battle, especially with anything before the “modern” era.

I’ve felt pretty good about what we have, which goes 398 players deep, though the gaps will always bother me.

While we may never track down stats for the guys from the ’30s and ’40s, I can deal with that.

Scoring was at a much-lower rate back then, and no one from that time period would likely crack the career top 100, much less top 10.

But three guys from the ’50s — Elzinga, Tom Sahli, and Jerry Zylstra — kept me awake at night.

Well that, and the fact “Big” Mike Criscuola may never get his proper due, as his missing 8th grade stats and questionable playoff totals from other seasons have him #5 all-time, when he’s closer to #1.

But back to Elzinga, Sahli, and Zylstra, and the “missing” seasons of 1951-1952 and 1953-1954.

Or … formerly missing seasons, at least in the case of 53-54.

Thanks to Elzinga, who is a Professor Emeritus for the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, we now have scoring stats for that campaign.

The fast facts:

Sahli, a senior, scored 409 points that season, which is the seventh-best single-season performance by a Wolf boy.

Combined with the 310 he scored as a junior, he now sits with 719 points on my list, jumping from #90 to #19 on the career scoring chart.

Though, if someone can come up with totals from Sahli’s sophomore year (51-52), he’ll shoot even higher.

Always something to keep me awake.

Elzinga and Zylstra, sophomores on that 53-54 squad, went for 124 and 122 points, raising their (now final) career totals to 770 and 527, respectively.

That moves Elzinga from #25 to #14 and Zylstra from #59 to #42 all-time.

All while giving current Coupeville sniper Hawthorne Wolfe a little more work to do, as the 1950’s-era players getting their rightful due bumps him back (for a moment) from #47 to #49.

With 492 points and counting and nine games left in this pandemic-shortened season, the CHS junior, who has often expressed interest in players who came before him, will likely take that as a challenge.

As we update the ever-evolving 104-year history of Wolf boys basketball, I also offer up the following from Elzinga.

Like my communications with legendary former CHS coach Bob Barker, it reads more like a well-written book than an email.

 

David,

I did a vanity Google this afternoon and came upon your blog.

I can fill in some of your gaps. I have the 1954 Leloo Cly.

That was my sophomore year and Tom Sahli’s senior year. He averaged 19.5 pts/game. Later I saw him play against Elgin Baylor.

We were a pretty good team – the yearbook said we had the best record in “several years.”

Sahli was our star – we mostly passed the ball around until we could get it to him.

Leloo Cly doesn’t record rebounds but Tom seemed to snatch every one. 

I started every game, averaging 5.6 pts/game.

After Tom graduated I became the center and had two productive seasons. 

I was All-District in the end-of-year tournaments both years. As I recall, I averaged about 15 pts/game both seasons.

Gil Winje put together some scrapbooks of press clippings of the Tri-County basketball league.

These clippings were new to me – no one in Coupeville read the Everett paper.

Gil did this for his brother who played for Granite Falls. He did this for other years too.

Getting the scrapbook of my senior year of basketball was a fabulous treat.

We had a successful season that year but fell short of going to state.

La Conner was a big rivalry but we beat them home-and-away that year, but lost to them in the consolation game of the district tourney.

They went on to state where Gail Thulen set the place on fire, shattering records, scoring 41 points in one game to set the state tourney record.

We’d seen a lot of Gail and I guess we’d learned how to corral him.

I think Gail got a scholarship to Washington State.

Me? I got a scholarship to Everett Junior College, where I played one year before moving on to U-Dub to focus on my studies.

They don’t put this in the record books but I’m sure I’m the only All-District player who survived polio five years previously.

Harold Buckner was an excellent baseball player as you have noted in your blog. We’re still good friends.

This has been a ball for me. So happy to share things with someone with your quirky interests.

If I can find any more info I’ll send it along.

Best regards,

Jack

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You, yes you, could be sitting on CHS sports history

Posted in mysteries, tagged , , , , , on February 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

I’m one missing season away from fully-recognizing Jack Elzinga’s high school hoops legacy. Who’s sitting on scoring stats from 1953-54? (Photo courtesy Sandy Roberts)

Running this blog is one part writing, one part detective work.

When it’s really humming, I want Coupeville Sports to span the entire length of athletics here on the prairie that sits in the middle of a rock out in the water up in an area which is still shrouded in mystery.

We should celebrate the young girl who is playing middle school basketball for the first time, sporting her first pair of hardwood-ready shoes, her pigtails flying in different directions as she learns to reverse and get back on defense.

And we should also pay tribute to the guys who once played football in leather helmets, raw-boned farm kids who carved out some time from their chores (and feeding the pigs) to chase a pigskin around.

The one can be written about in the moment, while the other takes research, leafing through old newspapers and yearbooks, stirring people’s memories and hoping, always hoping, for some new discovery to fill in a vital part of the story.

Since launching Coupeville Sports in mid-2012, I have discovered one truth — not everyone held on to the past in the way I would have liked.

For every former coach like Randy King, who had complete scorebooks for 19 of his 20 seasons running the CHS boys basketball program, there’s a peer who tossed everything into a closet, or a filing cabinet, or worse, into the round file.

But I have also been pleasantly surprised from time to time by the sudden reveal of mementos, clippings, and photos, pulled from attics, or basements, or the back rooms of various local barns.

While things I wish were easy to find often aren’t, things I never expected to see often surface when least expected.

So I’m putting the call out for what we’ll call the “holy grails,” records and artifacts which currently top my list of wish-we-could-find-them items.

If you or someone you know has these items, or can find them, you will earn eternal membership on my best friend’s list.

And if you have something that’s not on my list, but something you consider interesting, something you wish I would write about, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Coupeville Sports is now, has always been, and will always be, a community effort. I write the words, but I can’t do it without your help.

With that, a few of things I most wish would pop up.

**Individual scoring totals for the 1951-1952 and 1953-1954 Coupeville High School boys basketball teams.

I have stats for 70 of the 102 Wolf boys hoops squads, and, while I would love to find scoring totals for teams from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, these two teams from the ’50s are the biggest remaining missing pieces to the all-time scoring story.

There just wasn’t enough offense in those early decades for any players from that time to compete with the CHS stars of the ’70s and beyond.

But Jack Elzinga, who played on the 53-54 team, and Tom Sahli, who played for both those squads, could shake up the top 20, maybe even top 10, if I could finalize their numbers.

Elzinga is already #25 all-time, and that’s with me missing a full season. Sahli, who went on to be a great college basketball player, is #88, based on just his junior campaign.

Both players were among the first big-time scorers in school history, and deserve to have their legacies fully honored.

**Scoring totals for the 1974-1975 CHS girls basketball team, the first to play after Title IX changed the landscape.

Other than a paragraph or two (and I mean that literally), the Whidbey News-Times completely ignored the season as if it never happened.

And, while I obtained a roster from the school yearbook, there were no stats included.

Of the 45 seasons of Wolf girls hoops in the modern era, it’s the only one for which I don’t have scoring totals, and that is a mighty big airball.

**Video of girls hoops supernova Zenovia Barron and film of the 1969-1970 boys basketball team.

The former is the #2 scorer in school history, girl or boy, and those who saw her play describe her in reverent tones.

Having left the News-Times right before she hit high school, I was busy renting Jurassic Park and hyping The Hudsucker Proxy during the start of my 12-year run at Videoville when she shook up the hardwood scene beginning in the winter of 1994, and I never saw her play.

I wish I had, and I hope someone out there used a camcorder to capture Novi in her prime.

The 69-70 team, which played before I was born (so I have a good excuse for not being there) was the first Whidbey Island hoops squad to win a district title.

Playing before the creation of the three-point shot, those Wolves, led by Jeff Stone and his 644 points, set scoring records which haven’t been touched in 50 years.

This is a longer shot than Barron, maybe, as someone would have needed to operate a film camera in those days, but I’m betting it’s a possibility.

**A complete season stat sheet for the 2002 CHS softball team, which went 24-3 and finished 3rd at the state tourney, winning four of five games at the big dance.

Led by Sarah Mouw, Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, and Erica Lamb, the Wolves only loss at state came in the semis to the eventual state champs, Adna, who captured the sixth title in program history.

When I went through News-Times articles of the day during the 2017 season, when that year’s softball sluggers made a run at matching their predecessors, I was able to recreate, after a fashion, 24 of the 27 games.

But the paper, for reasons unknown, completely omitted any write-ups on three mid-season games, and only gave a general overview of stats for the games covered.

If it’s still out there, a complete look at the stats compiled by the 16 Wolves who suited up in ’02 would be a nice find.

**An interview with Jeff Fielding, the first CHS athlete to win a state title, back in 1979.

Eight Wolves have brought home the ultimate prize, combining for 17 championships.

Natasha Bamberger (1985) and Tyler King (2010) won cross country crowns, while the same duo joined Kyle King, Jon Chittim, Chris Hutchinson, Amy Mouw, Steven McDonald, and Fielding as track champs.

Eight of Coupeville’s 15 track titles have come in the 3200, with Bamberger and Kyle King each winning three times, and Tyler King and Fielding striking gold once.

Toss in three wins in the 1600 (one each for the King boys and Bamberger), plus titles in the 200 and 400 (Chittim), 800 (Mouw), and 4 x 400 (McDonald, Hutchinson, Chittim, Kyle King) and those eight athletes form Coupeville’s Mount Rushmore.

I’ve spoken, in person or by email, some more frequently than others, with every one of those eight except the trailblazer.

Not every former Wolf athlete (or some current ones) want to talk about their prep sports careers.

If that’s the case with Fielding, no worries.

But if he should ever want to look back on the first-ever Wolf state title, and his own enduring legacy, I’m here, ready to listen.

 

Have any of the things I’m looking for, or something else you think would make a great story? Contact me at davidsvien@hotmail.com today!

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