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Posts Tagged ‘Jack Porter’

“Revenge is sweet!”

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on May 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s high-flying SWISH basketball squad knocked off a major foe Saturday. (Photo courtesy Jon Roberts)

It’s been a long time coming.

Jump back somewhere around 15 months ago — “whatever the day was the world was shut down” — and Coupeville’s SWISH boys basketball team was ready to put its #1 seed on the line in a championship game rumble with big, bad Stanwood.

Enter the pandemic, exit any chance of playing the game.

Now jump forward to May 15, 2021, and the Wolves hardwood squad — comprised of 7th and 8th graders — finally got their showdown.

And it went perfectly.

“Today was a great day,” said Coupeville coach Jon Roberts. “We didn’t get a chance to prove we were #1. Until today.

“Revenge is sweet!”

Playing scrappy, defensive-minded ball, the Wolves chopped the tall Spartans down, pulling away for a 26-21 win to run their record to a crisp 4-1 on the new season.

Having split with always-tough Orcas Island, and taken wins against two squads from Mount Vernon, the Wolves entered play Saturday with a confident spring to their steps.

Even down a man, with Camden Glover out for a game, Coupeville struck quickly and never let up.

Landon Roberts, playing like his grandpa Sandy did back in the day, opened the game with a quick bucket, then the Wolves spread the offensive love around.

Chase Anderson, the Magic Man, led Coupeville with nine points, including draining a pair of game-clinching free throws in the final seconds.

Aiden O’Neill and Hunter Bronec were hot on his heels with six points apiece, with Jack Porter (2), Roberts (2), and Hurlee Bronec (1) also scoring.

While the rim was unforgiving to Johnny Porter on this day, the tall baller made a sizable impact, “collecting numerous rebounds with elbow waving arms, ruling the paint.”

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Break on through (to the other trail)

Posted in Cross Country, Middle School, tagged , , , , on April 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Dylan Robinett was one of 13 Coupeville Middle School athletes to participate in an intramural cross country season. (Jackie Saia photo)

Ayden Wyman slashes through the woods. (Teagan Calkins photo)

Solomon Rudat is ready to run. (Saia photo)

Cross country is booming in Coupeville.

And a large part of that success comes from having a go-get-’em coach running things.

Right before segueing into her new job running the CHS harrier program, Elizabeth Bitting wrapped up an intramural season for Wolf middle school athletes.

While the pandemic is preventing CMS from competing against other rivals this school year, that hasn’t stopped Bitting from preaching the love of getting off your duff and moving those legs.

Under her tutelage, 13 CMS runners participated in part or all of a race series she set up.

The goal was to count the best three times for each athlete over the course of four races.

The race circuit, dubbed “Kemmer’s Course,” started near the CHS baseball field parking lot, then wound its way down the Kettles trail, before finishing its 1.4-mile length over by the football field scoreboard.

Nine of 13 Wolves ran in the final race, with six of them setting PR’s.

Whether they ran in one race, or all four, all 13 Wolves drew praise from their coach.

“Thank you all for participating during this intramural cross-country season,” Bitting said. “It wasn’t ideal, but you sure did make the best of it!

“I am so proud of each and every one of you. The support, encouragement and unity you gave one another showed so much maturity.

“I hope you all continue to participate in sports with the enthusiasm and passion you’ve shown during this time.”

 

Wolves who completed the series:
(First time is for series, second time for final race; * = PR)

GIRLS:

1st – Ayden Wyman – 35:48 (11:36*)
2nd – Gabby Gebhard – 36:02
3rd – Bryley Gilbert – 40:13 (12:43*)
4th – Ivy Rudat – 46:33

BOYS:

1st – Carson Field – 30:04 (9:12*)
2nd – Nic Wasik – 30:59 (10:15)
3rd – Thomas Strelow – 32:47 (10:09*)
4th – Solomon Rudat – 35:57
5th – Dylan Robinett – 40:33 (14:38)

 

Others who ran in the final race:

Jack Porter – 9:56*
Johnny Porter – 10:33*
Matthew Gilbert – 14:48

 

Savina Wells also participated, but due to an injury could not complete the series or final race.

Her best time was 12:50, an improvement of 46 seconds from her first race.

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Run today, run tomorrow

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on March 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Gabriella Gebhard leads off a collection of Coupeville Middle School cross country pics. (Photos by Jackie Saia and Teagan Calkins)

They’re still running.

While Coupeville Middle School students aren’t competing against other schools during this pandemic-shortened athletic year, they’re still getting a chance to stay active.

CMS Athletic Director Willie Smith, in tandem with his coaches, has arranged for intramural activities, keeping the Wolves in stride.

Cross country has a booming program, pandemic or not, and coach Elizabeth Bitting is putting on a four-race campaign.

Race #3 went down Thursday, and photo bugs Jackie Saia and Teagan Calkins were on hand to capture pics for us.

The portraits are by mom, the action shots by Teagan, a very-talented athlete in her own right.

Nic Wasik

Jack Porter

Bryley Gilbert

Ayden Wyman

Thomas Strelow

Matthew Gilbert

Ivy Rudat

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Don’t stop me now, the trail calls me

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , on August 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Helen Strelow is a key member of a pack of young, talented Coupeville cross country runners. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Wolf harriers put in summer work on Coupeville’s trails. (Photos courtesy Araceley, Strelow, and Wasik families)

They ran strong until the end.

Coupeville cross country runners have been pounding the trails all summer, piling up mileage under the watchful (virtual) eye of CMS coach Elizabeth Bitting.

Wrapping up the final week in which they can work with coaches — the WIAA’s no-contact period kicks in between Aug. 18-Sept. 27 — 11 Wolf runners combined to put in 87.96 miles.

That ran the final summer total out to an impressive 891.96 miles put into the books.

“Great job! We didn’t hit the 1,000-mile mark but you all came SO CLOSE!,” Bitting said. “It’s amazing to see the miles add up from week to week and you all put in that hard work! Good job!!!”

Coupeville runners capped their official summer workouts with another virtual meet, this one the 1.98-mile “Pretty Pratt Run.”

Results:

 

High School:

Reiley Araceley (1st) 14:03
Tate Wyman (2nd) 15:59
Helen Strelow (3rd) 16:09

 

Middle School:

Jack Porter (1st) 15:37
Thomas Strelow (2nd) 16:33
Ayden Wyman (3rd-tie) 18:38
Johnny Porter (3rd-tie) 18:38

 

“In true (virtual) running suspense we had ourselves a pretty awesome race for 3rd place!,” Bitting said. “That race ended in a tie!!! A VIRTUAL TIE. These runners amaze me!”

While Coupeville runners can’t work with coaches again until the end of September, that doesn’t stop the Wolves from continuing to work on their own.

As the world deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the normal fall sports season has been bumped, with activities such as cross country moving from a September start to March.

As she departed into the official “cone of silence,” Bitting offered her runners a final challenge, with a suggested run complete with hill repeats, and some words of wisdom.

“Thank you to all who participated in any or all of the virtual races!,” she said. “I know this isn’t how you were hoping our Summer Fun Runs would look like, but you continued the hard work, enjoyed some virtual runs and stayed active.

“We are in unprecedented times right now. Be sure you continue to do things that give you peace and happiness.

“I am hoping when we reconnect, in about six weeks, things will look a little different and we could get together for some small group runs.

“In the meantime be safe, stay healthy, and ‘Be Polite & Run On’!!!”

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Wolf baseball ekes out hard-earned tie

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on July 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

A star regardless of the sport, Scott Hilborn struck out seven batters while collecting three hits and three RBI Thursday in Coupeville’s baseball clash with South Whidbey. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Coupeville and South Whidbey faced off on the baseball diamond Thursday, playing to a 6-6 tie in a game called after two-plus hours of play.

It was the second game between the next-door neighbors in the last three days, and, quite possibly, the last time either hardball squad will play this summer.

Earlier in the day, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee announced that counties in Phase 3 of his reopening plan will revert to a 10-person limit on gatherings as of Monday, July 20.

That decision was made after the state Department of Health recorded 1,000+ new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, well above the previous one-day mark of 716 new cases.

Leading the spike is a considerable increase in positive cases among state residents in their 20’s and below.

While Coupeville’s diamond men only got two games in the book, they sit at a very-respectable 1-0-1.

The Wolves bounced South Whidbey’s Crabs 2-1 Tuesday, before fighting to the hard-earned Thursday tie.

Playing on the south end of the Island for the second time, Coupeville got to be the home team, and ended up having to rally to claim the tie.

Coupeville fell behind 3-0 as South Whidbey hit around in the top of the first against Wolf hurler Camden Glover, but then the “home” team immediately began its comeback.

Scott Hilborn lit the fuse with a lead-off single, beating out a shot to short, before Jack Porter followed with a resounding double on mom Jenny’s birthday.

Back within 3-2, Coupeville kept coming and eventually reclaimed the lead.

With Porter firing BB’s on the mound, the Wolves defense shut down South Whidbey, then Coupeville’s offense started really clicking.

A couple of second inning walks set the table for Hilborn, and the CHS sophomore-to-be responded, smoking a stand-up three-run double to left center.

Porter’s bat continued to be red-hot as well, as he cracked another two-bagger, followed by a sharp single from Chase Anderson.

Trailing 6-3, South Whidbey chipped away, plating a pair of runners in the third, then knotting things back up by pushing a runner across in the fifth.

While Coupeville put runners on base down the stretch, with Hilborn and Porter collecting singles to go with walks to teammates such as Johnny Valenzuela, the Wolves came up just short of getting a go-ahead run.

Wolf pitchers Glover (1), Porter (5), and Hilborn (7) combined to whiff 13 South Whidbey hitters on a balmy mid-summer night.

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