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Posts Tagged ‘Jaime Rasmussen’

“Cardiac Kids” returning to home hardwood

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on September 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The banner from Coupeville’s landmark season has endured two-plus decades.

They were the first to bring a win home from the big dance.

The 1999-2000 Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team, led by Willie and Cherie Smith, featured some of the biggest names in program history, and some key role players who forever left their mark.

And now we’re looking to reunite the band during the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of Wolf girls’ hoops, which is set for Monday, Dec. 4.

Coupeville hosts South Whidbey that night, and at halftime of the varsity game, the school will honor the top 15 scorers in program history, as well as the 99-00 squad.

That team, the second Wolf girls’ hoops team to advance to state, were known as the “Cardiac Kids.”

They actually started the season slowly, then turned things around starting with a 45-24 beatdown of Darrington.

The Wolves were still 7-7 after a narrow 43-39 loss to Archbishop Thomas Murphy, before reeling off five wins in their final six regular-season games.

That included some sweet revenge in the finale when they blew undefeated ATM (and its yappy coach) off the floor en route to a 63-41 victory.

The postseason started with a loss to tough Seattle Christian, but Coupeville rebounded, knocking off ATM 43-42, then drilling Orcas Island 55-29 to punch its ticket to state.

Tina Lyness, who drained a short jumper at the buzzer to eliminate The Evil Empire, capping a torrid fourth quarter in which she couldn’t miss, later told me it was one of her favorite high school memories.

“To eliminate ATM from heading to state was extremely satisfying,” she said. “Overall, the whole season was an awesome memory.”

Under the bright lights, the scrappy Wolves fought hard in an opening-round loss to Toledo, before notching the program’s landmark win Mar. 2, 2000.

Trailing Freeman by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, the “Cardiac Kids” rallied to close on a 20-5 tear to claim a 46-42 triumph.

Lyness was straight fire, again, singing the nets for 18 points, while snatching six boards and making off with four steals.

But it was her hardworking, often unsung teammate/best bud Jaime Rasmussen who shocked the world.

One of two team members who were also superstar Videoville and Miriam’s Espresso employees (along with Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby), Coupeville’s #5 scorer that season hit both the go-ahead bucket and two late free throws to ice the game.

It was not only the first time a girls’ basketball team won a game at state, but it was also the first time a CHS girls’ team in any sport had achieved that honor.

While a loss to powerhouse Warden ended Coupeville’s miracle season a day later, the 99-00 squad returned home bathed in glory.

Without knowing it at the time, they had launched the start of something big, as Wolf girls’ basketball has returned to state multiple times since then, bringing home trophies three times.

But it all starts with Willie and Cherie (and six-year-old son Ian operating the floor sweeper at state) and their band of never-say-die, always-say-beat-ATM ballhawks.

My hope is that like the 1969-1970 team which was honored at the 101st anniversary of the boy’s hoops program, as many of those involved can be there in person Dec. 4 to get another moment in the spotlight.

 

“The Cardiac Kids” are:

Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby
Penny Griggs
Brianne King
Yashmeen Knox
Tina Lyness
Jaime Rasmussen
Nicole Shelly
Rachelle Solomon
Tracy Taylor
Jamie Townsdin
Emily Young
Laura Young

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All about that heart!!

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , , on January 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Jacob Martin

   Jacob Martin (top, right) is joined by Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows and grandpa/grandson combo Murph Cross and Carson Risner.

Scrappers, one and all.

The four athletes who make up the 82nd class inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall of Fame have radically different personalities, but they are bound together by the fight they showed on the playing field.

Whether charging after a loose ball on the hard-court, blowing up a foe on the gridiron or blocking the plate, the quartet made a sizable impact with their refusal to bend to their foes.

So, with that, we welcome Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows, Jacob Martin, Murph Cross and Carson Risner to these hallowed digital hallways.

After this you’ll find them at the top of the blog under the Legends tab.

We’re going to kick things off with a 2-for-1 deal for the Cross family, as Jennie (Cross) Prince, who’s already in the Hall, gets joined by dad Murph and son Carson.

Murph, whose brother Corey is also enshrined in the Hall, is the kind of guy who, even long after graduation in 1965, is remembered as the “orneriest cuss I ever played with” by multiple former teammates.

Built like a brick wall and capable of hitting like a hammer, he anchored the line for the Wolf football team, did the work down in the trenches for the hoops squad and defended the plate as a catcher for the baseball team.

If you were an opposing player, or, sometimes, even his own teammate, Murph put the fear of God into you, and left dents in both your biceps and psyche, a true “old school” athlete who lived and breathed Wolf pride.

His grandson wasn’t quite as imposing, in attitude at least, as he was always his team’s leading jokester, but Carson could lay a whuppin’ on folks between the lines, and often did.

Anchoring both sides of the Wolf line on the gridiron, he played through pain and injury and never lost the mile-wide smile he always sported, except for a time or two where he came up swinging while protecting his teammates.

On the basketball court Risner played during a rough stretch where wins were few and far between and where he was often asked to spend most of his time taking the brunt of the abuse from other team’s bruisers.

Again, the mix of a sunny, upbeat attitude (smiling while elbowing a 6-foot-5 King’s player in the kidneys) and a willingness to get chippy and never cede ground helped give his squad someone to rally around.

Often showing a soft touch on the offensive end, as well, Carson may be best remembered for the infamous opening night game when all but one Wolf player was laid low by severe food poisoning.

Refusing to give in, Risner can be found in at least one photo from that night sitting on the edge of the bench, garbage can in hand, white-knuckling through the 30 seconds before he charged back on the court.

His team needed him, he was there. Every day.

The same could be said of Martin, one of the most underrated Wolf gridiron stars of the past decade.

A four-year player, he did whatever the coaches asked him to, without fail, a true warrior who left his soul on the field every play of his career.

In the early days, he was asked to block for other runners like Josh Bayne, Jake Tumblin and Lathom Kelley, before getting the chance to be the featured back as a senior.

He hit every block like his life depended upon it, giving his guys a chance to break free and pile up yardage.

Then, when it was his chance, he fought through injuries to roll up close to 1,000 yards across his prep career while also being a big hitter on defense.

Through it all, Martin remained the most low-key of players, a young man who grew from being a supporting player to being a team leader.

Always more intent on making his teammates shine rather than focusing on his own stats, he was a coach’s son, through and through, and the lessons learned from dad Jonathan were always evident.

After wrapping up his prep career, Jacob summed up his time on the field perfectly:

Football is a brutal sport: I broke my toe, pinky, thumb, and had two concussions. It was worth it.

I learned that no matter how physically and mentally tore I was, I’d get up and hit back harder.

Not because I had to, but because I knew it would benefit me; no matter what I face in life, I’ll always bounce back stronger.

Our final inductee, Burrows, was the blue collar warrior for the first CHS girls hoops teams to make a statement at the state tournament.

The 1998 squad was the first in program history to make it to state, the 2000 team the first to win a game at the big dance, and Jaime was one of just two players (along with Rachelle Solomon) to be a part of both.

A scrappy ball-hawk who hit the boards with a vengeance and believed deep in her soul that every loose ball rightfully belonged to her, Burrows was the perfect complement to big-time scorers like Tina Lyness and Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby.

But while defense and doin’ the dirty work was her calling card, Jaime could also drop buckets when needed, and showed no fear in the biggest of big game situations.

It was her last-second free throws Mar. 2, 2000 in fact which sealed the deal on Coupeville’s first-ever state win (a come-from-behind 46-42 thriller against Freeman).

Possibly the best barista to ever work at Miriam’s Espresso (let the epic fight begin…), Jaime has gone on to become a mom and now four-time inductee into the Hall.

While her first visits were for crafting a moment (the state tourney free throws) and as part of the ’98 and ’00 teams, this time the spotlight falls squarely on her.

As it always should.

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Spotlight? They loved it!!

Posted in Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , , , on November 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Paul Messner

   Paul Messner (top) is joined by fellow Hall of Fame inductees (l to r) Daniel McDonald, Micky LeVine, Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows and Mike Bagby.

Big in the moment.

The five legendary athletes who comprise the 22nd class to be inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame made their marks by playing their best at crunch time.

Whether running wild on a football field, legitimizing soccer at a school with little history on the pitch or lifting their team to a groundbreaking hoops win, all five stepped into the spotlight and soared.

So, today, we welcome them to their new home (after this they’ll reside at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab) and offer a round of applause.

Say hello to Paul Messner, Daniel McDonald, Jaime (Rasmussen) Burrows, Mike Bagby and Micky LeVine, then bask in the afterglow of their athletic excellence.

Our first inductee, McDonald, was a superb multi-sport athlete, but he goes in to our Hall as a football player.

In particular, we’re honoring him for his senior season in 2001, when he was the only Coupeville player to be named First-Team All-Conference in the Northwest A League on both offense and defense.

A hard-hitting defensive back, McDonald was also the featured back in an explosive offense.

With fellow Hall o’ Famer Brad Sherman gunnin’ away at the quarterback spot for nearly 1,500 yards, McDonald crashed through the line for another 1,184 yards on the ground.

His 14 touchdowns accounted for nearly half of Coupeville’s 31 end zone visits that season (Brian Fakkema added eight TD’s, while Matt Helm tossed in three) and McDonald’s consistency was his hallmark.

He broke 100 yards rushing in seven of nine games (topping 150 five times), with a high of 199 against Concrete.

After high school, McDonald went on to play college ball quite successfully, just like our second inductee.

Bagby, who joins dad Ron and sister Ashley in the Hall (and yes, Jason and April, I know you’re both still out there), was your prototypical three-sport star at CHS, then played college basketball for two different schools.

For his induction, I’m turning the mic over to Bagby’s former teammate, current CHS assistant football coach Ryan King:

I played football with him for two years, I played baseball with him for one year and watched him on the court for two.

Mike was a very gifted athlete and was a great leader. He excelled in every sport and def was a big part in both basketball and football.

Mike was our QB when we went to the playoffs in 2005.

He played a huge role and I saw him improve as a QB from his junior year to his senior year.

He was a play-maker. He knew how to win and knew how to lead a team.

He was also one of our DB’s and always came up with the big plays when we needed it.

In basketball he was our Kobe; he was the guy who could take over a game and we would think there were times he couldn’t miss.

Taking over games was a specialty of our third inductee.

Messner excelled in multiple sports, but he goes in as a football player, because, like McDonald, he had a season for the ages.

For the guy many now know as Santa Claus, for his epic beard and smile, 1965 was the best of times and worst of times.

A senior captain for the Wolf gridiron squad, Messner abused rival tacklers in the first four games of the season, rolling to 185, 208, 223 and 154 yards on the ground.

Toss in long kickoff returns (he took one to the house for 90+ yards and six points) and huge tackling totals (he amassed 30 in just the first two games) and Messner was one of the best players in the state, not just on the Island.

Unfortunately, an injury early in game five basically brought his season to a finish on the spot, and Coupeville, which was 3-1 and ranked #7 in state polls, stumbled to the gate without their play-maker.

Still, 50 years later, what is remembered is not the end, but the month-long tango with the record book danced by Messner. It was a short run, but one that still echoes down through the decades.

That’s the same sort of impact employed by our fourth inductee, Burrows, who is being immortalized for a moment in time.

Jump to March 2, 2000, and the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball team, which has never won a game at the state tourney, enters the fourth quarter against Freeman trailing 37-26.

Then, history was made.

The Wolves roared back to life with a 20-5 fourth-quarter run, capped by Burrows, normally a defensive spark-plug, stepping up at crunch time to score her team’s final four points.

First, she took the ball, pump-faked the world and spun down the baseline for the biggest basket of her career.

Second, in the moment we’re honoring, she softly dropped in two pressure-packed free throws with just seconds to play, icing the 46-42 win and launching the most successful multi-year run in school history in any sport.

And third, she cracked her trademark laid-back grin, then went on with her life, letting others have the spotlight while she moved on to bigger and better things like becoming a super-successful mom.

“It is a fond memory and one that I will treasure forever,” she told me for a story about the 1999-2000 team. “It holds a special place in my heart because of my teammates and our spectacular coaches, who put so much into helping us succeed as a team and as individuals.”

Succeeding as an individual while sacrificing for team was what our final inductee did every day she stepped on the pitch.

Whether playing for the Wolves or select squads like the Whidbey Islanders, LeVine, who joins dad Sean in the Hall, could do it all.

She could score, she could pass, and, while she’s but a mighty mite, there might have been no tougher player in Cow Town.

“Two Fists” got her nickname (I like nicknames…) when she responded to a teammate being roughed up in a badly-called, dangerous game by challenging the offending rival players AND the blind ref to take it outside.

Of course, in typical Micky fashion, five minutes after the game she was sitting on top of a garbage can at Baskin-Robbins, ice cream in hand, smile covering her face.

Soccer has a very short history at CHS (and no real record book), but LeVine is assured a spot on the program’s Mount Rushmore, front and center.

She brought skill, class and guts to the pitch for all four years, and her impact, like that of her fellow inductees, will be felt for years to come.

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