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Posts Tagged ‘JV’

Son replaces dad as JV hoops coach

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

Hunter Smith drills a jumper back in the day. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coach can shoot.

Coupeville High School is reaching into its recent past to add to its coaching staff, with Hunter Smith coming out of retirement to take over the reigns of the JV boys basketball team.

Smith, a 2018 CHS grad, needs to be officially confirmed by the school board, but that’s 99.2% certain.

In a unique twist, Hunter replaces his dad, Chris Smith, who stepped down from the JV boys basketball job after moving off-Island.

The Wolf young guns will have a chance to learn from three of the program’s biggest stars of yesterday.

Smith rippled the nets for 847 points during his varsity hoops career, placing him 12th on the all-time CHS boys basketball scoring list.

Wolf varsity coach Brad Sherman is 8th on that chart, with 874 points, while volunteer assistant Greg White is 30th, having tallied 604 points on the high school hardwood.

In addition to his hoops highlights, Hunter Smith owns half the record board for CHS football, and was a star pitcher and shortstop for Wolf baseball.

The middle of Charlotte Young’s three children — trailing CJ and preceding Scout — Hunter holds the school’s career records for receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and interceptions.

He also holds single-season marks in all three of those categories, and the single-game record for receiving TD’s.

With the start of a pandemic-shortened basketball season just around the bend, Sherman and his assistants — longtime coach Randy Bottorff is helping out as well — are primed to go.

“Really excited to have Hunter coming onboard,” Sherman said. “To be able to bring in someone of such high character, who not only knows the game, but is passionate about the success of the program, is a huge win for our athletes.

“Hunter is a great fit to lead our JV team and I know the whole coaching staff can’t wait to get started in a couple weeks.”

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Big spikes, big win

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on April 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Grey Peabody dominated at the net as Wolf JV volleyball rolled to a win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They found their groove.

After coming from behind to win the opening set Saturday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad found a different gear, piling it on in a three-set sweep.

By the time the young Wolves were done, they had shellacked visiting Mount Vernon Christian 25-22, 25-5, 25-13 to run their record to 3-1 on the season.

And they did it by showcasing all the playing styles, going from being scrappy bar brawlers to dominating destroyers.

The afternoon opened with the two squads trapped in a down-and-dirty rumble, their first set featuring 10 different ties and a whole lot of mood changes.

Coupeville came out strongly, with nice service runs from Grey Peabody and Allison Nastali combining with strong work at the net from Jordyn Rogers and Issabel Johnson.

Up 13-6, the Wolves looked like they were rolling, but then the wheels got a bit wobbly.

The visiting Hurricanes not only rallied to catch up, they went ahead by as many as four points at 21-17.

Enter Allie and Maya Lucero, twins with sunny personalities and killer games, who lit a spark in Coupeville’s attack down the stretch, helping power an 8-1 close.

The biggest point in the rally came off the fingertips of Peabody, who went airborne and flicked a devastatingly-great tip for a winner which put the Wolves ahead for good.

Riding high on confidence after the first-set rally, Coupeville’s mighty mashers unloaded in the second set, with the Lucero twins combining to win 15 points on their serve as CHS shot out to a 16-1 lead.

Johnson delivered a gorgeous spike which hugged the line as it hit pay-dirt, then skidded away from a flailing Hurricane, while Peabody was at the top of her game at the net, dropping daggers disguised as tips.

Rogers closed out the set with a run of four straight points off her serve, including a screaming ace which used and abused a would-be returner, before Allie Lucero iced things with a tip which froze her foes in place.

With the win in hand, the third set was more for practice than anything else, but the Wolves never relented.

Nastali had a hot hand at the service stripe, Gwen Gustafson and Skylar Parker delivered nice hustle plays, and Olivia Schaffeld brought the heat with some nasty put-aways.

Johnson enjoyed an especially-strong finale, lacing winners which sliced ‘n diced the defense, while earning an enthusiastic “Yeah, baby!!” from her mom.

It was a reaction which fit perfectly on a day when the rising stars of the Wolf volleyball program brought their best effort to the floor for coach Ashley Menges.

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JV spikers rally for win

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on April 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville freshman Allison Nastali played strongly Thursday, sparking the Wolf JV spikers to a tense three-set road win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Grit and guts.

Pushed to the edge Thursday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad rallied for a huge road win, showcasing the resolve of the young Wolves.

It was edge-of-your-seat time in Darrington, as the road warriors from Cow Town pulled out a 25-8, 22-25, 16-14 thriller.

The win lifts the CHS spikers to 2-1 on the season, heading into a Saturday match at home against Mount Vernon Christian.

A day after her 20th birthday, Coupeville JV coach Ashley Menges got a big present from her team, as they dug down deep and played the way their leader did back when she wore a Wolf uniform.

“They played great in the first set,” Menges said. “Energy was high, everyone was playing very consistent, and they played well as a unit.”

Then came a brief detour into the wrong side of town, setting up the third-set rally.

“Second set Darrington came back with a vengeance, which was expected, but we just got too comfortable,” Menges said.

“Third set was also good, coming back from being in a deficit but overall was a great game, and a great way to respond from our previous game and our practice.”

Freshman Allison Nastali drew praise from her coach, as did several of her teammates.

“Allison did great being put in a new position and was very consistent on her serve!,” Menges said. “Olivia (Schaffeld) and Grey (Peabody) had some great swings in the middle as well.

“And Maya (Lucero) and Jordyn (Rogers) were very consistent on the outside attack.”

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Young spikers show promise

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on April 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Wolf freshman Skylar Parker played strongly Tuesday in Coupeville volleyball’s home opener. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Learn something new every day.

While the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad couldn’t topple powerhouse La Conner Tuesday, the young Wolves did get progressively better as the match proceeded.

Playing in their home opener, the CHS spikers fell 25-13, 25-16, 25-21, evening their early-season record at 1-1.

The Wolves get a chance to bounce right back, and put the lessons learned into full effect when they travel Thursday to Darrington.

Coupeville then closes a busy week of Northwest 2B/1B League action when it hosts Mount Vernon Christian Saturday.

La Conner’s varsity squad has won back-to-back 2B state titles, and its JV team is full of talented players looking to break into the higher ranks.

The Braves came out strong, but also benefited from a little trepidation from the Wolves.

“La Conner was a good team, but we played very slow at moments,” said Coupeville JV coach Ashley Menges.

Things improved as the night wore on, however, with the Wolves digging deep and finding a comfortable rhythm.

“We really emphasized playing consistent and letting them make the mistakes, which proved well in the third set,” Menges said.

“We improved from practice the day before which I was very happy with,” she added. “Everyone played great though.”

Gwen Gustafson “had some really great serve receive passes, as well as Skylar (Parker), and Grey (Peabody) was very aggressive at the net today.”

“Overall, it was a good game and a good learning opportunity!,” Menges said.

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Player to coach, Menges comes home

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on June 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Ashley Menges, flying high here, is returning to the CHS volleyball program, but as a coach this time. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Menges and Emma Smith enjoy their Senior Night during the 2018 season.

Smashley returns.

After a season on the sideline, former Coupeville High School volleyball ace Ashley Menges is rejoining the Wolf volleyball program, but as a coach this time.

Menges, who graduated from CHS in 2019 after a stellar four-year run of sets, digs, and kills, has been tabbed as the school’s JV spiker coach.

Her hire will be official after the School Board approves it.

Menges joins varsity coach Cory Whitmore, who is heading into his fifth season at the helm of the CHS volleyball program.

JV coach Chris Smith and C-Team coach Krimson Rector both stepped down during the offseason with an eye on pursuing other life goals.

For Menges, a volleyball lifer, the chance to coach at her alma mater, and in her favorite sport, is a thrill.

“It’ll be nice to be back in the gym during volleyball season!,” she said. “I’m very excited to work with all the girls.”

When I inducted Menges into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, this was part of what I wrote:

She could smoke service winners, flip end-over-end to save balls which looked like goners, soar into the heavens to smash spikes, and deliver perfect lil’ set-ups for her teammates to get the glory.

Through it all, the transcendent young woman who ended her career as a team captain, as a key player on back-to-back league title teams, as a state meet veteran who helped CHS to three straight 10+ win seasons, was pure class.

Menges is talented, is a firecracker on the floor, and worked as hard as anyone.

But it was her willingness to take on whatever role was necessary for the betterment of the team which made the biggest impression on those in the stands.

PS — If you have any doubt as to where I stand, I’ll close with this — this is a really great hire.

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