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Posts Tagged ‘Kalia Littlejohn’

Middle school track returns to blow your mind!!

Posted in Middle School, Track, tagged , , on May 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Kalia Littlejohn, kickin' your butt at any sport you choose. (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)

Kalia Littlejohn, kickin’ your butt at any sport you choose. (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)

The next pack of Wolf track stars is here, and they’ve got talent to burn.

Competing in the first meet of the season, Coupeville Middle School captured 15 titles Wednesday at a three-team meet in Langley.

And with six of those titles coming from the 7th grade girls, that squad bounced Lakewood and Langley to capture the team title.

Sprinter Kalia Littlejohn and thrower Maddy Hilkey were two-event winners for the 7th grade girls’ squad, while 7th grade boys Ty Eck and Chris Battaglia were the big winners on the male side.

Battaglia took home three titles, winning the 1600 and high jump, while also running a leg on a victorious 4 x 200 relay team.

Complete results:

GIRLS:

100 (7th) — Allison Jungman (5th) 16.23

100 (8th) — Kyla Briscoe (3rd) 14.97; Abby Parker (5th) 15.29; Allison Wenzel (6th) 15.46; Payton Aparicio (7th) 16.00; Maggie Crimmins (12th) 16.97

200 (7th) — Lindsey Roberts (2nd) 32.14; Ashlie Shank (3rd) 32.63

200 (8th) — Mckenzie Meyer (3rd) 32.12; Aparicio (4th) 32.80

400 (7th) — Kalia Littlejohn (1st) 1:14.84

400 (8th) — Sage Renninger (2nd) 1:12.46

800 (7th) — Reed Richards (1st) 3:01.78

800 (8th) — Parker (3rd) 2:53.59

1600 (7th) — Roberts (1st) 6:47.34

75 hurdles (7th) — Roberts (2nd) 14.70; Littlejohn (3rd) 14.80; Richards (5th) 15.90

75 hurdles (8th) — Lauren Bayne (4th) 14.50; Wenzel (5th) 14.70

4 x 100 Relay (8th) — Hayley Dauphinais, Parker, Wenzel, Bayne (3rd) 1:02.50

4 x 200 Relay (8th) — Aparicio, Meyer, Renninger, Briscoe (1st) 2:10.59

Shot Put (7th) — Maddy Hilkey (1st) 20-03.75; Moira Reed (2nd) 18-02.25; Emma Smith (5th) 15-08.75

Shot Put (8th) — Ashley Smith (1st) 21-00

Discus (7th) — Hilkey (1st) 48-11; E. Smith (2nd) 39-06, Reed (5th) 23-01

Discus (8th) — A. Smith (14

High Jump (7th) — Littlejohn (1st) 3-08; Richards (3rd) 3-06; E. Smith (4th) 3-06

High Jump (8th) — Bayne (5th) 4-00; Crimmins (13th) 3-06

Long Jump (8th) — Briscoe (3rd) 11-09; Meyer (6th) 11-04; Parker (10th) 9-10; Crimmins (14th) 8-09.50

BOYS:

100 (7th) — Gabe Eck (4th) 13.96; Teo Keilwitz (6th) 14.68; Seth David (9th) 15.81; Ethan Kedrowski (12th) 18.30

100 (8th) — Coleby Fleming (6th) 13.78

200 (7th) — Ty Eck (1st) 28.56

200 (8th) — Henry Wynn (2nd) 27.36; Jacob Smith (3rd) 27.78; Lawrence Boado (6th) 28.99; Fleming (7th) 29.24

400 (8th) — J. Smith (1st) 1:04.22; Noah Allison (2nd) 1:09.14

1600 (7th) — Chris Battaglia (1st) 5:36.38

1600 (8th) — Wynn (1st) 5:36.47; Boado (2nd) 5:40.77; Allison (3rd) 5:48.2

110 Hurdles (8th) — Cameron Toomey-Stout (1st) 20.12; Allison (2nd) 21.15

4 x 100 Relay (8th) — Wynn, Allison, Boado, Fleming (2nd) 54.09

4 x 200 Relay (7th) — Battaglia, Uriah Kastner, G. Eck, T. Eck (1st) 2:01.36

4 x 200 Relay (8th) — Hunter Downes, Boado, J. Smith, Wynn (2nd) 2:00.28

Shot Put (7th) —Alex Turner (5th) 20-10.50

Shot Put (8th) — Luke Carlson (5th) 27-07.50

Discus (7th) — Keilwitz (4th) 46-09; Turner (8th) 38-07; Kedrowski (9th) 28-02

Discus (8th) — Carlson (3rd) 76-08; J.T. Quinn (7th) 55-04

High Jump (7th) — Battaglia (1st) 4-04; T. Eck (3rd) 4-04

High Jump (8th) — J. Smith (4th) 4-02; Toomey-Stout (4th) 4-02; Downes (7th) 4-00

Long Jump (7th) — G. Eck (2nd) 14-02; Battaglia (3rd) 14-01; T. Eck (4th) 12-11; Kastner (5th) 12-10; David (10th) 10-4.50; Kedrowski (12th) 8-05

Long Jump (8th) — Toomey-Stout (4th) 13-07.50; Downes (9th) 11-08; Quinn (12th) 9-10

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Hoops star to business whiz, Zepher Loesch keeps on keepin’ on!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Golf, Where are they now?, tagged , , , , , on March 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Zepher Loesch (Photos courtesy Tom Loesch)

Zepher Loesch (Photos courtesy Tom Loesch)

Breakin' ankles and takin' names while playing college ball.

Breakin’ ankles and takin’ names in college.

The early days of a gym rat.

Birth of a gym rat.

Loesch with sisters Mia (left) and Kalia in 2008. (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)

Loesch with sisters Mia (left) and Kalia in 2008. (Dawn Hesselgrave photo)

Duct tape made Zepher Loesch a better basketball player.

The 2009 Coupeville High School grad, who could shoot out the lights during his days as a Wolf and went on to play college ball at Linfield, was the very definition of a gym rat.

He and teammate Cody Peters would have lived on the basketball court if allowed. So, they did a little something extra from time to time to make sure they got more time in the gym than the authorities were giving them.

“Coach (Randy) King, (Ron) Bagby and (Willie) Smith were constantly kicking Cody and I out of the gym, and we knew it was coming but that was our life at that point and time,” Loesch said. “Sometimes we’d put duct tape on the inside of the door so we could get into the gym early before coaches or teachers showed up.”

That dedication paid off, as Loesch, even after missing a huge chunk of his senior season with a broken hand, earned Cascade Conference honors during a season in which the Wolves pulled off a milestone win that has stayed with him.

After dropping their first five meetings with league power King’s, the Wolves shocked the Knights 54-52 in double overtime Jan. 30, 2009, proving once and for all Coupeville could play with the big boys.

Loesch was a two-sport star, teeing it up with the Oak Harbor High School golf team (since CHS doesn’t field a team), but hoops was the driving force in his life.

“Basketball is and always will be my favorite,” Loesch said. “Academics taught me the basics, but basketball was my avenue for it all. If I didn’t have above a 3.2 I couldn’t play sports. It was the only way my parents could get me out of the gym and into the classroom.

“I can definitely say that the life I had through basketball and the events it carried me through are what effected they way I live my life more than anything except my family’s own impact.”

He credits teachers (“Mrs. (Barbara) Ballard and Mr. (Kyle) Nelson were the first ones that challenged me enough to pay any attention in class; their classes were more difficult then some college classes simply because you could tell it was their goal to prepare kids for college”) and his family for helping shape him.

“My father (Tom Loesch) taught me everything I needed to know to compete competitively and my mom (Dawn Hesselgrave) taught me all the basics starting from a younger age,” Loesch said.

His friendship with Peters, the big man in the paint next to his three-point bombing presence on the perimeter, was, and remains, a huge part of his life.

“Cody is and always will be like a brother to me,” Loesch said. “Off the court we are two totally different people but we grew up doing what we both loved more than anything at the time; no one can change that.

“We have been teammates forever and it’s something that will never change.”

He learned early, though, that no one can drive a person to success quite as much as the guy looking back at you in the mirror.

“You have to push yourself harder than anyone else will push you to make it to the next level,” Loesch said. “No one will make you get there, you have to take it upon yourself. There is an answer to every excuse.”

After playing college ball at Linfield, Loesch moved into the financial industry, first in Bellevue and now in the sunny surroundings of Maui.

He’s a busy guy, juggling work as an investment analyst for Wealth Strategy Partners with growing his own company, All Island Printworks and Design — now the largest custom merchandise manufacturing company in Hawaii.

While he’s far away from Coupeville these days, Loesch does keep a proud eye on the growth of younger sisters Mia and Kalia Littlejohn, who have torn up the courts as CMS players.

The pair learned their style of playing (New Jersey street ball style is what I call it, and I’m stickin’ with that) from their older brother, who schooled them on the court from an early age. Watching them burn down the nets, he couldn’t be happier.

“I hope they remember my sisters more than they will ever remember me,” Loesch said. “These years are about them; they have worked hard since they could walk to be athletes and I have no doubt in my mind that they’ll be in the record books.

“It feels great to know they are successful at what they love to do and that they allocate some of that towards myself,” he added. “They will both out-perform anything I ever did very easily; I couldn’t express how proud of them I am.”

Seeing their confidence and swagger on the court reminds him of his own days in the red and black. Never back down, never give up, never give in — all family traits.

“They won’t let anyone out hustle or out work them,” Loesch said. “The crazy part to me is how easy it is for them right now.

“They are a lot like me in the sense that they perform when they need to perform; I am excited to see how they perform outside of school ball where the competition is much more realistic to the next level,” he added. “Mia and Kalia are everything to me, just to see them starting to be successful is more than enough for me.”

And when he does see them, he’ll be a dutiful older brother and continue to impress on them the lessons he learned.

“Confidence is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you,” Loesch said. “This is something I tried to instill in my little sisters since they were toddlers; it has definitely stuck as they play with an attitude day in and day out.

“As a family we take pride in that.”

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Littlejohn’s her name, but her game is big!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on March 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

Kalia Littlejohn (Dawn Hesselgrave photos)

Kalia Littlejohn (Dawn Hesselgrave photos)

Kalia and Mia hanging out with big bro Zepher Loesch, circa 2008.

Kalia and Mia Littlejohn hanging out with big bro Zepher Loesch, circa 2008.

Kalia Littlejohn, the fiery spark-plug who kick-starts the 7th grade offense. (John Fisken photos)

“This is my court, fool!!” (John Fisken photo)

Kalia Littlejohn never stops moving on the basketball court.

The Coupeville Middle School 7th grader, who is celebrating her birthday today, zips back and forth relentlessly when she is in a game.

Whether running the Wolf offense from the point, where she is a constant danger to slash to the bucket, or playing an elbow-swingin’ defense that results in more than her fair share of picked off passes, balls knocked out of bounds and frustrated foes, she’s dynamic.

It’s a family style, as older siblings Mia Littlejohn (a CMS 8th grader) and Zepher Loesch (a former CHS standout) play the same way.

An in-your-face, what-you-gonna-do-about-it-cry-to-your-momma style that looks like they just stepped off a street court in Jersey, injecting a nice shot of grit and confidence into laid-back Coupeville.

Kalia developed her style trying to keep up with her older brother, who went on to play ball after high school (“I have played basketball for a very long time. Zepher would always play with us outside.”) and has grown to love the game.

“What I enjoy the most about basketball is the feeling you have when you have that lay up or that shot and you just hope it goes in, that challenge to get the ball in that basket,” Littlejohn said. “Oh, and I “LOVE” defending. I think one of my strengths is defending.”

While she’s already ahead of the average player at her grade level, she’s always looking to get better.

“What I want to work on is everything,” Littlejohn said. “Because I think there’s always room for improving.

“What I want to improve the most is dribbling and shooting.”

Basketball is not her only sport, as Littlejohn and her older sister have both played select soccer for many years. She also played volleyball for CMS and plans to run track in the spring.

A big fan of hip hop and country, she picks math as her favorite class “because it’s challenging” and enjoys “spending time with family, listening to music or sleeping.”

With a family full of athletes (step-brother Wiley Hesselgrave, a sophomore at CHS, is a football and basketball star as well), Littlejohn gets tremendous support, allowing her to stay dedicated to her sports.

“My whole family has been an impact on the person that I am today,” she said. “My brother, Zepher, has been a huge impact in basketball. Also my dad was a big impact in my sports.

“My mom (Dawn Hesselgrave) takes me everywhere we need to go and has been a big help in soccer,” Littlejohn added. “But she can still beat me in soccer, sadly.”

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Scrappy Wolves cut Northshore down to size!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , on February 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Waiting for a teammate to get open.

Lauren Rose had a hot hand early Monday, swishing three sweet first-half jumpers. (John Fisken photo)

Mia Littlejohn was on fire Monday.

Hitting shots from all angles, including a long three-point bomb from the left side one second after a horrified voice from the stands boomed out “No! She’s not ready for that!!” (spoiler: she was), the Coupeville Middle School eighth grader rained down 18 points against visiting Northshore.

That would have been enough to force overtime on her own.

But, with five other Wolves scoring and every player up and down the roster mixing hustle with grit, Coupeville ran away from a much bigger foe, pounding them 33-18.

In warmups, the visitors from Everett looked more dangerous than they turned out to be. With a roster that looked more like a high school squad, they cut an imposing figure.

Then Littlejohn, Lauren Rose and Co. quickly cut them down to size.

Combining for all 11 of their team’s first half points, with Rose scorching the net with three beautiful jumpers from the right side, the duo staked Coupeville to an 11-8 halftime lead.

Northshore, which had actually cut into the lead with the final two baskets in the first half, put a rebound back up and in and seemed to make it a game at 11-10.

Kyla Briscoe’s fingertips had other ideas, however.

Out-jumping a defender, Briscoe hauled down a rebound and spun right back to the hoop for a quick bucket, kicking off a game-busting 12-2 run.

The Wolves mixed inside plays from Sage Renninger with Littlejohn outrunning and outgunning Northshore defenders who found themselves two steps behind the speedy guard as she bolted from one end of the court to the other.

One second she was there, the next she was past them, flying at the hoop with single-minded intensity.

Setting her up was the three-headed rebounding machine of Renninger, Briscoe and Katrina McGranahan, who controlled the boards and kicked off numerous second chances.

McGranahan was a beast on defense as well, shutting down Northshore’s bigs and proudly using all of her five fouls to maximum effect before leaving the game to a well-deserved ovation from her bench.

Coupeville closed like pros, shredding the Northshore defense with long inbound passes flung by softball sensation McGranahan. Littlejohn and Rose consistently broke free to net the lobs, and a frustrated visiting squad had to frequently foul to stop breakaway layups.

The Wolves took advantage, netting six free throws as they slammed the door shut with a game-closing 10-1 surge.

Littlejohn (18) and Rose (6) led the scoring chart, while Renninger (3), McGranahan (2), Briscoe (2) and Payton Aparicio (2) rounded out the scorers.

7th grade varsity falls: One bad quarter killed the CMS 7th grade squad, as a 13-2 second quarter deficit was the difference in a 34-20 loss.

Coupeville’s best run came midway through the third quarter until late in the fourth, when they launched a 14-5 rally to trim the lead from 19 back to 10.

Kalia Littlejohn popped for six of her team-high 11 during the run, while Sarah Wright and Hope Lodell each banged home a pair of buckets.

Wright tallied five for the game and dominated on the boards, ripping rebounds free and refusing to surrender the ball once she had her hands anywhere near it.

Soaring in the fourth quarter, Lodell swished a sweet runner off of an inbounds play, netted an assist on a pass to a cutting Littlejohn, then put a rebound back up and in for her second basket.

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