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Posts Tagged ‘La Conner’

Bow to our league, one and all

Posted in Football, soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on November 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville football is one of nine NWL fall sports teams still chasing state title dreams. (Bailey Thule photo)

Support your school, but also support your league.

While most of the readers of this blog want Coupeville High School sports teams to whomp on their rivals, there is some small satisfaction in seeing fellow Northwest 2B/1B League schools do well when they play outsiders.

Listen, all the titles should be hanging in the CHS gym, end of story.

But, if they can’t, when La Conner wins a state volleyball crown, or Orcas Island captures a boys soccer title, or Mount Vernon Christian girls’ basketball rules the hardwood, it helps builds a rep for the NWL.

We want people from far-flung locales to stop chattering about their own leagues and realize, “Hey, maybe we should learn some facts about the upper left corner of the state, cause those teams are kickin’ our sweet fannies.”

Coupeville comes first, but every time a fan from say, Kalama or Liberty (Spangle) goes quiet as their team loses to someone from our league, it’s a win for all of us in this region.

With that in mind, there are nine teams from six NWL schools still in there swinging for a state title.

Mount Vernon Christian (girls’ soccer, volleyball, boys’ soccer) tops the list, while Concrete is the lone league school with no shot left at hanging a new banner this fall.

Where NWL teams stand heading into this weekend:

 

BOYS SOCCER:

The NWL has three of the eight teams in the 2B/1B state tourney, with Friday Harbor seeded #1, defending state champ Orcas at #3, and Mount Vernon Christian at #7.

Orcas won the regular-season league crown, but Friday Harbor toppled the Vikings 2-1 in the bi-district championship game to claim front-runner status.

Fun fact – the top-seeded Wolverines have lost twice this season, and one of those was a 3-1 defeat while visiting Coupeville in late September.

Our seven-team league expands to nine schools for boys’ soccer, with Concrete and Darrington avoiding the pitch, while Grace Academy, Providence Classical Christian, Lopez Island, and Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood join the party.

Grace almost gave the NWL a fourth team at the season-ending tourney, but the Eagles were nipped 2-1 by Puget Sound Adventist in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.

 

FOOTBALL:

Coupeville stands alone, the league champs and seeded #7 in the 12-team 2B tourney.

The Wolves first state playoff game in 32 years is Saturday against Onalaska at Oak Harbor’s Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Darrington fell a game short of the big dance on the 1B side, blown out by Mossyrock in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.

 

GIRLS SOCCER:

The 2B/1B state tourney has 12 teams in the draw, with NWL champ Mount Vernon Christian seeded #2, behind just top-ranked Kalama.

Friday Harbor had a shot at joining the Hurricanes, but came up a win short, KO’d by Crosspoint Academy at bi-districts.

 

VOLLEYBALL:

Three-time defending 2B state champ La Conner heads back to Yakima, ranked #3 in a 16-team field after beating Coupeville in the bi-district final.

While there was just one ticket to state available for 2B teams in this region, it’s a far different tale over on the 1B side of things.

With a 20-team(!) state tourney, three NWL schools which were all handily beaten by Coupeville during the regular season advance to the SunDome.

MVC (#6), Orcas Island (#16), and Darrington (#19) are still alive, though the latter two teams do have to open with a loser-out match.

Win those rumbles, and the Vikings and Loggers join the double-elimination portion of the state tourney like the Hurricanes and La Conner.

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Spikers split swan song

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on November 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Wolf senior Alita Blouin played strongly Wednesday in her final high school volleyball matches. (Bailey Thule photo)

“They’re a special, special group.”

Coupeville High School volleyball coach Cory Whitmore walked away from the bi-district tourney Wednesday proud of the effort his team brought to their final matches.

The Wolves won’t advance to the state tourney, as they fell to three-time defending 2B champ La Conner in the final, after upending Northwest Christian of Lacey in the night’s opening match, but that doesn’t take any of the shine off what CHS accomplished.

“There is just so much to say about how this incredible team finished their season,” Whitmore said. “So much fight, so much heart and a lot of belief.

“When we started the season, we talked a lot about making sure that we were peaking and playing our best at the right time, and we can without a doubt walk away knowing we did just that.”

With the split at bi-districts, Coupeville finishes 10-6, nabbing double-digit wins for the sixth time in seven seasons under Whitmore’s guidance.

The only time the Wolves failed to reach that mark? That was 2020, when Covid shortened the season to just nine matches.

While the Wolves lose seniors Alita Blouin, Jill Prince, Maddie Georges, Taygin Jump, and Ryanne Knoblich, six of the other eight girls to see varsity action this season were just sophomores.

How Wednesday played out:

 

Northwest Christian:

Coupeville dominated at the net, picking up six block assists and a solo block in a 25-18, 25-16, 25-15 win.

Northwest Christian entered the night at 12-3 and was the top seed from District 2, but the Wolves showed no fear.

“We took a little bit to find our groove in the first set, going back and forth with the Wolverines,” Whitmore said. “But we did a great job of finding a way to get loose and create separation.

“Our passing was so strong all night and this allowed us to get our middles going.”

Wolf junior Grey Peabody “was so efficient and big at the net” as she pounded out 10 kills on 19 swings.

Coupeville also dropped daggers from the service stripe, ripping off 13 aces with just four errors.

Georges paced the Wolves, peppering Northwest Christian with five aces, while Jump and Madison McMillan added three apiece.

“Northwest Christian never let up and we had to earn our points,” Whitmore said. “It was a great way to start out district play.”

Maddie Georges bows out after a stellar four-year run. (Bailey Thule photo)

 

La Conner:

The Wolves struggled to contain the Braves power hitters during their regular-season matchups, but Wednesday night they stood tall.

La Conner eventually escaped with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-13 win, but Braves coach Suzanne Marble, wrapping her 30th, and final, season at the school, offered praise for the Wolves in the Skagit Valley Herald.

“Coupeville came out with everything they had,” Marble said. “And we had a rough time getting in a groove.”

With nothing to lose, and only one ticket to state in play this year for Districts 1 and 2 — it’ll be two next season — the Wolves brought the heat.

“I’m so proud of this team for their performance, and while it didn’t end the way we hoped, we played them tougher than we ever have,” Whitmore said.

“Our gameplan was to take aggressive swings, push them back with our serves and make sure to create chaos on their side, allowing us to dig up as much as we could – the girls did just that.”

Regardless of which players were on the floor at any given time, the Wolves showed grit and determination.

“Everyone really filled their roles and adjusted when we needed them to,” Whitmore said. “La Conner had to really earn their points this time – we averaged 14.6 digs per set, which is big time against a team like that; I’m so proud of our tenacity.”

“From those digs and strong passing, we averaged 11 kills per set,” he added.

“And like I said before, I’m just so proud of the improvement and we played our best when our best was needed.”

The end of a season almost always means players are leaving, and Whitmore will look back fondly on this year’s veterans.

“There is just so much to say about our five outgoing seniors,” he said. “They have worked so incredibly hard with me to build the culture that we have now and I’m so grateful to them and their families.

“All five came up big last night but they have been coming up big for years now, and I am going to miss them like crazy.

“They leave a huge impact on our younger players and a tone that will help us continue to push and build.”

 

Wednesday stats:

Alita Blouin — 1 kill, 28 digs, 3 assists, 2 aces
Mia Farris — 7 kills, 1 dig
Maddie Georges — 1 kill, 12 digs, 52 assists, 8 aces, 1 block assist
Taygin Jump — 2 kills, 10 digs, 3 aces
Ryanne Knoblich — 14 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace, 1 block assist
Katie Marti — 2 digs, 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 5 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces
Grey Peabody — 19 kills, 1 dig, 2 block assists, 1 solo block
Jill Prince — 12 kills, 3 digs, 1 block assist
Lyla Stuurmans — 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 block assist

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Spikes fly with state berth at stake

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Once she gets her shoe on, Madison McMillan is coming for all the kills. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

CHS coach Cory Whitmore plots strategy.

Three teams, one gym, one ticket to state.

Three-time defending 2B state champ La Conner hosts this year’s District 1/2 volleyball tournament, kicking off the final run of coach Suzanne Marble’s 30-year career.

The event is set for Wednesday, Nov. 2 with Coupeville and Northwest Christian of Lacey attempting to play spoiler, while knowing next season our region gets two slots at the state tournament.

This time around, though, there’s just one berth at stake, making a potential path to success much more dangerous.

The set-up is simple — Coupeville and Northwest Christian play at 5 PM in a loser-out match, with the winner advancing to spar with La Conner at approximately 6:45 for a trip to state.

 

Ticket prices:

Adults or students without ASB – $8
Children (5-12) – $6
Senior Citizen (62+) – $6
Students with ASB – $6

 

Tickets can be purchased in person or online at:

https://gofan.co/app/events/762383?schoolId=WA86277

 

Team capsules:

 

Coupeville

Season record: 9-5

Sets W/L: 31-21

League: Northwest 2B/1B

Trips to state: Five (Most recent: 2017)

Coach: Cory Whitmore

Seniors: Alita Blouin, Maddie Georges, Taygin Jump, Ryanne Knoblich, Jill Prince

Mascot: Wolves

 

La Conner

Season record: 13-3

Sets W/L: 39-9

League: Northwest 2B/1B

Trips to state: 30, including six state titles (Most recent: 2021)

Coach: Suzanne Marble

Seniors: Josie Harper, Makayla Herrera, Ellie Marble, Kennedy Miller

Mascot: Braves

 

Northwest Christian

Season record: 12-3

Sets W/L: 38-20

League: Sea-Tac 1B/2B

Trips to state: Two (Most recent: 2011)

Coach: Jack Lizee

Seniors: Erin Boogerd, Alex Ceniza, Katie Mack

Mascot: Wolverines

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JV spikers slay the beast

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Issabel Johnson and Co. are coming for all the wins. (Bailey Thule photo)

The future belongs to them.

As well as the present.

Sending a shockwave across the region, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad finally took down the big dogs Tuesday night.

After narrowly falling short in their two previous attempts, the Wolves not only beat visiting La Conner, but they also swept the Braves right out of the CHS gym.

Winning 25-16, 25-18, 25-15, Coupeville’s young guns wrap a season in which they went 8-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 12-2 overall.

The victory also serves notice to La Conner, which has been the undisputed heavyweight champ of the NWL for decades.

While the Braves JV has not been as flawless as the La Conner varsity, you can count the number of league losses the second squad has taken on one hand … and still have most of your fingers left.

Third-year Coupeville JV coach Ashley Menges and her spikers have been getting closer and closer to unseating their big-game rivals, and Tuesday night everything clicked.

The Wolves exploded out of the gate, thanks to Katie Marti, Taylor Brotemarkle, and Teagan Calkins cranking away from the service stripe, while Jada Heaton stalked the net, ready to inflict damage on anything which came her way.

Jada Heaton abuses the volleyball. (Bailey Thule photo)

Up 17-6 at one point, with La Conner’s coaching staff sitting stunned and slumped in their chairs, Coupeville never let the Braves have a moment to consider a comeback.

Two big kills from Calkins, including a buzzsaw of a slicer on set point, sent the Wolf faithful into pandemonium, and they never had a reason to calm down after that.

Set two was a little closer — the Wolves actually trailed early at 6-5 — but once CHS regained the lead, it held fast.

Tip winners from Marti and Calkins helped stretch a one-point lead out to nine points, while Brotemarkle couldn’t be contained as she fired darts and daggers on her serve.

With the win in hand for Coupeville, the teams played a third set for practice — a quirk seemingly reserved for the world of JV volleyball.

Riding an emotional high, then getting a floor-buckling kill from Aby Wood and long service runs from Marti and Johnson, the Wolves kept the joyous fire in their hearts raging.

Oktober Frost came off the bench to delight the crowd with several strong serves, while Heaton mashed the volleyball like it had personally insulted her.

The message was clear, and loudly delivered.

Coupeville’s young spikers are here to dominate, today and tomorrow.

You’ve been warned, world.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 6 digs, 5 aces
Carly Burt — 1 dig
Teagan Calkins — 4 kills, 5 aces
Jada Heaton — 4 kills, 1 assist
Issabel Johnson — 4 kills, 3 digs, 3 aces
Katie Marti — 3 kills, 3 digs, 12 assists, 6 aces
Chloe Marzocca — 2 digs
Grier Mooney — 1 dig, 2 aces
Aby Wood — 2 kills

Aby Wood is all smiles after a strong season. (Bailey Thule photo)

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Pitch warriors grab must-have win

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on October 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Preston Epp punched in two goals Tuesday, lifting Coupeville to a win. (Morgan White photo)

They’re still alive.

Bouncing back from a weekend loss, the Coupeville High School boys soccer squad righted the ship, nipping visiting La Conner 2-1 Tuesday night.

The Senior Night victory was huge and lifts the Wolves to 3-4 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-7 overall heading into the regular season finale.

That game arrives Thursday, when CHS travels to Orcas Island to face the defending state champs, who are 6-0 in conference action, 11-1 overall.

Five of the nine schools who play boys soccer in the NWL make it to the playoffs, and Orcas, Mount Vernon Christian, and Friday Harbor have clinched berths, while winless Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood is DOA.

After that it’s a big mess, with five teams, including Coupeville, vying for the last two slots.

An upset of Orcas would be huge for the Wolves, but, for the moment, they’ll bask in the afterglow of toppling the Braves.

They did so with sophomore Preston Epp rattling home both of his team’s goals, giving him five tallies on the season.

“He was great all night,” said Coupeville coach Robert Wood, who went on to praise the work put in by his entire roster.

“The Wolves FINALLY realize that if you play the game like you practice the game then good things happen,” he said.

“They played amazing – controlling, confident, with purpose in a must-win game.”

While the game was a bit of a nailbiter, Coupeville’s players never cracked under pressure.

“Not without mistakes, but they knew what to do when it happens,” Wood said. “And how to transition the game back in their favor.”

Along with the win, Coupeville used the evening to honor seniors Reiley Araceley, Aidan Wilson, Cameron Epp, and Grant Steller.

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