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Posts Tagged ‘La Conner’

“I’m really proud of the entire team!”

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Wolves stand strong at the net. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Times have changed.

For a very long time, La Conner High School volleyball was the beast of the Northwest 2B/1B League, a virtually unstoppable hitting machine that never lost in conference play.

Like never-ever for a decade-plus.

But times have changed.

Taking control of their own destiny, Coupeville’s varsity spikers strolled into La Conner’s gym Tuesday and seized the title of the new big-bad on the block.

Whacking the Braves 25-14, 25-19, 25-15, the Wolves hand their nemesis a loss in league play for the second-straight season.

CHS also gets to 3-0 in conference action, 4-0 overall, and has yet to drop a set.

Tuesday’s win sets up a major rumble Thursday, when fellow unbeaten Darrington (1-0, 5-0) visits Coupeville.

It’s the only time the Wolves will face the Loggers this season, as Cory Whitmore’s squad plays twice against the other four 2B schools in the NWL, but just once against 1B rivals Concrete and Darrington.

But that titanic tilt is still two days away.

For now, the Wolves can bask in the afterglow of a definitive win, achieved in the gym where a dynasty was built.

“It was a fun night on the road, and pretty exciting to get the win on their home court and do it in three,” Whitmore said.

“For the most part, we played pretty clean, which is what made up most of our scouting report.”

Coupeville knows its history, and the Wolves came prepared.

“We knew that their identity was to limit errors and attack smart,” Whitmore said.

“Our scouting report was to anticipate stuff going wide and be ready to outlast them until we can be in-rhythm to attack full-force.

“A La Conner team is going to make you earn your points and we did just that.”

The victory was a true team win, from the players on the floor, to the players who sell out every practice getting their compatriots primed for action.

“I’m really proud of the entire team,” Whitmore said. “Each did their role when called upon and I thought we also made small adjustments really well; our experience really showed tonight.

“I have to give an early shoutout to Chloe Marzocca, Aby Wood, and Carly Burt – they are a big part of getting ready, and so while they may not always see the court on gameday, their work is essential for us to be successful.”

Katie Marti directs traffic.

Wolf setter Katie Marti “did a great job of mixing up our hitting options when needed but also making the smart set for the highest pay off,” something which really drove the offense.

Popping note-perfect passes to her mighty mashers, who came in swinging hot ‘n heavy, the ever-peppy senior kept Coupeville on the attack, and La Conner on the defensive.

Given the chance to pound the ball, the Wolf big hitters did just that.

“Lyla (Stuurmans) and Teagan (Calkins) led the way with kills, but it was also their protection of the ball that made them so successful,” Whitmore said.

“Just those two combined for a .426 attack efficiency,” he added.

“It is impossible to be able to run through the middle (Lyla) and get the ball to the right side (Teagan) without really strong passing, and this is where we also excelled.”

Taylor Brotemarkle gets low to scrape a ball off the floor.

Putting the cherry on the sundae was the team’s nearly flawless work at the service stripe.

“A clean service game, committing only four service errors, helped to start off our defense in a strong position,” Whitmore said.

Now it’s on to the next match, always with an eye on improving, and maintaining their hot start.

“As a coaching staff, we have identified a couple areas that we could stand to improve upon,” Whitmore said.

“But the girls can be proud of having made this step, and we’ll now set our sights on preparing for Darrington on Thursday.”

 

Schedule change:

An issue with the ferry system has erased a non-conference road trip to Forks, originally set for Sept. 30.

The Wolf varsity will replace that rumble with a showdown with Okanogan Oct. 11 at Liberty High School in Spangle.

Coupeville was already traveling that direction, as it is slated to play in the Liberty Tournament the next day.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 5 digs
Teagan Calkins — 11 kills, 4 digs, 1 block assist, 3 aces
Mia Farris — 6 kills, 13 digs, 1 ace
Jada Heaton — 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 ace
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 9 digs, 33 assists
Madison McMillan — 7 kills, 13 digs, 2 aces
Lyla Stuurmans — 14 kills, 8 digs, 1 assist, 1 block assist, 5 aces
Tenley Stuurmans — 1 ace

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JV spikers rebound, net big road win

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Adeline Maynes (left) and Sydney Van Dyke delivered big performances Tuesday as Coupeville’s JV swept La Conner. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

A little bump in the road? No big thing.

Bouncing back from a razor-thin loss in its last match, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad delivered an epic message Tuesday night.

Invading the gym in which a dynasty was built, the hungry Wolves savaged host La Conner in straight sets, getting big contributions from everyone on the floor.

The 25-9, 26-24, 20-18 win lifts CHS to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-1 overall.

While her team came up just short against Mount Vernon Christian in its last match, JV spiker guru Ashley Menges saw a big turnaround. And it pleased her.

“First set looked so clean,” she said. “We’re applying things we’ve learned in practice, things were going really well all the way through.

“Set two we let off the gas a little and got a little complacent, but it was a good lesson to learn how to dig ourselves out of holes.”

Coupeville had nine different players rack up stats Tuesday, a balanced effort Menges loves to see.

“Lots of really good things tonight,” she said. “Lots of players that are starting to show promising things.”

Rockin’ and rollin.

Menges praised the effort of freshmen Isa Mc Fetridge and Chelsi Stevens, who was placed in a new position “and did great filling in where the team needed her.”

The wham-bam duo of Dakota Strong and Lexis Drake combined for 14 kills, joining up with Capri Anter, who carved up the Braves for eight put-aways of her own.

La Conner often didn’t know where the ball was coming from, but they knew it was coming back over the net hard and fast.

“Dakota and Lexi had a really strong night at the net, being consistent as well as keeping their focuses that they work on in practice,” Menges said.

“Overall, lots of really good things and it’s always nice to walk out of that gym with a win.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 8 kills, 6 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 15 digs, 1 assist, 4 aces
Lexis Drake — 8 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces
Adeline Maynes — 3 kills, 1 dig, 8 assists, 8 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 1 ace
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 6 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 1 kill, 5 digs, 10 assists, 2 aces
Sydney Van Dyke — 3 kills, 4 digs, 1 assist, 4 aces

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One mission done, another begins

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on May 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cole White and friends are a win away from returning to the state tourney. (Morgan White photo)

It’s been an unusual season, but the second half has been all highlight reel, all the time.

After holding off host La Conner 8-4 Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad ends the regular season having won seven of its last eight games.

The Wolves were missing their top player for much of the season thanks to an injury, then lost their cleanup hitter when he moved away midseason.

And yet, CHS finishes the regular season at 9-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 10-8 overall.

Now, the Wolves are off until Saturday, May 11, when they travel to Lakewood High School for the District 1/2 tourney.

Coupeville is the #1 seed and will play a winner-to-state, loser-out game against the survivor of a game from earlier in the day.

You can see the bracket here:

https://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4409

Coupeville, which rose from the bottom of the NWL to the top during the second half of the season, closed regular season play in style.

Building an 8-0 lead as the bottom of the order rapped out base knock after base knock, the Wolves gave pitcher Seth Woollet plenty of room to operate, and he responded.

The senior hurler whiffed five over seven innings of work, and was especially effective in the middle stages, retiring the Braves 1-2-3 in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

CHS got on the scoreboard early, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first, thanks to three walks, a La Conner wild pitch, and a big RBI single from sophomore slugger Camden Glover.

The Wolves doubled their lead in the fourth, as Coop Cooper whacked a double to left, then scooted home on a wild pitch.

Coop Cooper crunched a pair of hits in the regular season finale. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Two batters later, Chase Anderson, whose late-season return from injury has given the lineup an extra spark, launched a sac fly to plate Landon Roberts and it was 4-0.

Run-scoring hits off the bats of Glover and Woollet helped shove the lead all the way out to 8-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth, and while La Conner rallied a bit, time ran out on the Braves.

Coupeville threw out a runner trying to steal, pulled off a key double play in the sixth, then ended the game with Woollet inducing a final fly ball which settled softly into the glove of Aiden O’Neill as he patrolled the outfield.

Now the Wolves have some time to marinate in their late-season success before they attempt to punch their ticket to state for the second straight season under coach Steve Hilborn.

The last time a CHS baseball team went to the big dance in back-to-back seasons was 1990-1991.

 

Thursday stats:

Chase Anderson — One walk
Peyton Caveness — One walk
Coop Cooper — One double, one single
Camden Glover — One double, one single, one walk
Jack Porter — Two walks
Johnny Porter — Two singles
Landon Roberts — One single, one walk
Cole White — Two walks
Seth Woollet — Two singles

“Hello, my old friend, we meet again.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Calkins crushes, Wolves romp

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on May 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“It’s time, Sir Reginald, time for us to once more go forth and destroy the hopes and dreams of our rivals.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The “Red Dragon” can only be stopped one way — by being forced to sit on the bench.

Put Teagan Calkins in the game, and the Coupeville High School sophomore catcher is going to start popping her biceps and beatin’ the crud out of the softball.

It is just the way of her people.

So, Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan parked his excitable star in the dugout for half of Thursday’s game at La Conner — AFTER she launched yet another home run — and gave nearly everyone on the roster a chance to join in the assault.

Even after giving up numerous outs by having runners intentionally leave base early, the Wolves crushed the host Braves 14-0 in a game mercy-ruled after five innings.

The victory, in which 13 CHS players reached base, lifts the Wolves to 9-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 12-4 overall.

They won’t get a chance to make up a rained-out game against NWL rival Concrete but will play two home non-conference tilts as they prep for the playoffs.

First up is a visit from Nooksack Valley Friday, followed by a rematch against South Whidbey May 10.

After that, Coupeville, the top team in District 1, heads off to Centralia May 18 to play a District 4 team in a winner-to-state, loser-out playoff rumble.

Shania Kenney was one of nine Wolves to rip a hit Thursday in La Conner. (Claire Kalwies-Anderson photo)

Thursday’s game in La Conner was one-sided in every way, as Wolf pitchers Adeline Maynes, Haylee Armstrong, and Capri Anter combined to toss a one-hitter, whiffing nine Braves.

Maynes, already an ace as just an 8th grader, retired all six batters she faced.

Coupeville, by contrast, couldn’t be stopped on offense, rapping out 14 hits and piling up 12 walks.

The Wolves plated six runners in the top of the first, not getting their first out until batter #7.

Walks to Armstrong and Sydney Van Dyke set the table, with Taylor Brotemarkle, Madison McMillan, Calkins, and Bailey Thule thumping consecutive hits to get the scoreboard hoppin’.

Five more runs came across in the second, with Calkins cranking a two-run tater to deep left, flying around the basepaths and sliding home long before the ball arrived back in the infield.

Proving they can play small ball to go with long ball, the Wolves spent a considerable part of the rest of the game working on bunts.

The best one probably came off the bat of Armstrong, as she dropped one for an RBI single, the ball nestling into the ground in front of the third baseman and promptly tunneling its way to China.

Coupeville did everything possible not to end the game super-early, adding just a single run in the third, and two more in the fourth.

Still, even though they went five innings, and didn’t go for the early 20-run KO in three frames, it capped a league season in which CHS mercy-ruled every foe.

“We had fun and worked on some stuff we don’t always get to work on, all while keeping the score reasonable,” McGranahan said.

“The best part is we return everyone next season, so the expectation is to do it all over again.”

That points to the fact that Coupeville has no seniors, and typically starts three 8th graders and two freshmen among its main 10 players.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One single
Haylee Armstrong — Two singles, one walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, three walks
Teagan Calkins — One home run, one single
Jada Heaton — One single
Shania Kenney — One single
Ava Lucero — One walk
Adeline Maynes — Two singles, one walk
Madison McMillan — One double, two singles, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — One walk
Bailey Thule — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — Two walks
Mary Western — One walk

Optical illusion, or is Jada Heaton so strong she literally bends her bat when making contact? Discuss. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Rally kings stun Braves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf pitchers (l to r) Landon Roberts, Camden Glover, Seth Woollet, and Coop Cooper celebrate. (Sherry Bonacci photo)

Never count ’em out.

After twice rallying from three runs down Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad forced extra innings with visiting La Conner, then KO’d the Braves on a walk-off hit.

When Camden Glover’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth hit paydirt on the prairie, it capped an improbable, but very rewarding 9-8 victory.

It also keeps the Wolves, now 3-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, just a game out of first place.

Coupeville, which is 4-7 overall heading into a trip to Forks Saturday, is tied with Friday Harbor in the NWL standings.

Those two sit a half-game behind Orcas Island (3-1) and a game back of current frontrunner Mount Vernon Christian (4-1) with half the season left to play.

Thursday’s titanic tilt went in favor of La Conner for much of the afternoon, though Coupeville kept chipping away and hanging around.

After trailing 1-0 early, the Wolves pushed two runners across in the bottom of the second to take their only lead of the game until the day’s final play.

Landon Roberts knotted the game at 1-1 on an RBI groundout, before Peyton Caveness, who leads the Wolves in most offensive categories this season, delivered an RBI single to put his team in front.

Peyton Caveness (8) fires up his team. (Jackie Saia photo)

Coupeville wouldn’t score again until the fifth, however, giving the Braves ample opportunity to surge back in front.

Four runs in the top of the third put La Conner up 5-2, but then Wolf pitchers strung together three scoreless frames to give their offense time to warm back up.

CHS notched a pair of runs in the fifth, with Steven Gonzalez, Carson Grove, and Roberts stepping up with big-time hits, before the Wolves got all the way back with a tally in the sixth.

Cole White lashed a single, stole second, scooted to third on a wild pitch, then screamed home with the tying run when La Conner once again couldn’t maintain control of the madly bouncing baseball.

Back in a 5-5 tie, the Wolves were rocking and rolling and then … gave it all right back.

The Braves smacked a pair of base hits and took advantage of a Coupeville error to plate three runners in the top of the seventh, and things looked bleak.

Until they didn’t, as the yo-yo effect the game had continued to play out in often surprising fashion.

Grove, just an 8th grader, delivered his second hit of the game to lead off Coupeville’s last stand, but was promptly erased thanks to a fielder’s choice.

The Wolves kept coming, however, with a single from Roberts and a walk to Glover keeping things interesting.

Seth Woollet skittered home on a wild pitch to cut it back to 8-6, Caveness launched a sac fly to make it 8-7, and then the game ended.

Or it should have.

White lofted a fly ball that would have been the final out, except La Conner fudged the catch, the ball popping loose from the third baseman’s glove as Glover steamed home with the tying run.

Given new life, and extra baseball, Coupeville took advantage.

Roberts, the fourth Wolf to take the mound on the day, set the Braves down in order in the top of the eighth, as the visitors went down swinging one-two-three.

“Don’t stop believing!” (Ember Light photo)

That sent the hometown heroes back to the plate with the game in their hands, and they played their final song to precision.

Woollet poked a leadoff hit, before Roberts dropped a gorgeous bunt down the third-base line, beating the throw for an infield single.

An error on the La Conner first baseman moved the winning run to third, and Glover rose to the moment, immediately punching a solid line drive to left to plate Woollet and set off a celebration.

That capped a 15-hit performance for the Wolves, with Glover and Roberts leading the way with three base knocks apiece.

Caveness and Grove each added two, with Jack Porter, White, Gonzalez, Coop Cooper, and Woollet rounding out the hit parade.

Coupeville’s pitchers combined to whiff 12 Braves, with Glover picking up six K’s to lead the way. Roberts (3), Woollet (2), and Cooper (1) also chipped in to the effort.

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