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Posts Tagged ‘Lindsey Roberts’

“We have experience on our side!!”

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on August 29, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Genna Wright, who scored 10 goals as a freshman, is Coupeville soccer’s top returning scorer this fall. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Welcome to a whole new world.

As Kyle Nelson returns for his second year at the helm of the Coupeville High School girls soccer squad, he’ll guide a team in transition into a new conference.

Gone are Klahowya, the Olympic League, and leading Wolf scorer Kalia Littlejohn, who chose to skip her senior season, while the jump to the new North Sound Conference tosses defending state champs King’s into the mix.

But, with 13 returning players on his roster, including Genna Wright, who bashed home 10 goals as a freshman, Nelson enters the new day head high and chin set.

“My goal is to form a well-organized, disciplined, exciting to watch squad,” he said. “And with anyone who watches us play this year, seeing improvement through the course of the season.”

The new league pits CHS against South Whidbey, Cedar Park Christian, Granite Falls and Sultan.

And, of course, the private school Knights, who toppled Elma, Klahowya, Seattle Academy and Cascade en route to earning King’s its first state title in girls soccer.

While Nelson acknowledges his Wolves will be swinging at a big target, he expects them to do just that – come out swinging.

“Looking forward to the new conference,” he said. “It should be a little tougher competition overall, but I believe we will be right in there competing well with them.

“I would like to finish with a berth to the postseason,” Nelson added. “So, the season will be a success if we make postseason play.”

While the unexpected loss of Littlejohn, who scored 33 goals in three seasons, hurts, plenty of talent remains on the Wolf roster.

“We are returning quite a few starting varsity players in most positions on the field,” Nelson said. “We also have a number of players who played with a select team in the off-season.

“So, we have experience on our side this year.”

One area where the Wolves may need to shore things up is on the defensive side of the ball, an area Nelson is focusing on in the early days of practice.

“On the defensive side, while they are bringing some experience, this is where we have the least amount,” he said. “We will also be looking to incorporate some new players who look to be important to our team, but it can take a while for both the defense and the new players to fully integrate.”

Coupeville returns 13 players from a season ago, when it won eight games, the best single-season result in program history.

Senior midfielder Lindsey Roberts and senior goalie Sarah Wright, who share captain honors, top the roster, while defender Maddy Hilkey and midfielder Ema Smith also rep the Class of 2019.

Returning juniors include Tia Wurzrainer (defender), Natalie Hollrigel (defender), Avalon Renninger (midfielder), Mallory Korteum (midfielder), and Anna Dion (forward).

Sophomores Mollie Bailey (goalkeeper), Genna Wright (forward), Knight Arndt (midfielder), and Aurora Cernick (defender) round out the returning players.

Coupeville is also adding to its roster, with five freshmen and two newcomers jumping onto the pitch. That raises hopes the Wolves may be able to play some JV matches this year.

New to the CHS squad are sophomore defender Megan Behan, junior midfielder Casey Rogers and frosh Kiara Contreras (defender), Lily Leedy (midfielder), Katelin McCormick (defender), Mary Milnes (defender) and Sam Streitler (defender).

The Wolf booters open their season Thursday with an appearance at the Oak Harbor Jamboree (5:30 PM at Memorial Stadium), before traveling to Meridian Sept. 4 for the regular-season kickoff.

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Welcome to the Year of Lou!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Track, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Lindsey Roberts, doin’ work. (Photos by JohnPhotos.net)

No pressure, Lindsey Roberts, but this is your year.

In much the same way last year was about Hunter Smith making a run at claiming all the records, the 2018-2019 school year is set up to be the Year of Lou.

Even after dealing with an injury which cost him half his senior season, Smith graduated owning seven CHS football records.

He followed that up by burning up the nets, finishing his basketball career as the 11th highest scorer in Wolf boys basketball history.

While baseball stats are a trickier thing to track in the world of Cow Town sports, Smith put a cap on things by being named Olympic League MVP and helping lead the Wolves to their second conference crown in three years.

He was one of the best we’ve ever seen in a Coupeville uniform, and Roberts, a senior this year, is much the same.

Her parents, Jon and Sherry, are both former CHS Athlete of the Year winners.

Uncle Jay? Still on the school’s track record board 30+ years after graduation, a board where his niece appears three times already.

Lindsey’s cousins Madeline and Ally were stars, her grandfather Sandy a living legend, but Lou is primed to pass them all.

More than any other active athlete at CHS, she is within striking distance of breaking, tying or making a run at records – and in every one of her three sports.

So, here’s what to keep an eye on as the new school year unfolds:

 

Soccer:

Admittedly, this is the one which would be most difficult for her to accomplish.

Mia Littlejohn holds the CHS girls soccer career scoring record with 35 goals, and Kalia Littlejohn was hot on her heels with 33 through her first three seasons.

With Kalia opting not to play as a senior, Mia’s record gets a reprieve, and Roberts inherits the mantle as the leading active scorer for the Wolves.

She has 13 goals, notching six apiece the past two seasons after tallying a lone goal as a freshman.

Making that more impressive, she’s done so while playing almost exclusively as a defender, albeit one blessed with a cannon for a leg.

It’s more likely Genna Wright, who torched the nets for 10 goals as a freshman last year, will be the one ultimately coming for the record.

Still, you can’t discount the offensive fireworks Roberts can launch, even if she’s doing it from half a field away.

 

Basketball:

With a season to play, Roberts sits 36th all-time on the Wolf girls scoring chart with 298 points, and has increased her point totals each year.

She tossed in 54 as a frosh (good for #6 on the squad), raised that to 83 as a sophomore (#4), then soared to 161 as a junior, which topped the team.

While it’s unlikely she’ll catch Brianne King (1549), Zenovia Barron (1270) or Makana Stone (1158) atop the charts, Roberts still stands a very good chance of making a run at the top 20.

She stands 102 points away from becoming the 23rd Wolf girl to crack 400 career points, and a repeat of her 161-point junior year performance would carry her to #18 on the all-time list.

 

Track:

Roberts final prep season could be her greatest moment.

She enters her senior season having already claimed five state meet medals – a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th – and is one of only 10 Wolves, and one of only four girls, across 118 years, to pile up that kind of hardware.

Within her reach? Exiting as the most-decorated CHS female track athlete in school history.

If Roberts wins at least one medal next spring, and she has done so in each of her three previous seasons, she breaks a tie with Yashmeen Knox and rises to tie Natasha Bamberger.

Two medals, she joins Makana Stone with seven, or match her freshman total of three, and she finishes with eight, trailing only Tyler King (11) and Kyle King (10).

Roberts came dangerously close to winning a state title in the hurdles as a junior, nipped at the end by Lillian Kirry, a sophomore from Chewelah.

If she can return the favor next spring, Roberts would be the first Wolf to win a state title in any sport since Tyler King wore the 1A boys cross country crown in 2010.

So, buckle in, keep an eye on the stats and prepare for eight months of excitement — the Year of Lou begins.

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Get your pix fix!!

Posted in Boys Tennis, Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on August 22, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Wolf goalie Sarah Wright gets a kick out of life. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Jacob Burke mashes a pesky tennis ball.

Gridiron speed demon Sean Toomey-Stout, momentarily at rest.

Chelsea Prescott sends the ball skyward.

It’s early, but tennis guru Ken Stange already has his goatee in mid-season form.

Lindsey Roberts keeps her life in perfect balance.

Football bruiser Chris Battaglia checks to make sure his feet are still there.

Freshman Eryn Wood makes a strong first impression.

Photos, photos and more photos.

Wanderin’ camera clicker John Fisken has hit practices for four of five CHS fall sports teams in the early days, so here’s a few more snappy pics.

The glossy photos cover soccer, tennis, volleyball and football, and they come with this reminder – just nine days until the first official game of the new school year.

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Coach Chatter: Pitch perfection!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on August 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Star player turned assistant coach Luke Pelant “brought a quiet calm to the back line” during his days on the soccer pitch. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

William Nelson was a four-time First-Team All-Conference player.

Kyle Nelson has seen some stuff on the soccer pitch.

He began his run at Coupeville High School as an assistant coach, helping guide several teams to the state tourney.

Then, after Paul Mendes retired, Nelson stepped up to take over the Wolf boys program, before also adding the CHS girls coaching gig last season.

Calm, cool, composed, understated, and a natty dresser to boot, he likes to let his player’s actions speak largely for themselves.

But today, as we publish Part 4 in our five-part series on Coupeville coaches discussing the best players they’ve worked with, Nelson lets loose like never before.

So, let me get out of the way and give the man the mic.

Best female athlete – With only a year as the girl’s soccer coach this is a little harder, but the best athlete would be Lindsey Roberts. She brings speed and agility like no other to the field.

Looking a little further and including those soccer skills, Kalia Littlejohn brings a ton of ball skills and field smarts to the team.

Best male athlete – For pure athleticism, a couple stand out.

Nathan Lamb had that quick burst and lateral movement none could keep up with, and William Nelson (and yes, maybe a little father bias) brought agility and silky smoothness bigger guys don’t usually posses.

Will also brought ball skill and soccer talent that few others in our program have had.

Which brings me to some of those other talented players — all of the Leyva boys.

Abraham Leyva, Aram Leyva and Derek Leyva have brought huge amounts of soccer skill to our field; each, in their own unique way, have been hugely instrumental to our program’s success.

CHS athlete I wish I coached – For the girls that is easy – Makana Stone.

She played for a couple of years, but then focused on her other sports.

She brought speed and athleticism to the field. Having that kind of talent to work with would be very fun.

Though I know he would have never played soccer, having the multi-talented Hunter Smith on the soccer field would have been fun to see what could have happened.

Underrated athletes – for the girls, Sage Renninger.

She really was the heart and soul of the team last year, bringing a leadership and talent that was vital to the team.

For the boys, Luke Pelant.

Was one of the best defenders here at Coupeville; he brought a quiet calm to the back line that made that group responsible for the best defensive team we have had.

Best role model – William Nelson has brought the whole package to the soccer field.

Talented player that became that way through years of hard work, through his playing off-season on various select teams, just going to the field to play, or going to the gym to workout.

One of the few players selected two years team captain; really developed into the team leader both at practice and on the field at game time.

At practice he was always one of the hardest workers, always pushing himself and leading by example. He also always kept his cool on the field, helping calm players down when needed.

Really represented CHS with great sportsmanship and class.

And lastly, but most importantly he excelled as a student athlete, balancing sport and academics very successfully.

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Coach Chatter: Respect and work matter!!

Posted in coach chatter, tagged , , , , on August 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

In a poll of CHS coaches, former lineman Brenden Gilbert received props. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ashlie Shank was hailed for her work ethic on the track oval.

I have opinions, but they’re just that – opinions.

It’s easy for those of us in the stands to spout our thoughts on high school athletics, but, if you want a deeper appraisal, it’s time to turn to the coaches.

The men and women who run Coupeville programs, or have in the past, tend to understand their sports on a deeper basis than your friendly neighborhood idiot blogger.

While I am easily swayed by emotion, coaches deal with cold, hard facts and often have a different view of their athletes than we might.

The coaches see who actually commit in practice, who puts in work on the side, how they deal with fellow athletes, how they handle the highs and lows away from the spotlight.

With that in mind, I reached out to a bunch of active and former CHS coaches, asking them to reveal their picks on several subjects.

Who are the best athletes they’ve worked with? Who did they wish they could have coached? Who wins their approval for most underrated or top role model?

A few brave souls answered, and we’ll look at their responses in a five-part series starting today.

 

Dan d’Almeida

(Former CHS head girls soccer coach):

In my opinion the top five from girls soccer in my generation were Anna Bailey, Cassidi Rosenkrance, Amanda d’Almeida, Ashley Manker, and Caitlin Phillips.

The first four were all four-year varsity starters when I was coaching, the fifth was a four-year player I only coached her senior year.

So their overall commitment to the program first and foremost. All were captains for at least one season and they also were competing when we were in the very tough Cascade Conference.

Ashley Manker I wanted to especially point out, because it was her goalkeeper training that was the genesis of Coach (Gary) Manker’s “system” that was used for many years with both boys and girls.

She was his guinea pig and did so well considering he was still developing it and there is always the father/daughter dynamic that could be an issue!

 

Anonymous Coach #1

(Former HS assistant/MS head coach, worked with girls and boys):

Best female athlete, tough one, but I would say Lindsey Roberts.

A young talent whose bloodline runs deep in Coupeville and she lives up to her family’s legacy. An athlete who always wanted to be the best and she has grown so much and is out there dominating every sport

Best male athlete is another very tough choice, but I will have to say Josh Bayne.

A kid with natural talent and he was never a selfish kid. Never wanted to be the one who wanted stats and glory.

He loved the game and loved being out there with his brothers and had so much pride for Coupeville.

Most underrated athlete, there have been a lot of great athletes, but I have two in mind, Joel Walstad and Brenden Gilbert.

Joel did something you don’t really see. He decided to play QB towards the end of his junior year and never saw varsity time until he became a senior, and man, he did not disappoint.

To have never really played QB at all and to take on that role as a senior, he went in knowing he was the leader and knew he had to work harder than anyone else.

He set a season record (for TD passes), you don’t ever see that; he definitely was someone I was proud to see excel.

Brenden had great mentors in Carson (Risner) and Nick (Streubel) and Brenden really took on the mantel as being our guy on the line his senior year and really excelled.

Role model? Hands down Nick Streubel.

He proved that with hard work, excel in the classroom and play with everything you got on the field, you can do anything and you can make your dreams happen.

We have never really had anyone succeed in football at the next level as much as Nick has at Central.

He helped carry Coupeville and he is the anchor in that line in Central.

But he is also very humble, prideful in where he came from, respectful to members of the community, his peers and his coaches.

He also knows how to live his life still but manages all his time to never give up on his goals.

Another athlete I would say is Valen Trujillo.

She was always about her team and always pushed them to be better.

She was a leader in the weight room and took time away from her workouts to help everyone else. Took time to teach young athletes and always cheered them on and encouraged her fellow athletes.

She dominated every sport she did and she was very respectful to all who she faced and was very thankful for everyone coming to the games. Never would you ever see her not smile.

She always pushed herself to be better and the records show for it.

 

Ken Stange

(Entering 14th year, and 27th season, as CHS tennis coach):

I’ll start with which CHS athletes I wished I could’ve coached – James Smith and Sarah Wright.

Like everyone in his family, James was a gifted athlete. He was smart, aggressive, and confident.

Sadly for the tennis team, he was a talented football player.

He was good friends with Connor Tasoff, my resident tennis junkie at the time, and they played quite a bit.

Connor was my top guy at the time, and James consistently made Connor work hard.

I would joke with James that he should quit football and join the tennis team. He said he wished there were a fourth sport season so he could play tennis.

As a student in my 8th grade English class, Sarah was smart, assertive, and thoughtful.

As an athlete, she’s smart, aggressive, and team-oriented, not to mention universally-beloved.

Her cousins Megan and Brooke (Monroe) played for me and her sister, Genna (Wright), just finished a strong 9th grade season for me.

I just know that if Sarah wasn’t busy kicking butt on the softball diamond, she’d be a lights-out tennis player.

As for the most underrated, I have to go with a doubles team and John McClarin and Joseph Wedekind are an easy pick there.

With all due respect, those two guys did not look like eventual Olympic League doubles champs when they showed up as freshmen.

But once they got a taste of the game, they worked their tails off 12 months a year for the rest of their CHS tennis days.

To go from near the bottom of the JV ladder as freshmen to league champs as seniors is quite an accomplishment.

What’s more, they were basically assistant coaches to the girls’ team, because that was the only way they could get court time during the girls’ season.

When I think of which athlete I would want kids to emulate, I struggle to come up with one name. 26 seasons have given me a long list of choices.

What I do think of are team leaders I’ve had. I think of the ones who inspired and instilled the kind of tennis culture that is both fun and competitive.

I think of leaders like Connor Tasoff, Ben Etzell and Aaron Curtin, John McClarin and Joseph Wedekind, and William Nelson and Joey Lippo.

I think of Hannah Merrell and Megan Monroe, Jordan Akins and Jessica Blanchette, Amanda d’Almeida, Valen Trujillo and Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger.

Those people? I’d be happy to have my kids emulate any and all of them!

 

Anonymous Coach #2

(Current assistant with a spring program):

The athlete I wish I could coach? This one is easy, Scout Smith.

Even though she doesn’t participate in my sport, she is an amazing athlete who is overall an amazing person.

She plays with a competitive spirit, yet she also strives to always better herself and her teammates. She plays with an intensity that is electric and one that would have been so great to have in track.

She is an essential player in any sport that I’ve seen her in and it would have been a joy and an honor to coach her.

I feel that Ashlie Shank is the most underrated athlete that I coached.

This girl was a sleeper and for some reason it seemed that no one expected much from her, but she expected so much from herself and worked so hard to get to where she was before she left.

She was very consistent in her times and she continued to bring them down by working hard, harder than some of the best athletes on the team.

She was essential to her relays and amazing on her own. She knew how to push herself and find new limits every day.

I wish she could have stayed so I could’ve seen her senior season but I wish her the best for her senior year.

Although I coached many amazing young athletes, the athlete that I would want young kids to emulate would be Jean Lund-Olsen.

This kid is amazing all around.

He is humble, a hard worker, he listens to and respects his coaches, he is respected, he listens to his body and knows when he needs to heal (admittedly sometimes he needs to be reminded of that), he respects the sports that he participates in, the list goes on.

This athlete is one that is hard to find, and I believe that many young athletes should strive to follow his lead.

 

Return Wednesday for Part 2 of our five-part series, as Ken Stange looks back at 13 seasons and picks his ultimate boys tennis lineup.

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