Some of the people and events which shaped Coupeville Sports in 2016. (John Fisken and Shelli Trumbull photos)
High points. Low points. Moments in between.
2016, like every year, was a mixed bag, and that carried over to sports accomplishments.
Having put some research time in (not a lot, but some), here’s my personal picks for the 16 most memorable moments from ’16.
16) Paul Schmakeit, a former CHS athlete and member of the Central Whidbey Little League junior baseball team that won a state title in 2010, pleads guilty for his role in a home burglary that left a man paralyzed.
He’s currently serving a sentence of a year and eight months. After starting at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, he was recently transferred to the Monroe Correctional Complex.
15) Willie Smith returns to reclaim the Athletic Director role at CHS.
The longtime coach, quote king and bon vivant immediately slaps the unwieldy school sports schedule into shape and brings the district volleyball tourney to Cow Town. Millions rejoice in the streets (well, I do, at least).
14) Five-foot-four sharpshooter Mason Grove drops seven three-balls in one game, propelling the Wolf JV boys basketball squad to a wild win over arch-rival South Whidbey and its two 6’5 freshmen.
13) They had to stretch the sign-up time just to field a roster, but once Central Whidbey Little League had a juniors softball squad in place, things went peachy keen.
Under the direction of diamond gurus Charlotte Young and Connie Lippo, the Venom, led by Chelsea Prescott, Scout Smith and Mollie Bailey, finish 13-3, outscoring foes 185-85.
12) Hunter Smith hits the stone-cold, ice-water-in-your-veins shot of the year, nailing a trey from the corner at the buzzer in Klahowya, lifting the Wolves to a 54-53 win in the regular season finale of the 2015-2016 campaign.
11) Mia Littlejohn rips up the record book, throwing down 27 goals on the soccer pitch this fall and earning co-MVP honors in the 1A Olympic League.
The Wolf booters put together the first winning season in program history, while their captain smashed program (Kalia Littlejohn-10) and school (Abraham Leyva-20) scoring marks.
10) Makana Stone caps her stellar prep hoops career by signing a letter of intent to play college ball at Whitman.
After compiling 1,000+ points, 800+ rebounds and 200+ steals as a Wolf, she’s now the first player off the bench for a Blues team which is off to a 10-0 start and ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
9) Before she leaves CHS, Stone leads her team to state, the first time a CHS hoops squad has made it to the big dance in a decade.
The Wolves shred Seattle Christian at districts to stun the Sumner crowd, then fall to Cashmere at regionals, finishing 16-6.
8) After two years of going on its own, the 1A Olympic League hooks up with the Nisqually League to create an eight-team football-only conference.
Cascade Christian claims the inaugural title, while Coupeville wins two league games (Vashon, Chimacum) and comes within a play of winning two others (Bellevue Christian, Charles Wright).
7) The Wolves continue to surge to the front of their league, winning girls basketball, baseball, girls tennis, volleyball and boys tennis titles in 2016.
The volleyball title is the first for Coupeville since 2004, while the baseball team notches its first league title since 1990.
6) The coaching shuffle continues, with the biggest moves involving new head coaches for volleyball (Cory Whitmore) and football (Jon Atkins) and an involuntary exit for cheer coach Cheridan Eck.
Atkins wins three games in his first go-round, an improvement on the previous regime, which won a single game in 2015, while Whitmore launches what looks like the start of a volleyball dynasty.
Eck vanishes from the sidelines midway through the season, school officials refuse to comment and, as of a few days ago, the school is accepting applications for the position.
5) Racing the end of the summer and the start of football, CHS puts the finishing touches on its brand new track. Funded by a successful levy, it will allow the Wolves to host home track meets for the first time since their old track began to crumble back into the Earth.
4) Playing under Atkins for the first time, the Wolf football squad thrashes visiting South Whidbey 41-10 on opening night to bring The Bucket home.
The trophy is a bit dented, as the Falcons take out their frustration on Coupeville’s logo, but dent or no dent, The Bucket is back where it belongs.
3) Records fell left and right, from Littlejohn on the pitch to the track big board being rewritten by Jacob Smith, Jordan Ford, Dalton Martin, Stone, Sylvia Hurlburt, Lauren Grove and Lindsey Roberts.
Not to be outdone, Hunter Smith smashes football single-season marks for receiving yards and touchdowns and Hope Lodell records more service aces in one SEASON (110) than any Wolf spiker amassed in their entire CAREER.
2) CHS track has a long and storied history, but the Wolves performance at the state track meet last spring stands as one of the best the school has ever put together.
It would take forever to go through all the accomplishments, but two things really stand out.
Stone and Roberts became the first Wolf girls to ever win three medals at one state meet, while Martin was the first CHS athlete, male or female, to win three medals in the throwing events.
1) This one is personal.
After much work, research, fundraising and arm-twisting, we reclaim 116 years worth of CHS sports history, creating a Wall of Fame in the school’s gym.
Honoring all league and district titles, top 10 state performances by Wolf teams and individual state titles from 1900-2016, it’s a start.
Now, about that football record board…
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