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Posts Tagged ‘Mount Vernon Christian’

Booters battle in the rain

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , , on September 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Matthew Ward fights for a ball in an earlier game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The final score was deceptive.

While the record books will state that Mount Vernon Christian’s JV boys’ soccer squad beat Coupeville 3-0 Monday at Mickey Clark Field, it was a one-goal affair for 79 of the game’s 80 minutes.

With both teams drenched by sheets of rain in the late going, the Hurricanes slipped two goals into the net in the final 60+ seconds to set a margin which doesn’t properly reflect the closeness of the tilt.

Coupeville’s JV, which is a mix of male and female players, sits at 0-2 on the season.

The Wolves matched MVC blow for blow through the game’s first 30 minutes, which was played with a little wind and some occasional raindrops.

CHS goalkeeper Josh Lujan was on point in net, rejecting several Hurricane shots, while his teammates narrowly missed on their own scoring opportunities.

Angel Partida and Ava Mitten each had runs at the net, with the former pushing his shot just wide left, while the latter narrowly missed on a ball which drifted right.

Mount Vernon finally broke the scoreless stalemate in the game’s 31st minute, bashing in a long ball which caught a gust of wind and sailed high into the corner of the net.

That gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 advantage, and the game would remain that way for another 48 moments.

Lujan fended off several MVC opportunities, running far out from the net and sliding to snatch the ball up right before a Hurricane player hurdled him at one point.

The Wolf sophomore also punched a ball away, using both fists to deflect the incoming ball.

Coupeville’s defense, anchored by Hurlee Bronec, Mason Butler, and Quinten Simpson-Pilgrim, gave Lujan some big help, though their team’s offensive chances largely dried up as the day got wetter.

By the end, the sprinkles had turned into sheets of rain coming down hard enough to make noise heard up in the press box.

In between the far-off thuds, a nicely dry CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith was happily reminiscing about the three times he was ejected from games during his coaching days.

The game’s final two goals, which came late in stoppage time, were almost afterthoughts, punctuation on a game which would be best remembered as a tightly fought 1-0 affair.

Coupeville’s varsity soccer team returns to action this Friday, Sept. 29, when it hosts Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood in a 6:00 PM game.

The Wolf JV gets a rematch with MVC in mid-October, one of four rumbles left on its tentative schedule.

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Hurricanes fizzle, Wolves howl

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Lyla Stuurmans, destroyer of universes. (Jackie Saia photos)

Off the schneid, with a vengeance.

After opening the season with a pair of ultra-competitive losses against strong foes, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad thrashed previously unbeaten Mount Vernon Christian Tuesday night.

Drilling the host Hurricanes 25-22, 25-15, 25-17 in a non-conference match against a league rival, the Wolves get to 1-2 and make a serious statement.

MVC entered the night at 2-0, having won all six sets it had played against Friday Harbor and Lake Quinault.

Enter Coupeville, coming off a heartbreaking five-set defeat to next-door neighbor South Whidbey and a tense tussle with juggernaut Neah Bay.

On the road for the first time this season, and with a few more practices under their belts, the Wolves hit the floor in a groove, and never let up, shushing the pro-Hurricane crowd in a hurry.

“Really fun game to be a part of and guide this team through,” said CHS coach Cory Whitmore.

“MVC is much improved from some previous seasons and so we really had to earn our points, and it was done in a very connected and energetic way.”

Coupeville heavy hitters (l to r) Madison McMillan, Issabel Johnson, and Jada Heaton launch a celebration.

Coupeville got contributions from across the board, with junior setter Katie Marti unleashing perhaps the best match of her varsity career.

“Katie was especially phenomenal tonight,” Whitmore said. “She made really strong decisions; whether she was in-system or pulled off the net a bit, she found and led hitters to success.

“She served tough and consistent, and collected a large number of digs.”

Whitmore cautions that the stat sheet — seen below — is a bit of a work in progress, with several young players learning the complex, often frantic job of keeping stats while under fire.

Even if the numbers aren’t flawless, however, they showcase multiple Wolves shining brightly.

Whether it was Lyla Stuurmans with a double-double (14 kills and 10 digs), or birthday girl Madison McMillan ably filling whatever role she is handed, things were clicking.

“Lyla looked really at-ease out there, in addition to some really smart attacking decisions,” Whitmore said.

“Madison did a great job as our libero, and commanded the space around her – she played with energy but also looked very settled in.”

Teagan Calkins channels The Karate Kid.

Praise flowed from the Wolf spiker guru to every girl in uniform, with sophomore supernova Teagan Calkins continuing to earn playing time with her hustle and skill.

“Teagan also received a lot of attacking attempts and took care of the ball,” Whitmore said. “I was impressed that she seemed to get better as the night went on.

“Honestly, I could give them all shoutouts because every player on the team really gave a lot to this win.”

After two tough losses, Tuesday’s victory was a two-for-one deal, counting both in the win/loss column and in helping the psyche of the Wolf players.

“It wasn’t just the win, it was the fashion in which they took control of the space and management of the game,” Whitmore said.

“Very excited for them and what this could mean for moving forward.”

 

Match added:

Earlier in the day, Coupeville got a bonus, as CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith locked in another non-conference match to help fill out the schedule.

The Wolves will host Providence Classical Christian Oct. 16, with both varsity and JV playing that night.

Tipoff is 5:00 PM for the young guns, with the headliners set to take the floor at 6:30.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 3 digs, 2 assists
Teagan Calkins — 6 kills, 3 aces
Mia Farris — 6 kills, 10 digs, 2 aces
Jada Heaton — 1 kill
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 3 digs, 21 assists, 4 aces
Madison McMillan — 1 kill, 10 digs, 4 assists, 3 aces
Grey Peabody — 5 kills
Lyla Stuurmans — 14 kills, 10 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces

Coming to torch a gym near you.

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“They can see the progress being made”

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Lexis Drake launches a laser. (Jackie Saia photos)

They’re building for the future, one point at a time.

Coupeville High School JV volleyball coach Ashley Menges has a core of five freshmen on her roster, and the work ethic displayed by those newcomers is the foundation of everything being built.

So, while there will likely be some bumps along the way, such as a straight-sets loss at Mount Vernon Christian Tuesday night, the future is bright.

“The freshman have been carrying a big load recently, and I’m very proud of all of them,” Menges said.

“Hopefully they can see the progress being made, even through the losses.”

Tuesday’s match, while against a Northwest 2B/1B League foe, counts as a non-conference tilt, with the loss dropping the young Wolves to 1-2 on the season.

They get a chance to get right back at it, hosting Orcas Island Thursday, with five of their next six matches in their home gym.

CHS coach Ashley Menges offers some advice from her playing days. “Hit it off their kneecaps. They’ll be a lot less feisty after that, just sayin’.”

While Menges is training her spikers to play for victory, seeing improvement each time out, and a commitment to putting in the work matter greatly to the player turned coach.

“There were some highlights (Tuesday), and we slowly reached our goals through the night which I can always be happy with,” she said.

“We definitely have a lot to work through,” Menges added.

“But as of tonight, I can be happy with the work they’re putting in when things get overwhelming.”

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Nasty day, splendid victory

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson deals. (Morgan White photo)

Hit and run like the wind, through the wind.

Overcoming another brutal bout of prairie weather Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad used booming bats, fleet feet, and nimble work on defense to stagger the top team in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

Riding inside-the-park home runs from seniors Jonathan Valenzuela and Scott Hilborn, and a dandy pitching performance from fab frosh Chase Anderson, the Wolves bounced visiting Mount Vernon Christian 5-1.

The victory, Coupeville’s sixth in its last seven games, nets Steve Hilborn’s team a season split with the Hurricanes and pulls the defending NWL champs a half-game back of MVC.

The Wolves, who have already clinched the #1 playoff seed among the league’s 2B teams, are 8-1 in conference action, 10-4 overall heading into a road trip Saturday to Orcas Island.

Mount Vernon Christian falls to 9-1 in league, 9-3 overall.

The first time the Hurricanes and Wolves clashed, back on March 30, MVC made off with a 12-7 win.

This time around, with a bone-chilling prairie wind swirling, howling, and slapping splatters of rain into the faces of fans, it was a different tale.

Coupeville grabbed the lead early, led from start to finish, and got big contributions from nearly everyone in uniform.

Anderson went the distance on the bump, scattering three hits while whiffing seven Hurricanes.

The young hurler, already in his second season as a varsity regular after debuting last season as an 8th grader, is made for the spotlight, even on a cloudy day.

Twice he faced bases loaded jams, and both times he calmly backhanded the Hurricanes and strolled back to the dugout, a smile on his face.

The first dance with the devil came in the top of the first inning, with Anderson jamming the hitter and forcing a weak grounder to shortstop Cole White, who flipped the ball to Valenzuela at second for out #3.

After buzzing through the Hurricanes 1-2-3 in three of the next four innings, and giving up a single, solitary run in the fourth, “The Magic Man” found himself briefly in danger in the top of the sixth.

A couple of walks and an error loaded the bags, but Anderson wasn’t having it.

The bags were juiced, the count was full, and the MVC batter was looking to carve away at Coupeville’s 4-1 lead.

Instead, all the Hurricane saw was a blur, as he swung from the heels and connected with nothing but the prairie breeze, Anderson’s pitch smacking into Scott Hilborn’s glove as the umpire punched him out.

After that, the seventh inning was sweet and short, with MVC hitting three consecutive groundouts to end the game.

One was a comebacker to Anderson, another a short chopper which freshman third-baseman Camden Glover plucked off the grass, firing a BB to Peyton Caveness, stretching out at first.

The final bouncer went to Caveness, who waved off two of his teammates as he easily beat the incoming Hurricane to the bag to seal the deal.

Coupeville got on the board quickly, sending two runners across the plate in the bottom of the first.

Scott Hilborn led off with a single, one of three hits he had on the day, Anderson dropped a beautiful sacrifice bunt, and then Valenzuela and Glover whacked back-to-back RBI base hits.

Valenzuela, never breaking stride, motored into third with the first of his three extra-base hits, while Glover scorched a run-scoring single to left to make it 2-0.

The Wolves had a chance to add more, loading the bases after Caveness was plunked with a wayward pitch and Coop Cooper swatted a single to left.

But it wasn’t to be, as a wild pitch came off the backstop faster than the Wolves expected, allowing the MVC catcher to snag the ball and sprint to tag Glover as he rumbled home.

Jonathan Valenzuela, pitching in an earlier game, belted two triples and a home run Thursday, while playing lights-out defense at second base. (Morgan White photo)

Coupeville stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third, with Valenzuela, still swattin’ lasers and running wild, cracking a leadoff inside-the-park home run.

The ball splashed down to Earth in the farthest corner of right field, and the throw back in arrived long after the Wolf senior was already getting high-fives from his bench.

Not content to do it just once, CHS got another longball in the fifth inning, with Hilborn cranking a shot to center field and motoring around the bags while all the MVC coach could do was scream in despair, his words swept away by the never-ending breeze.

With Anderson in control, and his defense playing inspired ball — Valenzuela had a gold glove day at second — the Wolves didn’t need any more runs, but they got one anyway.

Caveness reached on an error to lead off the sixth, before Johnny Porter smoked a pinch-hit RBI single to right field to cap the 5-1 win.

Johnny Porter waits for his pitch. (Morgan White photo)

 

Thursday stats:

Peyton Caveness — One walk
Coop Cooper — One single
Camden Glover — One single
Scott Hilborn — Two singles, one home run
Johnny Porter — One single
Jonathan Valenzuela — Two triples, one home run

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Bad inning betrays hardball squad

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors (l to r) Scott Hilborn, Jonathan Valenzuela, and Piotr Bieda play at home Saturday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Do we have to count every inning?

Take away the bottom of the fifth Thursday, and the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad returns from the road with a win in a first-place battle with Mount Vernon Christian.

Unfortunately, one bad frame — with the Wolves surrendering seven runs to the Hurricanes — was enough to send them to a 12-7 loss.

That drops Coupeville to 2-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-3 overall, while MVC (4-2) gets to 4-0 in conference action.

The Wolves built a 3-0 lead, let it slip away for a moment, then regained the advantage before the frame o’ death proved fatal.

MVC rapped out four hits in the bottom of the fifth, including an RBI double, but also benefited from drawing four walks — with three of those coming with the bases loaded, forcing in a run.

Coupeville also hurt itself in the inning by committing two errors and allowing another run to scamper home on a wild pitch.

The seven-run burst turned a 6-5 Wolf lead into a 12-6 deficit, which proved to be too much to recover from.

Things had looked much brighter in the early going, as starting pitcher Jonathan Valenzuela faced the minimum batters through two innings.

He gave up one walk, but immediately picked the runner off, rifling the ball to first-baseman Landon Roberts to catch the Hurricane straying.

After squandering a Chase Anderson double and a Cole White walk in the top of the first, the Wolves broke through to score a pair in the second, and another run in the third.

Coop Cooper put Coupeville up 2-0 with a two-run single to center, plating Camden Glover (walk) and Jack Porter (single), before Glover came back around to lash an RBI single an inning later.

MVC finally broke Valenzuela’s spell in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs thanks to a mix of walks, Wolf errors, and a well-placed sac fly.

Trailing for the first time, Coupeville responded in the top of the fourth, reclaiming the lead at 6-4 thanks to a bunch of steals and RBI singles from Anderson and White.

The Hurricanes nailed another sac fly to cut things to 6-5, but Glover ended the bottom of the fourth by snuffing out a would-be base thief trying to scramble to third base.

That seemed to set the stage for a back-and-forth battle, befitting the game being a battle for sole possession of first place in the NWL, but the terrible, horrible, no good fifth inning was fast approaching.

Once it fell behind for good, Coupeville put runners aboard in both the sixth and seventh but could only get one guy home.

That was Anderson, who walked, stole second, and lit out for home on a Valenzuela RBI single to center in the sixth.

While the loss stings, the Wolves get a chance to get right back on a win streak Saturday, when they host Orcas Island.

First pitch is at noon.

 

Thursday’s stats:

Chase Anderson — One single, one double, one walk
Coop Cooper — One single, one walk
Camden Glover — One single, one walk
Aiden O’Neill — One walk
Jack Porter — Two singles
Yohannon Sandles — One walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — One single, one walk
Cole White — One single, one walk

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