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Posts Tagged ‘Neah Bay’

Young Wolves on the prowl

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Jack Porter (22) and Hurlee Bronec (2) form a deadly duo. (Chloe Marzocca photo)

Change the rules, they’ll still find a way to win.

Playing a shorter than normal game Saturday, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad swept to its fourth straight victory thanks to balanced scoring and feisty defense.

Playing deep on the road, the young Wolves stormed past host Neah Bay 39-28 in a contest made up of six-minute quarters instead of the usual eight-minute frames.

The decision to trim a quarter of the normal running time was made for several reasons.

The Wolves were a little late arriving, Neah Bay has only one court, and the schools needed to get three games, including two varsity bouts, played before Coupeville had to hightail it in hopes of catching the night’s last ferry.

Adjusting well to the compromise, the JV boys began to pull away in the second quarter en route to running their record to 5-3.

Coming off the non-conference win over Neah Bay, the Wolves face off with Northwest 2B/1B League rivals La Conner and Mount Vernon Christian next week.

Both games are on the road, but at locales much closer.

With their game up first — Neah Bay doesn’t have a JV girls’ team — Coupeville’s young guns battled to a 10-10 tie after an abbreviated first quarter.

Hunter Bronec banged away for seven of his team-high 13 points in the opening frame, while Aiden O’Neill popped the first of a pair of three-balls he hit against the Red Devils.

Coupeville took control of the game thanks to an 11-6 surge in the second quarter, with O’Neill swishing another trey, then pushed the lead out to 30-22 heading into the final six-minute stretch.

Pushing the momentum, Hunter Smith’s squad of attack-happy snipers poured in the first nine points in the fourth quarter, before Neah Bay netted a pair of late three-balls to trim the final margin down a bit.

But just a bit.

Landon Roberts swoops to the hoop. (Chloe Marzocca photo)

With his 13 points, Hunter Bronec led the way for a team which put nine guys into the scoring column.

O’Neill (6), Camden Glover (5), Jack Porter (4), Chase Anderson (4), Landon Roberts (2), Malachi Somes (2), Johnny Porter (2), and Hurlee Bronec (1) also kept the scorekeeper busy.

Carson Field and Yohannon Sandles also saw floor time for the Wolves, as Smith got minutes for everyone on the roster.

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Resilient Wolves rally past Neah Bay

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan (14) is on a roll. (Jackie Saia photo)

They have some major fight in them.

Missing the team’s top kill specialist, and playing a red-hot rival, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball spikers rallied to pull out a four-set thriller Saturday.

Digging deep against a Neah Bay squad which entered play on a nine-match winning streak, the Wolves defended their home court, winning 23-25, 25-10, 25-22, 25-13.

The non-conference victory, coming in a match which was just recently added to the schedule, lifts CHS to 8-3 on the season.

Now winners of seven of their last eight, the Wolves have three regular season rumbles left.

Coupeville travels to La Conner Oct. 18 to face off with the three-time defending 2B state champs.

After that comes home tilts against Darrington Oct. 20 and La Conner Oct. 25, before a trip to the district playoffs.

Saturday’s showdown with Neah Bay replaced another home match lost to the scheduling shuffle and offered the Wolves a chance to face a top-notch, tough team.

The opening set showcased the visitors at their best, as the Red Devils made the Wolves scramble for every ball.

There were six ties in the first frame, the final at 23-23 after Coupeville rallied back from down 23-19.

Super sophomore Madison McMillan was key, crunching a laser from the side to collect Coupeville’s 20th point, before popping off three straight points on her serve.

Ryanne Knoblich knotted things at 23-23 with a superb kill, her body going one way and the ball the other, but Neah Bay proved resilient.

A gym-rattling spike from one of the Red Devil’s biggest hitters pushed her team back in front 24-23, and a Coupeville error on set point doomed the host squad.

That capped a first set which had more than its fair share of highlight reel-worthy plays, from Mia Farris spraying kills to Jill Prince getting artful with her tip game, freeze-framing her foes, then flicking the ball to paydirt.

Mia Farris is here to destroy you. (Jackie Saia photo)

Lyla Stuurmans, who was a wrecking ball unleashed at times, came up big at the service stripe, while numerous Wolves made often-stunning saves on balls which looked long gone.

Knoblich had a beautiful one-hander, while Alita Blouin, Taygin Jump, and Maddie Georges bounced off the floor and slid across the hardwood in pursuit of excellence.

If the first set was a nail-biter, the second frame was a blowout.

The Wolves bounded off the bench, seized control of things, and never relented, mixing in big service aces, inspired passing, and teeth-rattling kills to put Neah Bay down hard.

“It was good to see us shake off any hesitation and come out strong,” said Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore.

“Our defense was outstanding on the block, and our service game picked up,” he added. “Even when we weren’t getting aces, our serve set us up to win some easy points.”

Everyone on the floor was clicking, Stuurmans and Knoblich bringing the full fury at the net, while Georges popped from here to there, flicking passes high as she picked up some of her match-high 32 assists.

Set three opened with the afternoon’s best play, even if it ultimately didn’t count.

With the ball in the air on the opening serve, a Wolf player lost a shoe while scrambling, and McMillan promptly cleared the floor by sliding forward and kicking the wayward sneaker into the stands.

While Coupeville won the rally, and Farris snuck by to retrieve her missing footwear, the refs decided to replay the point, drawing a mix of (mild) boos and laughter.

With all of their shoelaces firmly tied, the Wolves led the set from start to finish, though Neah Bay never let the margin get too big.

The Red Devils actually held off two set points, cutting a 24-20 deficit to 24-22 before Blouin ended things, flipping a winner from mid-court which arced over the defense before slapping down, catching the backline as it landed.

While Neah Bay was talented and tough, it came out flat in the fourth set and the Wolves pounced, rolling out to an 18-6 lead in what would turn out to be the final frame.

Prince, Stuurmans, and Knoblich continued to light up the floor as a titanic trio, their kills getting more ferocious as the Red Devils begin to wilt.

Choose your poison. Jill Prince can beat you with a powerhouse kill, or an artful tip. (Jackie Saia photo)

Neah Bay had one last mini-rally to unleash, but even then, the Wolves methodically chipped away, climbing steadily towards their 98th and final point of the match.

It came from Prince, who hopped airborne, surveyed her surroundings, then, at the last possible second, angled a tip away from the Red Devils before returning to the surly bonds of Earth.

Ball hit court, and the celebration was ignited.

If you’re going to play on a Saturday, might as well win while you’re at it.

 

Saturday stats:

Alita Blouin — 10 digs, 2 assists, 2 aces
Mia Farris — 3 kills, 2 digs, 3 aces
Maddie Georges — 18 digs, 32 assists, 2 aces, 1 solo block, 1 block assist
Taygin Jump — 5 digs
Ryanne Knoblich — 11 kills, 12 digs, 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 5 kills, 20 digs, 2 aces
Jill Prince — 7 kills, 1 block assist
Lyla Stuurmans — 7 kills, 1 dig, 3 aces

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Another day, another triumph

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Issabel Johnson and the Wolf JV spikers are 10-1 after sweeping Neah Bay Saturday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The victory express chugs on.

Racking up 25 service aces Saturday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball team swept visiting Neah Bay off the floor, winning its eighth-straight match.

With the non-conference victory, the Wolf young guns soar to 10-1 on the season, best mark of any CHS fall sports team.

It was a competitive match, to be sure, but one which Coupeville largely controlled, coming out on top 25-23, 25-15, 25-19.

The first two sets played out to a similar tune — the Wolves jumped out to a large lead, the Red Devils rallied, then the Wolves put the hammer down.

Katie Marti got the day off to a strong start, peppering Neah Bay with nasty serves as she staked Coupeville to a quick 6-0 lead.

Teagan Calkins was a tipping machine, using her fingers to flick winners away from her rivals, while Jada Heaton smashed all the air out of the volleyball on a brutal kill as CHS pushed the margin to 13-5.

That seemed to light a fire under the feisty visitors, however, as they fought all the way back to force a tie at 18-18.

Bumping the intensity up just a notch or two, the Wolves broke the tie with five straight points, thanks to strong serving from Marti and a pair of big kills from Issabel Johnson — only to see Neah Bay respond with its own five-point tear.

Knotted at 23-23, the set could have gone either way, but the Red Devils kindly botched the next two points, allowing CHS coach Ashley Menges to exhale and call for a refill on her water from mom Jennifer.

Set two wasn’t as quite as collar-tightening, though it did have its escapades.

Marti again staked her squad to an early lead from the service stripe, this time at 5-0, before Neah Bay fought back to knot things at 10-10.

This time, Coupeville pulled away much faster, with Teagan Calkins, Heaton, and Johnson compiling sizzling runs on serve to pace a 15-5 finish.

Along the way, fab frosh Calkins, runnin’ and gunnin’ on the far side of the court, frequently went skyborne, bashing winners which scattered Neah Bay defenders in all directions.

With the match in hand, the third set was just for practice, but both squads took it quite seriously, continuing the back-and-forth battle.

While the Red Devils claimed the early lead, Coupeville snatched the advantage for good at 11-10 on another booming spike off of Johnson’s explosive fingertips.

Taylor Brotemarkle, spinning the ball and droppin’ aces, led the attack at the service line, while Marti ran off five straight points and Grier Mooney ended the match with a resounding ace down the middle of the floor.

Menges got strong work from all nine Wolves in uniform, with Carly Burt, Chloe Marzocca, and Aby Wood also aiding the stellar group effort.

 

Saturday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 5 digs, 1 assist, 5 aces
Teagan Calkins — 4 kills, 4 aces
Jada Heaton — 4 kills, 1 dig, 3 aces
Issabel Johnson — 4 kills, 6 aces
Katie Marti — 1 kill, 11 assists, 6 aces
Grier Mooney — 1 ace
Aby Wood — 2 kills

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Wolf spikers add home match

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Mia Farris (left) and Jill Prince defend the net. (Jackie Saia photo)

The match that wasn’t, then was, then wasn’t, now is.

Having successfully navigated the world of tracking down refs at the last second, Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith has added a home volleyball match to the schedule.

It’s a non-conference affair set for Saturday, Oct. 15, Neah Bay is the opponent, and tip time is 2:00 for JV and 3:30 for varsity.

The match was originally added late last week, as CHS tried to fill a date or two that opened when other rumbles were cancelled.

A lack of available refs in the area seemingly squashed things, but the schools reached out to a different district and snagged officials, putting things back into play.

Coupeville’s varsity is currently 5-3, while Neah Bay sits at 7-1, with both teams set to play multiple matches this week.

Neah Bay’s only loss is to Forks, a squad Coupeville beat in a road match.

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No offensive fireworks, no win

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on May 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Senior Sage Downes (24), seen here in an earlier game, was one of the few Wolves to have a strong game Saturday in Forks. (Deb Smith photo)

Nowhere to run, nowhere to throw.

Bottled up and baffled Saturday by Neah Bay’s defense, the Coupeville High School football team struggled through a game which won’t be going on anyone’s Instagram feed.

The Red Devils rep a gridiron program which has won four 1B state titles, and they were quicker, more-disciplined, and much-more efficient.

Which is how you roll to a 44-0 non-conference victory and improve to 3-0 on the pandemic-shortened season.

Coupeville, which did get a strong game on defense and special teams from senior Sage Downes, falls to 2-2 after absorbing the beatdown on a neutral field in Forks.

With one game left on the schedule — Senior Night next Saturday, May 8 against Northwest 2B/1B League rival Concrete — the Wolves can still end their run on a high point.

Beat the Lions and Coupeville clinches a second-straight winning season, after enduring a 13-year span which included 12 losing seasons and one .500 campaign.

The good news is that Neah Bay is now in the rearview mirror, most likely to never reappear.

The Red Devils, who were a fill-in for Coupeville after NWL rival Friday Harbor shut down all fall sports due to Covid, entered play Saturday having scored 116 points across two games.

The Wolves, by contrast, are struggling to score, racking up just 13 points total this season.

Yet, even with only two touchdowns, and one of those not coming until overtime, CHS had two wins before the Neah Bay beatdown, thanks in large part to its defense.

And that Wolf unit had its moments Saturday, with Downes picking off a pair of passes in the first half.

Coupeville also forced an early turnover, hitting the Neah Bay quarterback as he lunged towards pay dirt at the end of a 13-play drive, popping the ball free and sending it rolling through the end zone for a touchback.

But, too many times, Neah Bay’s runners sliced and diced, zig-zagged, and flat-out ran away from would-be tacklers.

The Red Devils attacked the corners with a vengeance, beating Wolf defenders to a mark, then often sliding back through oncoming rush hour traffic for big gains.

The game was still fairly close after one quarter, with Neah Bay just up 6-0 at the break.

Covering 53 yards in just three plays, with the touchdown run a 21-yard burst around the left corner, the Red Devils scored on their opening drive, then didn’t get back on any of their next three possessions.

But that stalemate eventually broke, with Neah Bay punching in a pair of second-quarter scores to bust things open.

A 19-yard run, capping a four-play, 62-yard drive, made it 12-0 (with Coupeville’s Kai Wong blowing up the ensuing two-point conversion), before a three-yard TD pass made it 20-0 at the half.

Neah Bay was methodical after the break, ramming three more touchdowns (and three conversions) across the line, eventually forcing a running clock for the game’s final eight minutes.

While the Red Devils found a very-effective offensive rhythm, Coupeville couldn’t say the same.

The Wolves had the ball 11 times Saturday, and finished those 11 drives with four punts, three interceptions, two lost fumbles, a missed field goal, and one failed fourth-down try which came up a few yards short.

Punting was actually Coupeville’s best offensive weapon, as Downes took advantage of some nice pro-Wolf bounces to pile up 143 yards off of his four kicks.

His boots went for 42, 35, 41, and 25 yards, pinning Neah Bay deep several times and giving the CHS defense a fighting chance.

Late in the game, Coupeville’s two quarterbacks had their best moments of the afternoon.

Sage’s brother, freshman Logan Downes, hooked up with Scott Hilborn on back-to-back quick-toss pass plays.

Then the young gunslinger came back to hit Dakota Eck in stride for an 18-yard catch-and-run, Coupeville’s longest offensive play of the day.

The other Wolf QB, junior Cole Hutchinson, had a nice scramble for a first down on Coupeville’s final drive of the day.

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