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Posts Tagged ‘Northwest League’

The open road calls to them

Posted in Boys Soccer, Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Lincoln Wagner is on the attack. (Jackie Saia photo)

Time to fire up the busses and pay through the nose for gas.

After a home-heavy opening to the fall sports season, Coupeville High School athletic teams hit the open road for six of seven events this coming week.

The only Wolf team to play at home is the girls’ soccer squad, which hosts La Conner Thursday after traveling to Mount Vernon Christian two days earlier.

Volleyball and boys’ soccer each have a pair of away games, with the spikers hitting MVC Tuesday and Sultan Saturday, while the booters go to Grace Academy Wednesday and Evangel Classical Friday.

Wrapping things up, CHS cross country bounces over to Orcas Island for a meet Wednesday afternoon, while football has a bye week after its planned opponent bailed after losing its coach.

As the Wolves get ready for a week of bouncing across the backroads of Washington state, here’s where things sit win/loss wise through September 20:

 

Northwest League boys’ soccer:

School League Points Overall
Coupeville 0-0-0 0 2-1-0
CPC-Lynnwood 0-0-0 0 1-3-0
Evangel Classical 0-0-0 0 2-0-1
Friday Harbor 0-0-0 0 1-1-0
Grace Academy 0-0-0 0 0-2-0
La Conner 0-0-0 0 2-1-1
Lopez Island 0-0-0 0 0-1-0
MV Christian 0-0-0 0 3-0-1
Orcas Island 0-0-0 0 4-0-0
PC Christian 0-0-0 0 0-0-1

**3 points for a league win, 1 for a tie**

 

Northwest League football — (11-Man):

School League Overall
Coupeville 0-0 0-3
Friday Harbor 0-0 2-1

 

Northwest League girls’ soccer:

School League Points Overall
Coupeville 2-0-1 7 3-0-1
Friday Harbor 2-0-0 6 2-3-0
Lopez Island 1-1-1 4 1-2-1
MV Christian 1-0-0 3 3-1-0
PC Christian 1-1-0 3 1-1-0
La Conner 0-1-0 0 0-4-0
Orcas Island 0-4-0 0 0-5-0

**3 points for a league win, 1 for a tie**

 

Northwest League volleyball:

School League Overall
Coupeville 1-0 1-2
Darrington 1-0 5-0
La Conner 1-0 3-0
MV Christian 0-0 3-0
Concrete 0-1 2-4
Friday Harbor 0-1 1-1
Orcas Island 0-1 1-2

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Scratch, claw, fight, win

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong and her Wolf teammates came up big at crunch time Friday night. (Michelle Armstrong photos)

Tenley Stuurmans is a closer.

Delivering the knockout punch on set point in all three frames Friday night, the Coupeville High School junior sparked the Wolf varsity volleyball squad to its first victory of the young season.

With all nine players in uniform filling up the stat sheet, CHS held off a feisty Orcas Island team to capture a 25-22, 26-24, 25-23 home win, moving into a tie for first place in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

Now sitting at 1-0 in conference play, 1-2 overall, Scout Smith’s kill-happy spikers are tied with Darrington (1-0, 5-0) and La Conner (1-0, 3-0) atop the seven-team league.

After competitive four-set losses to 4A Mariner and 1A South Whidbey in their opening matches, the Wolves rocked the gym Friday, much to the delight of a vocal hometown crowd.

Not that Orcas went down easy, as the Vikings pushed CHS every step of the way.

The opening set was a classic example of that, as Coupeville built a 20-9 lead, then had to weather a 12-3 run by the visitors before closing things out.

Stuurmans and Arianna Cunningham paced the Wolves at the service stripe in the early going, while fab frosh Rhylee Inman made her mom scream in joy after elevating to stuff an Orcas shot at the net.

Lexis Drake and Zariyah Allen joined Inman in delivering big-time hits at close range, both slicing winners as CHS seemed to be running away with the match.

Cue a big rally from the Vikings, however, as Orcas turned an 11-point deficit into just two at 23-21.

Coupeville had the answer and her name was Tenley, as she smoked a set-ending winner that tore a fiery path as the ball ripped wood off the floor and skidded away while her teammates whooped and hollered.

Set #2 was almost a flipped version of set #1, as this time Orcas snatched the early lead, before Coupeville stormed back.

Big winners from young guns Inman, Allen, and Kennedy O’Neill kept CHS close, while Cunningham danced a ballet while airborne, artfully dropping tips where the Viking defenders weren’t.

Still, even with Willow Leedy-Bonifas making a one-armed save on a runaway ball and killer cousins Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter providing a jolt of maximum energy, the Wolves had to hold off a set point to keep Orcas from tying the match at a set apiece.

Coupeville closed on a 6-3 run, with Drake firing off well-placed serves and Stuurmans stuffing the Vikings for the set-winning point.

CHS seniors (l to r) Armstrong, Lexis Drake, and Capri Anter are riveted by the action.

All the momentum belonged to the Wolves, it seemed, up two sets to none, and yet Orcas led from 1-0 all the way to 23-22 in the third frame.

The freshman played like seasoned pros, with Allen slicing and dicing and Inman reaching back over her head to pop a winner, while grizzled vet Cunningham went on a rampage.

At one point she connected on winners four times in a five-point run, hitting each ball in a unique style, while also finding time later to rip off a couple service aces just to keep everyone nervous.

And yet, even with Stuurmans sprawling on the floor to revive a seemingly dead rally, leading to a push winner from Armstrong, Orcas had an answer for every Wolf surge.

At least for a while.

CHS fell behind 5-0, finally tied things up at 13-13, 17-17, and 19-19, yet couldn’t pull ahead until Armstrong got artful in the very late going.

With the Wolves trailing 23-21, the senior ended a long rally by flicking a winner into a small crack in the defense, then immediately followed it up with a resounding service ace to knot things at 23-23.

An Orcas spike that missed the endline by about 10 feet gave Coupeville its first lead of the set, and on match point, it was Tenley Time once again.

Stuuurmans, making it three-for-three, closed the set and the match by swinging the hammer of the gods, unleashing a hot ‘n spicy spike winner which hit with such fury even the feistiest of Vikings couldn’t dream of returning it.

 

Friday stats:

Zariyah Allen — 3 kills, 1 dig, 1 block assist
Capri Anter — 14 digs, 3 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 2 kills, 3 digs, 3 assists, 2 aces
Arianna Cunningham — 7 kills, 5 digs, 2 assists, 3 aces
Lexis Drake — 2 kills, 2 aces
Rhylee Inman — 3 kills, 1 solo block
Willow Leedy-Bonifas — 22 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Kennedy O’Neill — 2 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 4 kills, 10 digs, 11 assists, 1 solo block, 1 block assist, 4 aces

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Wolves rollin’ and scorin’

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on September 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Lucy Schisel (12) and Bettie Woolworth each scored in a victory over Orcas Island. (Monica Grant photo)

They’re all dangerous.

Seven different Wolves scored Friday night, as the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer squad crushed visiting Orcas Island 8-1 to move into sole possession of first place in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

With the lopsided victory at Mickey Clark Field, Jasmine Ader’s high-powered booters get to 2-0-1 in conference action, 3-0-1 overall.

With seven points (three for a win, one for a tie), the Wolves slide ahead of Friday Harbor (2-0-0 and six points) to claim the top rung.

Lopez Island (1-1-1 for four points), Mount Vernon Christian (1-0-0 for three points) and Providence Classical Christian (1-1-0 for three points) follow, with La Conner (0-1-0) and Orcas (0-4-0) in a last-place tie.

Next up for the Wolves is a road trip to MVC Tuesday, September 22, followed by a home clash with La Conner September 24.

For now, though, it’s the weekend and Coupeville can bask in the afterglow of a goal explosion.

Lyla Grose notched her eighth career goal in Friday’s win. (Monica Grant photo)

The Wolves were led Friday by team captain Lillian Ketterling, who crunched home a pair of scores.

Also notching goals were Lyla Grose, Scarlet Barnes, Bella Sandlin, Bettie Woolworth, Ariella Lee-Spaulding, and Lucy Shisel.

Lee-Spaulding and Schisel lead CHS with three scores apiece on the season, while Grose and Ketterling have both banked in two.

Friday’s goals were the first ever at the high school level for Sandlin, Barnes, and Woolworth.

While Coupeville scored at will, especially in the second half, when it punched in seven of those eight goals, Wolf netminders Finley Helm and Taylor Marrs were much stingier, frequently denying the Vikings.

 

Cushy seats, good cause:

The Wolf booters are running a silent auction fundraiser during home games.

Bid on these cushy VIP seats, and when you win, your tender tush will thank you at the next game.

Recline in comfort while helping Wolf soccer. (Jerry Helm photo)

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Booters stay scrappy against top-level foe

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Brian Thompson is a whirlwind of energy on the pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)

It was a rumble in the afternoon sun.

Playing earlier than normal thanks to a need for the visitors to catch a ferry, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad wrapped a season-opening three-game homestand Thursday with a hard-fought 3-0 loss to Friday Harbor.

The defeat, coming in a “non-conference” game against a key Northwest 2B/1B League rival, drops CHS to 2-1 on the season.

Now, after playing three straight at Mickey Clark Field, the Wolves ride the bus the next three times out, with trips to play Grace Academy, Evangel Classical, and La Conner.

The last of those three will be the first game to count in the league standings, before Coupeville plays four of its next five back in Cow Town.

Thursday’s matchup was competitive from start to finish, with Friday Harbor clinging to a 1-0 lead at the half before slipping in a pair of second-half goals to stretch the margin out.

Coupeville, which had racked up 12 goals across its first two games, had some good looks at the net, but was denied by an aggressive defense and a sure-handed goalkeeper.

The Wolves own defense put out maximum effort, forcing Friday Harbor to earn its scores and chasing down several would-be breakaways.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron keeps an eye on the ball. (Jackie Saia photo)

CHS coach Jim Kunz gave props to Brian Thompson and Wyatt Fitch-Marron for leading the fight, with the duo both ending the game with a collection of bumps and bruises, but an unbowed spirit.

“Brian worked his butt off out there for us, and I really appreciate it,” Kunz said. “Wyatt as well.

“This was very much a defensive game, and having our defenders stay on point and keep pushing the ball forward kept it close and didn’t allow Friday Harbor to blow us out.”

The teams meet again October 15 on Friday Harbor, in what will be the seventh of nine games which count in the race for playoff spots, and Kunz said his squad will be ready for the challenge.

“We’ll continue to refine things,” he said.

“Some mistakes were made, but we’ll work to clean those up, make the necessary changes and get ready for the second time we play them, then go crush it.”

Wolf fans of all ages were impressed by the effort shown. (Photo courtesy Jessica Van Velkinburgh)

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Resurgent booters hitting new heights

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on September 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Junior captain Lillian Ketterling is a key part of Coupeville’s resurgence on the soccer pitch. (Monica Grant photos)

It’s a whole new ball game.

Having brought their program back from the dark days, Coupeville High School girls’ soccer captains Taylor Marrs and Lillian Ketterling basked in the glow of victory Wednesday night.

Having beaten visiting Providence Classical Christian 3-0 in a game in which the Wolves dominated from start to finish, the CHS booters sit at 1-0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 2-0-1 overall.

That has Coupeville in a tie for second place with Lopez Island, nipping at the heels of league leader Friday Harbor (2-0, 2-2), with another home clash set for Friday night, this time against Orcas Island (0-3, 0-4).

The victory came in front of a robust crowd, which, sparked by the CHS boys’ soccer players, outshouted a fairly enthusiastic PCC fan section in a friendly, but spirited, back-and-forth.

There was genuine electricity crackling in the prairie air, with the still very-young Wolf booters noticeably gaining confidence with each game.

A program which was shut down for two seasons (2023 and 2024) due to low numbers was pulled back from the abyss by coaches Jasmine Ader and Jerry Helm.

But most of all by players like Ketterling, who started her high school career playing on a boy’s squad, and Marrs, who has fought back from injury to claim her spot in the starting lineup.

Taylor Marrs reminds folks just who is in charge around here.

Now, not only are the Wolves back, but they’re already hitting new heights and dreaming big dreams.

“We continue to improve so much as a team,” Ketterling said. “At first, having a chance to make it to state seemed like it wasn’t in the picture. Now, we believe we have a real chance.”

The Wolves, who have no seniors, are deep in talented freshmen and 8th graders, with strong groups of young girls coming up the pipeline.

Scarlet Barnes is part of a team on the rise.

The current group features numerous players who can rattle home goals, and a defense which made life extremely easy for Wolf goalie Finley Helm against Providence.

The freshman netminder barely had to move Wednesday, plucking a couple of balls out of the air and off the ground, while not having to make any dramatic saves.

That’s because players like Marrs, Bella Sandlin, Olivia Hall, Bettie Woolworth, and the Goldman sisters — Hazel and Hailey — went virtually lights-out on any PCC shooters who tried to wander over the midfield line.

Marrs praised the rapid growth of her team’s defense in her post-game analysis, and it was evident in the play of the Wolves.

That left Coupeville not needing all that much offense to win the game, but the Wolves still made sure to fill up the net.

Fab frosh Ariella Lee-Spaulding, in her second season of varsity ball, opened the scoring, winning a wild battle in front of the net 13 minutes into the game to put CHS up 1-0.

Ariella Lee-Spaulding has places to go and goals to score.

The score stayed there until the two teams were in stoppage time right before the end of the first half.

Taking advantage of the Twilight Zone atmosphere created by the clock being frozen with two minutes to play while only the main ref knows how much time is really left, the Wolves struck for two game-busting goals in a matter of mere seconds.

The first came off the foot of Lee-Spaulding, who cranked home the third score of her prep career, followed by Hall tapping in a shot that caromed off of a rival player and into the back of the net for her first high school goal.

There was no scoring in the second half, but not for lack of trying.

Lyla Grose, Lucy Schisel, and Ketterling peppered the PCC goalie with a hail of shots, but none would quite slip through and hit paydirt.

The hometown fans were still entertained, especially with Ketterling’s noteworthy dribbling and footwork.

Running the length of the field, she darted and dazzled, spinning rival players around, sliding past them, and thoroughly confusing anyone foolish enough to think they could steal the ball away.

As if.

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