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Posts Tagged ‘OHHS Wildcats’

Send in the experts!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , on July 25, 2018| Leave a Comment »

If Coupeville makes it to the state football playoffs, their first-round foe will be decided by experts and not blind luck. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Oak Harbor High School head football coach Jay Turner. (Photo property of Oak Harbor School District)

The world is in shock right now. Shock, I say.

For maybe the first time in its checkered history, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has listened to the complaints and is changing something for the better.

The change in question revolves around the state football playoffs, and the answer comes in the form of seeding committees announced Wednesday afternoon.

In previous years, the 16 teams in each classification involved in the playoffs were paired off by blind draw.

Which meant the process often ended up pairing up two of the top teams, sometimes even #1 and #2, in the first round.

What should have been a likely state title match-up went down way too early, while, by the luck of the draw, #15 and #16 sometimes matched up for a spot in the quarterfinals.

But, after much venting, that changes this fall.

Qualifying for the state playoffs remains the same as before, with each district allocated a certain number of slots.

But, once the 16 teams in each division are set, a committee of 12 experts, comprised of current and former coaches, AD’s, journalists and computer rankings whiz kids, will sit down and rank the gridiron squads.

One of those who made it through the application process was Oak Harbor High School head football coach Jay Turner, who landed on the 3A/4A committee.

Other notable names include Pat Alexander, who had a 41-year run as Defensive Coordinator at Tumwater (including my time as a T-Bird).

Sultan head coach Jim Wright gives Coupeville’s new league, the North Sound Conference, a voice, while the inclusion of outside experts Ryland Spencer of Cascadia Preps and Scott Odiorne, AKA The Score Czar, prove that, for once, the WIAA actually thought something out.

The 2018 football seeding committees:

1B and 2B:

Brian Bailey – Head Coach at Entiat
Jon Davidson – Retired Head Coach who currently assists at Toutle Lake
Jay Hawkins – Head Coach at Tonasket
Jim Holman – Head Coach at Asotin
Kyle Kimble – Head Coach at Pomeroy
Buck Marsh – Superintendent/AD/Head Coach at Darrington
Tom Sanchez – AD/Former Head Coach at South Bend
Aaron Van Tuyl – Sports Reporter at The Daily Chronicle
Matthew Evans – Publisher of Evans Rankings
Doug Ashmore – Former Coach at Napavine, Onalaska, Centralia
Ryland Spencer – Cascadia Preps
Scott Odiorne – ScoreCzar Rankings

1A and 2A:

Elia Ala’ilima-Daley – Former Head Coach; AD at Cascade (Leavenworth)
Pat Alexander – Retired – 41-year Assistant Coach at Tumwater
Brycen Bye – Head Coach at Clarkston
Jay Dodd – Head Coach at Blaine
John Hallead – Head Coach at Columbia (White Salmon)
Cody Lamb – Head Coach at LaSalle
Shawn Perkins – Head Coach at Mark Morris
Dan Teeter – Head Coach at Lakewood
Jeff Weible – Head Coach at North Kitsap
Jim Wright – Head Coach at Sultan
Ryland Spencer – Cascadia Preps
Scott Odiorne – ScoreCzar Rankings

3A and 4A:

John Barrington – AD at Mead
Ross Filkins – Head Coach/AD at Peninsula
Matthew Gracey – Head Coach at Heritage
Monte Kohler – Head Coach/AD at O’Dea
William Marsh – Retired AD/Head Coach at Eastside Cathholic
Adam Mathieson – Head Coach at Mountain View
Scott Nordi – AD at Lakes; Gridiron Classic Co-Coordinator
Mark Perry – AD at Snohomish
Jay Turner – Head Coach at Oak Harbor
Lauren Smith – Sports Reporter for Tacoma News Tribune, The Olympian
Ryland Spencer – Cascadia Preps
Scott Odiorne – ScoreCzar Rankings

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Don’t let the money get away!!

Posted in Scholarships, tagged , , , on April 5, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   CHS senior Hope Lodell, a volleyball and softball star, is an example of an athlete who fits the criteria for scholarship money offered by photographer John Fisken. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The race is on.

The deadline for scholarship money offered by local photo whiz kid John Fisken is drawing near, and I’m here to help with easy access to the application forms.

Coupeville and Oak Harbor High School seniors who meet the criteria and get their work done in a timely fashion — he’s picking up the applications Tuesday — will be in the running for cash rewards funded by photo purchases.

To be eligible, you need to hit these bullet points:

*Must have participated in at least 2 sports for all 4 years of high school

*Must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

*Must NOT be getting any type of athletic scholarship from any college

*Must submit a 500-word essay, “How Sports Made Me A Better Person”

You can print out the application form by clicking on the links below:

Scholarship application – Oak Harbor

Scholarship application – Coupeville

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Wildcat ace earns college baseball gig!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 28, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Oak Harbor senior James Besaw is going to Massachusetts to play college baseball. (Photos courtesy Teresa Besaw)

Besaw gets congratulations from OHHS coaches.

Celebrating with the family.

James Besaw will pursue his college baseball dreams in the land of the Red Sox.

The Oak Harbor High School senior first-baseman is headed cross country to play ball for the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, a NCAA D-III school which tracked down the Wildcat slugger online.

Besaw has grown up playing alongside and against many current and past Coupeville baseball stars, from little league through travel ball days, and his mom, Teresa, worked at the Whidbey News-Times at the same time I did.

The chance to continue his baseball career on the East Coast is a direct testament to changes in the scouting system for high school athletes.

Gone are the days of waiting for a scout to accidentally wander past an outpost in the middle of the water in the Pacific Northwest to see a player.

Instead, Besaw posted info and a video on a recruiting website, where an MCLA coach found him.

The school, which plays in the eight-team Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, paid for Besaw to fly out for a visit in Feb., and his earlier plans to try and play more locally went out the window.

“We were looking for schools in Washington, Oregon and Idaho,” said Teresa Besaw. “But he visited, and wanted to go.”

While her son will be playing for the Trailblazers way on the other side of the country, James won’t be alone, as his grandfather on his mom’s side of the family is from Massachusetts and he has family there.

“He will go to my cousin Bob’s for Thanksgiving,” Teresa Besaw said. “Bob made James fall in love with Boston and the Red Sox as soon as they met.”

She had been planning on taking her son to Boston for a Red Sox game as a graduation trip present, but will instead now deliver him to college there in late August.

After driving James around the state for baseball games nearly his entire life, one more trip is fine by mom.

“He has worked real hard for this; 13 years of baseball paid off!”

 

To read an earlier feature story I wrote on James, pop over to: 

Love of the game drives Besaw!!

 

To see him in action:

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And away we go!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on November 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Mikayla Elfrank was a ball-hawk Saturday as Coupeville kicked off its season at a jamboree. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Freshman Kylie Chernikoff made her debut, helping the Wolf JV take wins against two much-bigger schools.

Get the jitters out and get ready for the games that count.

That was the goal for the Coupeville High School girls basketball squads Saturday, as they kicked off a new season with an appearance at a jamboree in Sedro-Woolley.

Facing off with 2A Lakewood and 3A Oak Harbor in mini-games, the 1A Wolves, who were playing without full rosters, earned a split.

The CHS varsity fell 9-6 to Lakewood and 18-14 to Oak Harbor, while the Wolf JV romped to 15-3 and 9-4 wins against the same schools.

Now, it’s on to a busy first week of real play, starting with a road game Monday at Bellingham.

Coupeville hosts Blaine Wednesday and Mount Vernon Christian Friday, before facing an Australian traveling team next Saturday, Dec. 2, in a game at South Whidbey High School.

With several players missing, the Wolves had short benches for the jamboree. The varsity played with just one sub, sending bodies to the JV to help fill out that roster.

Varsity:

Coupeville opened against a very physical Lakewood squad and fell behind quickly, trailing 6-1 in the early going.

“This was a rough and tumble game,” said CHS coach David King. “We came out timid and very nervous on offense.”

After words of wisdom from their leader, the Wolves rallied to tie the game, but couldn’t quite get over the top.

Returning to the court to face its Island rivals, Coupeville was more aggressive and benefited from Mikayla Elfrank, who “was a ball-hawk and made off with four steals that led to fast break opportunities.”

“We played a much better offensive game. Ran our plays and got some good open looks,” King said. “Defensively, we just seemed a step slow. Allowed too many baseline drives and allowing players to get to the basket with very little resistance.

“Defense is our staple and tonight we just didn’t bring it,” he added. “Something to learn from and continue to practice and improve on.”

Coupeville hung with Oak Harbor until the very end, but free-throw shooting was the difference in the end. The Wildcats drained six of eight from the charity stripe, while the Wolves were a tad cold, hitting just two of six.

Elfrank, Kyla Briscoe, Sarah Wright, Lindsey Roberts and Allison Wenzel played in both games, while Kalia Littlejohn and Scout Smith each slid down to JV for one game to help their younger counterparts.

While he always prefers wins, King came away pleased with a lot of what he saw his team do against big school competition.

“Overall, a good start to our season and getting into game situations is what tonight was all about,” he said.

JV:

With a variety of players dealing with early-season dings (a knee injury, a bone chip in a hand, a sore quad muscle, wisdom teeth removal) and two key players off on family adventures, the young guns were a work in progress.

And yet, with Littlejohn and Smith providing sparks against Lakewood and Oak Harbor, respectively, Amy King’s team still ran their foes off the floor with relative ease.

“Kalia helped us out. With her guidance, we were able to get some confidence in setting up and running our plays, as well as stepping up our defense,” King said. “Then Scout stepped in where Kalia left off and the rest of the team sparked in their play.”

Tia Wurzrainer “made some great passes in both games,” piling up assists, rebounds and steals, while frosh phenom Genna Wright “came alive in the second game, ripping rebounds, taking shots and getting steals.”

Nicole Lester, Mollie Bailey and two first-time players, Kylie Chernikoff and Julia Garcia Onoro, rounded out Coupeville’s roster.

“I was very proud of those who played today,” King said. “I think they all got better and hopefully have a little more confidence in themselves and each other before going into our game on Monday.”

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Mom’s example powers newest Wolf to success!!

Posted in Basketball, Football, tagged , , , , , on August 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Ashton Prats flies for yardage while playing for Oak Harbor last season. (John Fisken photo)

Prats goes up for a bucket during a basketball game. (Submitted photo)

It starts and ends with his mother.

Whether he’s on the football field or basketball court, in the classroom or tackling everyday life, Ashton Prats always has his heart set on making the woman who brought him into the world proud.

“My mom has fought through the hardest of times to make sure I had a roof over my head, dinner on the table,” Prats said. “She has made sure that I know things don’t get easy until they’re done being hard.

“I respect her so much as a person and as my mother,” he added. “Without her I wouldn’t have the self drive I do today to keep bettering myself on and off the field every day.”

Prats recently transferred from Oak Harbor and will be a junior at Coupeville High School when the new school year begins.

“I decided to switch about halfway through summer because I thought it would be more beneficial academically,” he said.

Having started playing football in the fifth grade, Prats is a veteran on the gridiron, and one who already has some connection with the Wolves.

And by connection, we mean he ran over them during a JV game last season, when he bolted for three touchdowns on the ground and almost got a fourth one on a 74-yard interception return.

Now, he’ll be wearing red, black and white instead of purple and gold, and hopes to help Coupeville in whatever way he can.

“I think my strengths are helping other players, tackling, and power running,” Prats said. “My goals for the season are to better myself as a player and to help the team make it to a championship.

“I also want to observe my teammates and see how they play, so I can play more efficiently with them.”

Prats, who also played basketball for Oak Harbor, enjoys “spending time with my girlfriend, playing pick-up basketball and hanging out with my friends.”

He hails “The Blind Side” as a top movie pick, and red is his favorite color — which fits nicely with his new school.

As he works with his new teammates, Prats remembers how it all began, and what drives him.

“I started playing because I’ve always loved watching football, so I wanted to play,” he said. “I enjoy going through hard times and good times with the team, through winning and losing streaks, and watching all our hard work pay off on Friday nights.”

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