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Posts Tagged ‘Orcas Island’

Frustration on the floor

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Big hitter Lyla Stuurmans rang up a team-high 18 kills Thursday night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There is a fork in the road. Which route do you take?

The Coupeville High School volleyball squad has 10 matches left on the regular season schedule, with seven of those coming against Northwest 2B/1B League foes.

Which means the Wolf spikers still have plenty of time to pull together, find a killer finishing touch, and rack up a whole bunch of wins.

Or continue to frustrate themselves and their coaches by being unable to fully harness their talent while settling for middle of the road status.

Coming off a five-set loss to Orcas Island Thursday in the conference opener for both teams, Coupeville finds itself at 0-1 in league play, 1-3 overall.

Two of those losses have come in five sets, and in both of those matches the Wolves were poised to win but didn’t.

Thursday’s defeat, coming to the tune of 25-22, 18-25, 19-25, 25-14, 15-8, wasn’t quite as much of a knife to the heart as their earlier loss to South Whidbey.

In that match, the Wolves led two sets to none, with match point in set #3, only to see things slip away.

But the Orcas defeat stings in its own special way, as it’s the first time a CHS varsity volleyball team has lost to a NWL rival other than four-time defending state champ La Conner since rejoining the league in 2020.

With those Braves (1-0, 1-4) struggling at times during their own rebuilding year, the race for the league crown seems to be wide open.

Coupeville’s next match? It’s at La Conner Sept. 26, after an appearance at this weekend’s South Whidbey Invite.

Time to choose your path.

CHS coach Cory Whitmore stresses a point in an earlier match. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coming off an impressive three-set road sweep of Mount Vernon Christian in a match considered a non-league rumble, the Wolves hit their home floor, and promptly reverted to a work in progress.

Up 3-0 in the opening set after a couple nice serves from Katie Marti and a high-flying tip winner from Lyla Stuurmans, CHS then lost the lead and never got it back.

The last tie in the first frame came at 6-6, and while Orcas never really pulled away, the Vikings kept the Wolves at bay just long enough to net the set.

Stuurmans, who walloped a team-high 18 kills, smoked a couple of winners to keep things close, but the defining play was when two Wolves crashed through the bench in pursuit of a wayward ball.

The hustle was there, but the fact they had to go so far off course in an ultimately futile effort to prolong the play added to Coupeville’s frustration.

But then the Wolves started clicking, capturing the next two sets and playing more like the team which blew MVC off the floor.

Coupeville shot out to an 8-2 lead in the second set, with Mia Farris and Teagan Calkins racking up winners at the net, gave back the lead for a hot second, then flipped the offensive power show back on.

Grey Peabody and Stuurmans took turns torturing the Vikings, spraying winners and ripping off arms, while Madison McMillan brought the complete game, sparkling on serves and mid-range slicers which found openings in the Orcas defense.

With the match knotted at a set apiece, CHS stayed on the offensive, claiming the lead at 8-7 in the third and never giving the advantage back.

Katie Marti had a picture-perfect flip over her shoulder, the ball catching the Vikings flatfooted, while Stuurmans showed off the guns, mashing winners and flexing her biceps to crowd roars.

The biggest cheer came for fan favorite Jada Heaton, who clinched the third set by bounding skyward to crush a winner at set point after Orcas (barely) got a Stuurmans nuclear blast back into play.

Jada Heaton patrols the net. (Jackie Saia photo)

Things were looking peachy at that point, but unfortunately for home fans, it was deceptive.

As fast as the fun times arrived, they vanished for the Wolves, with Orcas riding its heavy hitter, senior Bethany Carter, who became a nearly flawless mash machine across the night’s final two sets.

The fourth set slipped away fast, a 9-3 deficit morphing into an 18-9 disadvantage for Coupeville.

One Orcas player airmailed a serve moments after accidentally hitting herself in the face while bouncing the ball at the service line, but that was small consolation for the Wolves.

All of which set up a fifth and deciding set, which looked like it would be a heavyweight brawl in the middle of the ring.

Until it suddenly wasn’t.

Three times in the final frame Coupeville players hit the floor and made one-handed saves to keep a point alive, with both Calkins and Marti doing it during the same rally.

But a 7-7 tie slipped away, with Orcas running off six straight points on its serve, and the Wolves never fully recovered.

In the aftermath of the loss, which leaves Coupeville winless at home this season, the quandary lingers.

The talent is there. The heart is there. But will these Wolves find their killer instinct?

Only time will tell.

 

Thursday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 digs
Teagan Calkins — 4 kills, 5 digs, 1 block assist
Mia Farris — 5 kills, 20 digs, 2 aces
Jada Heaton — 2 kills, 3 digs, 1 block assist
Issabel Johnson — 1 assist, 3 aces
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 6 digs, 37 assists, 1 solo block, 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 1 kill, 20 digs, 2 assists, 5 aces
Grey Peabody — 10 kills, 2 digs
Lyla Stuurmans — 18 kills, 10 digs, 3 aces

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Thin bench, extra effort

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Capri Anter cranks up the power. (Jackie Saia photos)

If you’re on the floor, you’re on the floor.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad played with the minimum six players Thursday, with everyone in uniform bringing big effort.

While the Wolves, who had five freshmen among their active players, couldn’t topple visiting Orcas Island, they did push the Vikings in a 25-18, 25-18 loss.

The conference defeat drops Coupeville to 0-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 1-3 overall, with a trip to La Conner Sept. 26 next up on the schedule.

The young Wolves battled hard in the opening set, building an early lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Capri Anter.

The fab frosh cracked one of those winners off of a Viking player’s arm, the ball hitting bone and making the sound of a melon dropped off the Empire State Building.

Myra McDonald goes low for a shot.

Myra McDonald collected her own ace shortly after, but on a ball which caught the net, hung in the air for an eternity, then flopped over the other side, burrowing its way into the ground as several Orcas players swung and missed.

That staked Coupeville to a 6-4 advantage, but despite some strong work at the net from Anter, the Vikings pulled away, reclaiming the lead and stretching it out.

The second set, played quickly as Orcas prepared to ankle it to the ferry, proceeded in much the same style.

Coupeville sparkled early, this time with McDonald lashing a winner and Chloe Marzocca crushing a nasty service ace, before the Vikings used a deeper roster and older players to seize the advantage.

The Wolves got stellar all-around play from Lexis Drake and Haylee Armstrong, while Anter soared high for a tip winner and Dakota Strong killed the dreams of an Orcas rival by stuffing her shot at the net.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 3 kills, 3 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 4 assists, 1 ace
Lexis Drake — 1 kill
Chloe Marzocca — 1 dig, 2 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 kill, 2 aces

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Orcas AD, spiker coach off to new adventures

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on July 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Ryan and Rachel Wilson hang out with their four children, who all would look great in Coupeville’s black and red at some point. Just sayin’.

“It’s been a special place for me since I was a kid.”

Growing up in a military family, Ryan Wilson, who was the Orcas Island High School Athletic Director until his recent resignation, often spent vacations in the Lake Quinault area.

Further cementing the connection, he and wife Rachel, who led the Vikings volleyball program, were married at the local lodge.

Now the couple, and their pack of precocious kids, have left the Northwest 2B/1B League and bought a home almost right next door to the school in Lake Quinault.

Call it home sweet home, unless I can convince them to transfer their athletically blessed, but still quite young, offspring to Coupeville at an appropriate time.

“Ha! We’ll see,” Ryan Wilson said with a chuckle. “Never say never.”

For now, he’ll be teaching in Lake Quinault, while both he and Rachel, a former professional volleyball player, will look for ways to stay involved in sports.

The departure of the Wilsons brings an end to their run on Orcas, which began when they arrived there in 2018 from California.

The Vikings employed three AD’s in as many years before Ryan Wilson accepted the job, and he provided stability while spurring great growth.

Under his watch, Orcas teams showed substantial improvement in almost every sport, with boys’ soccer claiming a state title and two runner-up finishes.

Rachel Wilson led the Vikings volleyball team to the 1B state tourney last fall, the program’s first trip to the big dance since 2011.

A first-round victory over Waterville-Mansfield marked the first time Orcas had won at the state spiker championships since 2005.

Ryan Wilson is justifiably proud of the heights Vikings sports reached, while mindful of the hard work put in by himself, his coaches, and support staff.

“The lion’s share of our program’s achieved at the highest level, and those kids will have great stories to tell for years,” he said.

“It was fun to be part of that success, having committed to being part of something bigger than just myself.”

The Wilson’s positive impact, on both Orcas and in the NWL, can’t be denied.

“Ryan and Rachel were a huge asset to the school and the league,” said Justin Paulsen, an Orcas parent and basketball official.

“Their influence will be greatly missed,” he added. “Lake Quinault is lucky to have such a positive and motivated influence joining their program.”

That’s an opinion shared by Coupeville AD Willie Smith, who has worked with Ryan since his arrival in the region.

“He was passionate and completely vested in the Orcas community and kids,” Smith said. “Fiercely loyal to our league and a totally standup guy who I respected a lot as a fellow AD.

“He has a great future ahead of him in every aspect other than being a good bowler or golfer, but hey you can’t be good at everything,” he added with a big laugh.

“He added levity and had a good perspective in our meetings and was a lot of fun to be around. He’s going to be missed by us and Orcas for sure.”

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Have bats, will mash

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Ask not for whom the bat tolls. It tolls for thee. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Today we put the league on notice! We are keeping the crown!!”

Coupeville High School softball coach Kevin McGranahan was feeling good Saturday, and why not.

Having travelled to Orcas Island to face a decent Vikings squad, the Wolves opened a can of unholy whup ass on their hosts, blowing them out 22-0 in a game mercy-ruled after three innings.

Led by out-of-the-park home runs from Mia Farris and Haylee Armstrong, CHS solidified its hold on first place in the Northwest 2B/1B League, jumping to 7-1 in conference play.

Now 10-5 overall, the Wolves have won seven of their last eight games.

Fueled by tasty noodles, Madison McMillan and Co. are on a winning tear. (Jennifer Marzocca photo)

Saturday, Coupeville dominated in every aspect of the game.

Senior hurler Gwen Gustafson struck out nine, not allowing her defense to get a single out on its own.

The Vikings did scratch out one hit and two walks, but that paled in comparison to Coupeville ringing up 16 base knocks and seven free passes.

Two of the biggest blows came from the sweet-swinging Farris, who clobbered an RBI triple and a grand slam home run — all in the first inning.

CHS rolled out to a 9-0 lead after one frame, tossed three more runs on the board in the second, then emphatically ended things with a 10-run burst in the third.

Armstrong, an 8th grader playing like a seasoned pro, joined Farris in the long ball club, belting a two-run shot that was still climbing as it cleared the fence in left center.

Powered by her mom’s flowers, 8th grader Haylee Armstrong smashed her first high school home run Saturday. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

 

Saturday stats:

Capri Anter — One walk
Haylee Armstrong — One home run
Taylor Brotemarkle — Two singles
Teagan Calkins — One single, one double, one walk
Mia Farris — One double, one triple, one home run
Gwen Gustafson — One single, one walk
Allie Lucero — One single, one double
Maya Lucero — One single, one double
Chloe Marzocca — One walk
Madison McMillan — Two singles, one walk
Melanie Navarro — One single
Sofia Peters — Two walks

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Wolf diamond dogs chomp Vikings

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Scott Hilborn drops the hammer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

All in all, a pretty dang good week.

Sparked by another stellar pitching performance from senior Scott Hilborn, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad toppled host Orcas Island Saturday, heading back to the ferry with a 4-2 win.

That gives the Wolves three Northwest 2B/1B League wins over the last five days and keeps them a half-game out of first place.

CHS sits at 9-1 in conference action, with four NWL games left to play, while Mount Vernon Christian is 10-1 with three left on the schedule.

The Wolves, now 11-4 overall and winner of seven of their last eight games, face the league’s bottom three teams next week.

They travel to Concrete (0-9) Tuesday, trek to Darrington (4-6) Thursday, then host La Conner (1-9) Saturday on Senior Night.

After that comes a non-conference rumble with Sultan and the regular-season finale against league rival Friday Harbor, before Coupeville heads to the district playoffs as a #1 seed.

Facing a solid Orcas Island team Saturday, Hilborn was in control from start to finish, scattering three hits while whiffing nine Vikings.

Coupeville jumped in front 2-0 in the top of the second inning, putting together three straight hits from Jack Porter, Peyton Caveness, and Cole White.

Caveness slammed a double, while the second Wolf run came zipping home on a fielder’s choice groundout off the bat of Johnny Porter.

For quite a bit, that two-run lead was all Hilborn needed, as he retired the first seven hitters he faced, and got out of a teeny-tiny jam in the fourth thanks to a double play started by Jonathan Valenzuela.

Even on the coldest of days, Jonathan Valenzuela’s defense is red-hot. (Morgan White photo)

But Coupeville’s own bats went cold for a couple of innings, and Orcas finally cracked the code in the bottom of the fifth.

Two Viking hitters embraced the pain and let themselves be drilled by wayward pitches to get things started, with Calvin Saxe whacking a two-run single to left to knot things up at 2-2.

The Wolves have been resilient all season, however, and they quickly responded, pushing two runners of their own across in the top of the sixth to retake the lead.

Chase Anderson and Valenzuela connected on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, while Jack Porter came up with a mammoth two-out hit.

Orcas committed an error on Porter’s RBI single, allowing a second Wolf to race home, and the deed was done.

Hilborn retired six of the final seven hitters, setting the Vikings down 1-2-3 in the seventh to send local fans back to their cars with tear-stained faces.

Or at least I’d like to think so.

 

Saturday stats:

Chase Anderson — One single
Peyton Caveness — One double
Jack Porter — Two singles
Landon Roberts — One single
Jonathan Valenzuela — One single, one walk
Cole White — One single

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