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Posts Tagged ‘Orcas Island’

Stay down, Orcas! You just got KO’d!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

(Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

Makana Stone (left) and Mia Littlejohn, seen here in an earlier game, were still jumping with joy Wednesday. (Sylvia Hurlburt photos)

Kailey Kellner

Kailey Kellner, just here to drop treys and take names.

Kailey Kellner has a new nickname.

After watching the Coupeville High School junior drop six three-point bombs on visiting Orcas Island Wednesday — with the net barely rippling on any of them — Wolf fans started referring to her as “Stephanie Curry.”

With Kellner banging away for 20, the perfect complement to Makana Stone’s game-high 24, CHS cruised to a win in much the same style that Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are doing on a daily basis in the NBA.

On a night when they and their fans honored the memory and legacy of the late, great hoops sensation Marlene Grasser, this year’s squad rolled to a 52-38 non-conference win that wasn’t even remotely close.

Coupeville actually led by 27 early in the fourth quarter, before taking the foot off the gas pedal a bit.

Now 3-2, with both their losses being one-bucket defeats to stellar squads, the Wolves look strong as they head into the first game in defense of their 1A Olympic League crown.

Coupeville hosts Klahowya (0-5) this Friday (varsity 5:15, JV 7:00).

The Wolves hit the floor Wednesday looking in mid-season form as they rolled out to a 9-0 lead before Orcas knew what hit them.

Kellner kicked the opening run off by drilling a trey from the right side, then capped it with a three-ball from the left side.

The net never moved on either shot, and a small smile begin to creep across her face as Kellner was hollered at non-stop by her fan club’s most enthusiastic boosters, Kacie Kiel and Sydney Autio.

She added another jumper on her way to an eight-point first quarter, Lauren Grove drained a looooooong jumper and Mia Littlejohn dropped in a beauty of a runner as the Wolves went to the first break up 15-7.

Not content to sit on the lead, Coupeville busted things wide open in the second as the Wolves handed the ball to their rampaging force of nature, the zen-like (but maybe not always) Stone.

With the senior scoring 12 in the quarter with a variety of dazzling moves, Coupeville stretched the lead out to 21, then put a punctuation mark on things.

Fighting for a rebound, Stone, who was being mercilessly hacked, poked and prodded every time she touched the ball, ripped the ball away with enough force she sent a rival player airborne, depositing her several feet away on her butt.

The home crowd, especially players from the Wolf boys’ squad, went crazy, stomping and cheering in support of her.

And, while an overly touchy-feely ref whistled a technical on the last player you might expect to get one, a valuable lesson was imparted.

The number of times Orcas players tried to get rough with Stone after that? Less than zero.

Stone, for her part, walked away, regained her composure and returned to hurting the Vikings in her normal fashion — one bucket at a time — dropping in 13 of her 24 after the technical.

And Kellner?

She couldn’t stop if she tried, hitting treys in all four quarters. The only thing that finally cooled her off was being put on the bench to give the Wolf reserves some playing time.

Even then she rocked back and forth in her chair, with the look of a gunfighter who wanted to drop in a three-ball while seated just to prove she could do it.

On this night, few, if any, would have bet against her making the trick shot.

Coupeville was relentless, opening the fourth with a 7-1 run to push the lead all the way out to 52-25, before Orcas salvaged some self-respect in the late going.

Littlejohn banged away for six and Grove added a bucket in support of the big two, while Tiffany Briscoe was an animal in the trenches, fighting for rebounds (she had seven) and loose balls.

Stone hauled down 19 rebounds, pilfered four steals and dealt out four assists, while Littlejohn matched her with four assists of her own.

Lindsey Roberts, Kyla Briscoe, Lauren Rose, Allison Wenzel and Skyler Lawrence all saw floor time as well.

Roberts, the freshman daughter of Grasser’s teammate, Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts, played strong full-court defense, hustling just like her mom and Marlene once did on the very same floor.

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Make a moment for Marlene!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, In Memorium, tagged , , , , on December 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Marlene Grasser with her great niece. (Photo courtesy Ashley Heilig)

Marlene Grasser with her great niece, Mia. (Photos courtesy Ashley Heilig)

A sensational athlete and a better person.

A sensational athlete and a better person.

Coupeville High School will pay tribute to Marlene Grasser during tonight’s basketball doubleheader.

The Wolves are scheduled to play Orcas Island, with the girls varsity game at 3:30, followed by the boys at 5.

Grasser, a two-time CHS Female Athlete of the Year and one of the most beloved, influential athletes to ever wear a Coupeville uniform, passed away this week after a two-year battle with cancer.

A 1987 grad, she was 46.

During her days as a Wolf, Grasser starred in volleyball, basketball, softball and track, then went on to play volleyball in college.

She was inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame in a class that included three of her contemporaries, Jennie (Cross) Prince, Aimee (Messner) Bishop and Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts, as well as brother-in-law Ron Bagby.

Grasser was that rarity, an athlete who influenced generations of other athletes in her home town, and will continue to do so.

A little taste of the vast outpouring of love which has been directed to her family:

Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts):

Marlene was my athletic role model. She was such an amazing and gifted athlete and one of the nicest people ever.

She always helped me and encouraged me to strive for excellence and become the best I could be.

Emily (Vracin) Kosderka:

Growing up, I admired Marlene SO MUCH–I wanted to be her.

I didn’t even really get to know her, but she was a stud female athlete and a great person — that was enough for me.

I’m so sorry to hear this news and my thoughts and prayers go out to all of her family and friends.

Joli (Smith) Bartell:

This breaks my heart. I think I was about in junior high when I started growing a huge love of playing sports thanks to a few people I watched and looked up to, including Marlene Grasser.

I am pretty sure she was my babysitter when I was little!

I will never forget that name when I think of the greats in CHS sports.

My thoughts and prayers to her friends and family.

Suzan Georges:

I will share this with my 10 year old who has played in the SWISH team for two years now.

Our condolences and prayers go out to all the family!

Her memory and words will live on through Coupeville’s future athletes.

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“It’s gonna be an awesome season!!”

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kenzi

   Kenzi LaRue and Co. kept their eye on the ball Friday night. (John Fisken photos)

team

Heidi Wyman’s talented band of young guns.

Speed kills.

Playing quickly and efficiently, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad whipped visiting Orcas Island so fast Friday night they still had time to be fans.

Playing in one gym while the Wolf varsity played in another, the young guns dismantled the Vikings 25-8, 25-16, 25-22, then jumped across the hall to scream and holler.

“They finished Orcas quick enough to cheer on the varsity!,” said Wolf JV coach Heidi Wyman. “It’s great to be part of a team and a town that supports each other so well.

“These young ladies are loud on the bench, pick each other up when they get down, and celebrate each other’s successes selflessly,” she added. “It’s scary when you get that kind of chemistry. It’s gonna be an awesome season!”

The win, coming after a 10-day layoff, was the second straight for the JV squad, lifting them to 2-2 on the still-young season.

They did it with a mix of precision serving (25 aces) and big hitting (15 kills).

“Offensively aggressive all night!,” said a proud coach.

Freshman phenom Maddy Hilkey captured player of the game honors with 14 serving aces and four kills.

“She passes any ball that comes her way with grace and accuracy,” Wyman said.

Also soaring high were the deadly duo of Kameryn St Onge, who rattled home six kills, and Nicole Lester, who led the Wolves with an 89% success rate at the service stripe.

“Kameryn is deadly whenever she gets a chance to attack the ball,” Wyman said. “Having a left-handed setter that can sky the way she does is just awesome to watch.

“Nicole is so great,” she added. “When the team needs someone to put a serve in, she finds a way to make it happen.”

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Thrash ’em, then feed ’em!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 25, 2015| 1 Comment »

Kalia Littlejohn punched home two more goals Friday, giving her six in six games. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

   Kalia Littlejohn (right) punched home two more goals Friday, giving her six in six games. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

A lock-down defense and an explosive offense are a beautiful combination.

With total control of both sides of the ball Friday night, the Coupeville High School girls’ soccer squad romped to a 5-0 non-conference win over visiting Orcas Island.

The victory, coming in the team’s first game after an eight-day break, evened the Wolves record at 2-2-2.

CHS spread its offense around, with Kalia Littlejohn leading the way. The freshman punched the ball in twice to run her team-best total to six goals in six games.

Big sis Mia Littlejohn tacked on her fourth goal of the season, while Sage Renninger and Jenn Spark each connected for their second.

Spark’s goal came off of a penalty kick, set up when teammate Kirsten Pelroy was roughed up on a play in the box.

“Our ever-ready energy bunny, Kirsten, drew a foul and, of course Jennifer crushed the free look and it was a wrap,” said Coupeville coach Troy Cowan.

“Overall, the team played well and we are really starting to come together,” he added. “Really proud of our intensity in practice, the girls are starting to figure it out. The harder we work in practice the easier the game comes to them; it’s magical!!!”

While the goal scorers get the headlines, Cowan also shone his spotlight brightly on his role players.

“I want to commend our bench players, they all played hard and have really contributed to the team success,” he said. “They are as responsible for our success and those goals as the girls that scored them!!”

While the Wolves rained down goals, their defense, anchored by goalie Lauren Grove, was on point.

“As usual, our rookie goalie was lights out!,” Cowan said. “Can’t say enough good things about Lauren Grove, she is amazing!!!

“Defense was on lock-down, ’nuff said!”

While Coupeville pounded Orcas on the field, the Wolves made sure the Vikings, who had a long trip ahead of them, didn’t go home empty-handed.

The Littlejohn’s mom, Dawn Hesselgrave, initiated a plan to feed all the Orcas players from both the soccer and volleyball squads, who had traveled to Whidbey together.

“Tonight’s MVP, no question,” Cowan said. “Dawn came to me over a month ago with this idea and she took the bull by the horn and got the job done!!!

“Not only did this incredible woman demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship to our Lady Wolves, she embodies attributes of sainthood!!,” he added. “What an amazing gesture of kindness and act of love and all on behalf of our young Lady Wolves.

“It gives me great pride and honor to call Dawn my friend, team mom and tonight’s match MVP. Thank you, Dawn!”

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“Rally Ally” sparks huge win!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 25, 2015| 2 Comments »

Ally Roberts may be smiling, but she'll still destroy you. (John Fisken photo)

  Ally Roberts may be smiling, but she’ll still destroy you. (John Fisken photo)

The match ended the only way it could, with Ally Roberts fingertips being the very last thing to touch the volleyball.

Riding a match-long burst of energy from the high-flying, hard-hitting, big-grinning junior, the Coupeville High School spikers thrashed visiting Orcas Island in four sets Friday to grab their first win of the season.

The 23-25, 25-14, 25-14, 25-17 non-conference victory, which also featured especially strong work from McKenzie Bailey and Payton Aparicio on a night when every single Wolf player took a turn in the spotlight, lifted Coupeville to 1-3.

For a team that hadn’t played in more than a week (they had been off since a close loss at Mount Vernon Christian Sept. 15), CHS looked strong.

“A great win for our program tonight! We had an awesome week of practice preparing for this match and that showed in their confidence and movement on the court,” said CHS coach Breanne Smedley. “I was impressed with the way the team came back from a close loss in the first set.

“It shows their mental toughness is improving,” she added. “We still need to focus on playing our tempo and level of competition regardless of who is on the other side of the net. We are looking forward to next week!”

Other than two stretches in the first set, the Wolves thoroughly controlled the match in every aspect.

In fact, it probably should have been a straight-sets win, as Coupeville had a 22-15 lead in the first set before hitting their only truly rocky section of the match.

Bouncing back immediately, the Wolves seemed to take immediate charge as soon as Roberts and sophomore Hope Lodell entered the match to start the second set.

Both were poppin’ with energy, and it sent a ripple effect through their teammates as well, as Coupeville bolted out to a 9-1 lead in the second set.

As Lauren Rose ripped off a sensational run at the service stripe, Bailey stepped up to the net and began to shred the Vikings’ kneecaps, dropping wicked spikes left and right.

With Orcas on the run a bit, that offered Roberts a chance to get fancy, and she obliged, with a string of picture-perfect tips into open space that dropped artfully between sprawled Viking hitters.

After launching a shot that sliced over the net with maybe an inch to give before hitting and kicking away for a winner, she headed to the bench as a fan bellowed “Nice job, Ally!!”

Pausing for just a moment, Roberts beamed at the stands and lobbed back a “Thanks!!,” then went down the bench, slapping hands with all her giddy teammates.

She didn’t sit down for long, however, returning to team with Valen Trujillo for another huge play.

With Rose again off and running on another long, and very successful stretch at the service stripe, the two squads put together one of the night’s best rallies.

Orcas appeared to hit a winner, but Trujillo came hurtling out of nowhere, sliding halfway across the court on her knees to barely get her hands under the ball at the last millisecond.

The orb shot upwards and Roberts, cartwheeling into position, popped it over her head — her back was to the net — and between two Vikings who swung and missed in unison, setting off another roar from the Wolf bench and their fans.

The play was symbolic of the night Roberts had, as she collected 11 kills, tying her with Bailey for team honors, but also played error-free, with a whopping .733 hitting percentage.

The final two sets were a parade of big-time hits, as Aparicio (five kills) and Bailey began to pound the ball off of Orcas bodies rat-a-tat style. An arm here, a leg there, a direct thunk to the chest of a Viking at one point.

One spike from Aparicio made the gym floor shudder and her large family fan section jump to their feet.

A moment later Bailey went her one better, launching a laser that hit with enough fury that mom Donna, out working the concession stand, could have felt the aftershock.

Kyla Briscoe (four kills), Tiffany Briscoe and Katrina McGranahan (six kills) joined in on the spike explosion.

Meanwhile, Sydney Autio teamed with Trujillo to track down almost everything and freshman Emma Smith, playing on her birthday (she was serenaded by her teammates post-match) executed a gorgeous lil’ drop shot for a winner.

Rose garnered 27 assists, while Trujillo went low for 16 digs.

And Roberts?

She was everywhere and nowhere at once, popping up for a tip here, a screaming spike of her own there.

Nothing got past her on this night, and the Wolves fed off of her energy and giggles.

So, it was fitting that as the final ball went skyward, it was Roberts who launched herself airborne along the right sideline, her fist swinging like a hammer as she dropped the wrath of Thor on the ball.

Rally Ally for the win!

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