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Posts Tagged ‘rankings’

CHS girls earn respect!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 6, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Kailey Kellner

   Kailey Kellner (42) and the Coupeville girls have fought their way to a strong start in the state’s first RPI rankings. (John Fisken photo)

There are six varsity high school basketball teams on Whidbey Island, and one is getting a lot more respect than the other five today.

The Coupeville High School girls, who carry a 7-3 record into a game at Chimacum tonight, are ranked #15 in 1A in the first RPI rankings released by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

That puts them a solid 13 slots ahead of any other Whidbey hoops squad.

But wait, what is the RPI and why do we care, you ask?

After years of being ridiculed for the way it conducted the draw for the state basketball tourneys (spoiler: they basically pulled names out of a hat most of the time), the WIAA decided to take a step into the future.

The RPI, which is a complicated formula, which we shall (sort of) explain in a second, is supposed to fix that.

When we get down to the final 16 teams in each classification — the teams that are state-bound, like the Coupeville girls last year — the RPI rankings will be used to pair teams off for the tourney.

With 1 vs 16 and 8 vs 9, for example, the hope is to stop what has become a bad trend in recent years, where the blind draw often ended up putting 1 vs 2 or 1 vs 3 in the round of 16.

So, essentially, it’s only going to matter if you make it to state. Otherwise, it’s just another number to brag about (or not) as the season unwinds.

And, as always, playoff upsets will mean teams that finish in the top 16 don’t make it to state, while teams outside the “elite” will still earn their way to the big dance.

How do they get the rankings?

The formula uses a team’s winning percentage (25 percent), opponents winning percentage (50 percent) and opponents’ opponents winning percentage (25 percent).

You don’t get extra credit for beating teams in bigger classifications or from out of state, and the RPI is frozen at the end of the regular season.

So, you go on a run in the playoffs, it’ll punch your ticket to state, but you’ll carry in your regular season ranking with you.

The first rankings were released Friday, and from here on out will be updated daily through the end of the season.

Of course, there are going to be complaints about the RPI rankings, and one huge one centers around the WIAA getting its results from MaxPreps.

The web site, which “covers” the entire USA, is notorious for errors.

Case in point, they currently give the Coupeville boys two identical 48-37 losses to Klahowya on Dec. 9, even though only one game was obviously played.

That lowers the Wolves winning percentage, while inflating the Eagles winning percentage, both of which affect the two team’s RPI.

While it’s not as bad as earlier this year, when MaxPreps had a football score (Coupeville beating Chimacum) listed as a girls’ basketball result, it’s still irksome.

Where Whidbey’s teams sit on Day 1 of the Great RPI Experiment:

Girls:

Coupeville (#15 in 1A)
South Whidbey (#28 in 1A)
Oak Harbor (#54 in 3A)

Boys:

South Whidbey (#54 in 1A)
Coupeville (#63 in 1A)
Oak Harbor (#63 in 3A)

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We’re #12,997!!

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on August 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

(John Fisken photo)

Work the bag, blow up the polls. (John Fisken photo)

Well, if I was Klahowya, I think I’d be peeved right about now.

The Eagles are coming off of a 6-4 season on the gridiron, a second-place finish in the 1A Olympic League, and a trip to the postseason.

And yet, MaxPreps ranks them an astounding 374 slots BEHIND South Whidbey in a national football poll released today.

Yes, the same stinky cheese Falcons who staggered to a 1-9 mark last year.

It’s a strange, strange world in Poll Land, where Coupeville, which also went 1-9 a year ago, gets a little respect.

Not much, but at least a taste nationally, if not in-state.

The Wolves open at #52 (out of 55) teams in 1A, two slots ahead of Chimacum, which it lost to last year.

State-wide, Coupeville is #277 of 299 teams, while nation-wide, the Wolves are #12,997 of 14,578 teams.

Yes, you read that last number right — there are more than 14,000 schools playing high school football in the USA, from #1 IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL to #14,578 Navajo Pine, NM.

Defending 4A champion Gonzaga Prep, sitting at #213 nationally, is the top-rated Washington state school.

In case you were curious.

But, since Coupeville won’t be coming anywhere near GP, let’s look instead at how MaxPreps thinks the Wolves stack up against the 10 teams which are actually on the schedule:

South Whidbey (45th in 1A, 256th in state, 11,833rd in nation)
La Conner (12th in 2B, 179th in state, 8,097th in nation)
Nooksack Valley (22nd in 1A, 180th in state, 8,106th in nation)
Charles Wright Academy (30th in 1A, 224th in state, 10,385th in nation)
Vashon Island (37th in 1A, 238th in state, 11,237th in nation)
Port Townsend (13th in 1A, 116th in state, 5,529th in nation)
Bellevue Christian (35th in 1A, 230th in state, 10,893rd in nation)
Klahoywa (47th in 1A, 264th in state, 12,207th in nation)
Chimacum (54th in 1A, 280th in state, 13,143rd in nation)
Cascade Christian (14th in 1A, 121st in state, 5,834th in nation)

So, based on the preseason polls, Coupeville is slated for a second straight 1-9 mark.

But, that’s why they play the games.

Go out, pull off an upset or two and show the computers they know diddly and squat.

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Pretty, pretty, pretty good … but not great!!

Posted in stats, tagged , , , , on July 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Lindsey Roberts (John Fisken photo)

   Lindsey Roberts (20) and Lauren Grove (3) were key players last year for both girls basketball and track. (John Fisken photo)

It’s time to take the next step.

Two years ago, Coupeville High School left behind the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and joined Port Townsend, Klahowya and Chimacum in starting the 1A Olympic League.

Since then, the Wolves have acquitted themselves strongly, jumping from 40 league wins and two titles (girls basketball and tennis) in 2014-2015 to 42 wins and a league-best four titles (girls basketball and tennis, plus baseball and boys tennis) this past school year.

CHS, despite trailing Klahowya 445-227 in the latest Washington Interscholastic Activities Association student body counts, has more than held its own with the Eagles, and, as a school, is well ahead of its other two league mates.

Not bad, especially when you realize Coupeville is the 6th-smallest true 1A school, and Klahowya is the 2nd-biggest.

What has been missing for the Wolves, though, is major postseason success.

A study posted today by The Columbian in Vancouver breaks down success at state tournaments across 15 sports, and it finds Coupeville was the 50th most successful 1A school (out of 64) over the past two years.

Not surprisingly, ritzy private school King’s tops the chart (by a lot), while Klahowya is #22.

That’s based largely on state titles won by the Eagles soccer programs, since the chart gives five points for a team championship.

The Wolves racked up three points in two years, earning a single point apiece for three separate teams which finished between 9th and 16th at state.

The CHS girls’ hoops program, which lost to Cashmere in the Regional (final 16) round of the state tourney this winter, nabs one.

The other two points come courtesy the Wolf track teams, with the girls (11th at state this year) and boys (15th) being recognized for their work in Cheney this spring.

So, what’s the positive?

Easy, Coupeville got some points, unlike five schools — Bush, Eastside Prep, Stevenson, River View and Wahluke, which were blanked over the past two years.

That’s got to really sting for Wahluke, which at 422.5 students, is the fifth-biggest 1A school in student body size.

But there’s also a heck of a lot of room for improvement for Coupeville to make.

The Wolves need to make that next step, turning league success into postseason success, much as they did in the early-to-mid 2000s.

A 3rd place finish by the 2002 softball squad.

Three top-eight performances by the girls’ basketball program from 2002-2005.

A long string of success in the Cheney sun by the track teams.

It’s happened before, and it can (and should) happen again.

Coupeville just needs to take that next step.

To see the Columbian story, pop over to:

How prep athletic programs rank statewide in each classification

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Now, I’m confused!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , , on September 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The harder Sage Renninger stares at the computer rankings, the more confused she gets. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

   The harder Sage Renninger stares at the computer rankings, the more confused she gets. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

Some things can not be explained.

“Debbie,” the often-evil computer that ranks high school sports teams for http://www.scoreczar.org/ — a site with a fairly impeccable reputation and an owner with a great sense of humor about my frequent needling — is at it again.

Continuing her love/hate relationship with lil’ ol’ Cow Town, the scariest computer to hit the scene since Hal refused to open the pod bay doors in 2001: A Space Odyssey is just messing with us now.

How else to explain Debbie’s hatred of Coupeville High School football, which she currently ranks behind a team the Wolves just beat, which she mixes with her love of CHS girls’ soccer?

Where to start?

It’s easy to get frustrated at first, when you see the Wolf gridiron warriors, while up four slots from last week, are regarded as just the 48th best team in class 1A.

Which just happens to be a full three slots behind Chimacum, the team they beat 28-26 Friday.

So, the computer thinks the Cowboys would beat the Wolves, except the Wolves have actually proved that wrong … ON THE FIELD.

As you grip your head and rock back and forth, while also noticing that this Friday’s foe, Port Townsend, is now the #1-ranked team, take a deep breath.

And then pop over to the site’s soccer rankings, which will put the skip back in your step and restore your faith in computers (sorta.)

There, Debbie is downright delightful, plopping Coupeville at a strong #18, giving the Wolves, who are 1-2-2, the highest slotting of any 1A school with a losing record.

Deer Park is ranked #1, while Coupeville’s Olympic League rival, Klahowya, must be wondering how a defending state champ who’s gone 5-0 so far can only be ranked #5.

Of course, even the soccer rankings have a quirk, though.

Head down to #30 and there’s Bellevue Christian.

You know, that school that beat Coupeville’s booters 6-0, the only game the Wolves have been manhandled in this season.

And yep, the Vikings are a full 12 slots behind the team they bushwhacked.

Man, I’ll bet they could have some fun discussions with Coupeville’s football team…

Somewhere, Debbie’s circuit board is blushing right now.

 

To peruse the rankings for yourself, skip merrily over to:

Soccer — http://www.scoreczar.org/classifications/63-high-school-soccer-girls-wa1a

Football — http://www.scoreczar.org/classifications/4-high-school-football-wa1a

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Sweet, sweet computer love? A bit!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

McKenzie

Sweet-shooting guard McKenzie Bailey and the Wolves are climbing in the computer rankings. (John Fisken photo)

They’re starting to get some respect from their computer overlords.

The latest rankings at ScoreCzar.org have the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball squad slotted in at #19 in 1A (out of 63 teams).

And, in a rarity, “Debbie,” the sometimes evil computer who dispenses said rankings, has the Wolves ranked behind only ONE team with a losing record, instead of the usual three or four.

So, that’s a start.

And yes, I know the rankings are not just based on records.

While Coupeville is 5-3 (with its losses to teams that are a combined 19-2) and #18 Columbia-Burbank is a much-stinkier 1-3, Debbie likes to give out gold stars for effort.

Columbia-Burbank has played three top-20 schools, while Coupeville has only played two. So, “good” losses can often help as much as wins.

And with the rest of the 1A Olympic League getting little to no love from Debbie (Klahowya is #46, Chimacum #50 and Port Townsend sinking fast at #61), the Wolves could sail to a league title and probably not get a very big bounce in the computer rankings.

They would get a nice shiny new banner to put up in the gym, however, the first in a decade, so they could probably live with it.

To see the complete 1A girls rankings, pop over to:

http://www.scoreczar.org/classifications/255-high-school-basketball-girls-wa1a

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