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Posts Tagged ‘Redhawks’

Fair winds and following seas, Coach Wilson!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged Basketball, coaches, Port Townsend, Redhawks, Scott Wilson, tributes on March 1, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Port Townsend girls basketball coach Scott Wilson, one of the real good guys in the business, is retiring. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sometimes it’s good to emerge from the Coupeville bubble and acknowledge players and coaches from some of our rival schools.

Port Townsend is losing a good one, as Scott Wilson is reportedly stepping down as girls basketball coach.

A former longtime newspaper man, with the Port Townsend Leader, Wilson has been a class act on and off the court.

During Coupeville’s four-year run in the Olympic League, it would be hard to find a rival coach, in any sport, who set a better example.

For three straight years, the Wolf girls basketball squads went 9-0 in conference play, before Wilson and the RedHawks finally got a bit of revenge in 2017-2018.

Port Townsend won two of three against Coupeville this season, unseated the Wolves as league champs and went on to beat Cascade Christian in the playoffs, advancing to the regional round of the state tourney.

Wilson deserves a lot of credit for the way his teams played, and the way the young women under his leadership handled themselves.

Whether they were being pounded on by the Wolves, or pulling off the big pay-back, the RedHawks handled themselves with class.

That comes down from their coach, who always struck me as a smart, caring man — one of the real good guys in the prep sports world.

With Coupeville jumping to the new North Sound Conference next school year, the Wolves and RedHawks will no longer be league rivals.

But, with the two schools sitting fairly close to each other and having a good working relationship, it’s very likely we’ll still see the two of them meet up for non-conference tilts.

If so, it’ll be odd not to see the sage Wilson patrolling the sidelines for Port Townsend.

As he exits, just a quick thank you and a fond farewell from Wolf Nation.

You might not have worn Coupeville’s colors, but you’ll always be welcome here, Coach.

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Can’t be beat! Won’t be beat!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged Abby Parker, Allison Wenzel, CHS Wolves, Lauren Grove, Redhawks, volleyball on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Lauren Grove prepares to unleash total freakin' domination. (John Fisken photos)

At the ref’s signal, Lauren Grove will unleash Hell. (John Fisken photos)

Wolf spark-plug Jae LeVine (3) and teammates celebrate a point.

Different gym, same result.

Two days after beating Port Townsend in its own gym, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad returned home Thursday night and drilled the Redhawks again.

Grabbing their fourth win of the season, the Wolves ran away with a 25-15, 25-16, 19-25 win that was sparked by power hitting from Lauren Grove and Abby Parker and precision serving from practically everyone on the roster.

Grove, the vocal team leader, delivered a series of winners, each picking up more velocity.

Meanwhile, Parker started her night off with a service ace that drilled a Redhawk in the body, before cracking a shot from the middle of the court that singed the net as it zipped across it, merrily skipping away as two Port Townsend players watched it sail between them.

Coupeville broke the first set open with five straight points on Allison Wenzel’s service.

Stepping to the line with the Wolves clinging to a 7-5 lead, the freshman reeled off her string of serves without Port Townsend getting the ball back across the net even once.

The highlight was a Wenzel ace that caught air and seemed to be headed out, only to drop at the last second, kissing the back line gently and setting off much hootin’ and hollerin’ from the Wolves.

The second set played out somewhat similarly, but this time it was Hope Lodell who carved up the Redhawks with her serving prowess.

Capping Lodell’s run, teammate Mackenzi Valko popped a ball over the head of several Port Townsend players during a rally, dropping it neatly into the one available corner for a sweet winner.

Plays like that came easily all night for the Wolves.

Early in the second set, the Redhawks seemed to have a point won, when Jae LeVine crashed hard to the floor to save the ball at the last second.

Popping it skyward, LeVine, maybe by accident and maybe on purpose, laid it up flawlessly for a drifting Kameryn St Onge, who elevated, caught the waiting ball with her fingertips and deposited it over the net for another winner.

While CHS let the final set slip away, the highlight reel continued, with St Onge dropping a pair of sparkling tips for winners and Wenzel slicing off another service ace with an offering that sharply dove as a Redhawk swung and missed.

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Know Your Foe: Port Townsend’s Malia Henderson!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, Olympic League, Softball, tagged 1A Olympic League, Malia Henderson, Port Townsend, Redhawks, Soccer, Softball on August 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Malia Henderson

With Coupeville leaving the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and joining Port Townsend, Chimacum and Klahowya in the 1A Olympic League this fall, now is a great time to learn a bit about some of the players who will face off with the Wolves in the future.

Malia Henderson doesn’t mind being in the crossfire.

The Port Townsend senior anchors both of her teams, playing goalie for the girls’ soccer squad and catcher for the Redhawk softball team. Both positions put her in the heart of the action, something she openly craves.

“I like positions that involve strategy and quick responses,” Henderson said. “I like the strategic aspects of playing team sports; it’s amazing to watch the cohesiveness of the team come together throughout the season.”

While she enjoys both of her sports, it’s soccer, where Coupeville will see her for the first time, that ultimately captures her heart.

“Soccer is my favorite sport,” Henderson said. “I like how physically demanding being a goalkeeper is; the position requires a great deal of focus and I love the adrenalin rush I get when the other team is shooting at me.”

When she steps into the net, Henderson goes in expecting to be at her best, and a large part of that is based on the hard work she and her teammates put in between games.

“I am a good leader and have a good work ethic and take practices seriously,” she said. “I am a strong strategic player; I’m always thinking a play ahead.

“I like to size up each team we play and know the other teams strengths and weaknesses,” Henderson added. “I play very aggressively and go into each game thinking we are going to win.”

A big fan of backpacking and mountaineering (she and her dad climbed Mt. Rainier this summer), Henderson splits time between PTHS and Peninsula College, where she participates in the Running Start program.

As she prepares for her final year at Port Townsend — she moved to town in the 3rd grade — Henderson will face new challenges, from different league foes (“I have never played against Coupeville before, but I am ready to see them on the field”) to a school mascot change.

After 88 years as the Redskins, Port Townsend students voted to retire that mascot and become the Redhawks starting with the 2014-2015 season.

“I fully support the change of the mascot, and I am looking forward to becoming a Redhawk for my last year at Port Townsend High School,” Henderson said. “My goal for my last year is to play my absolute hardest and leave it all out on the field.

“I want to enjoy my last year at the high school and my first year as a Redhawk!”

During her final months as a high school athlete, Henderson will continue to turn to the people closest to her for support.

Her family and a string of coaches have been a reliable rooting section, helping guide her into becoming a successful young woman.

“My parents have always been huge supports with my interests,” Henderson said. “When I first came to Port Townsend, Liz and Kevin Coker were my first soccer and baseball coaches. They have always been my biggest supports in my extended family.

“Steve Shively gave me one-on-one coaching during my first two years at the high school,” she added. “I have two wonderful coaches in Colin Foden and Tom Gambill, and I love all my teammates. I couldn’t do any of this without them!”

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Know Your Foe: Port Townsend’s Luke Flanigan!!

Posted in Football, tagged 1A Olympic League, football, Luke Flanigan, Port Townsend, Redhawks on August 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Luke Flanigan

Luke Flanigan wants to hit you.

Don’t take it personally. The Port Townsend senior is probably a really nice guy off the football field, but on it he’s a rampaging force of nature who is just waiting to rattle the teeth in the back of your head.

“What I enjoy about football is the hitting,” Flanigan said. “I love football because of the physicality of hitting and the brothers you make along the way.”

He’s got the imposing frame of a lineman, but knows size alone isn’t enough to guarantee success. That’s where hard work on the practice field and the weight room come in.

“I’m an experienced ball player, so I know what to do on the field,” Flanigan said. “I can always get better.

“My goals this year, from a team stand point, is league champions,” he added. “From a personal stand point, I want to make the all-star team this year.”

Flanigan and his teammates have experience playing Coupeville, having met in non-conference games the past three seasons.

Port Townsend has won two of three during his gridiron career, but things will go up a notch as the Redhawks and Wolves now meet twice a season as league rivals.

While football is a big part of his life, Flanigan enjoys his time away from the field (“I love hanging out with my friends and family”) and picks “Forrest Gump” and “The Longest Yard” as favorite movies.

Whether on the gridiron or off, he knows he has a strong support group of fans pulling for him to succeed and that helps to drive him forward.

“All of my coaches have made a huge impact in my life, as well as my parents.”

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