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Posts Tagged ‘Sage Arends’

Booters prep for season-long rumble

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on August 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Solomon Rudat fights for a ball. (Julie Wheat photos)

They’re ready to go back into the fire.

Led by a trio of battle-hardened seniors and a pack of promising younger players, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad is set to once again wage war as a member of the best pitch conference in the state.

The Northwest 2B/1B League has brought home four of the last five boys’ soccer state titles in its classifications, while claiming 13 of the 20 top four trophies handed out since the sport returned to the field after the pandemic shutdown.

Orcas Island is the King Kong of the region, having won back-to-back crowns to go with a title from 2021.

Overall, the Vikings have played in five consecutive state title games, with one of its two losses in those clashes coming to league mate Friday Harbor in 2022.

Toss in Providence Classical Christian (2nd, 3rd, and 4th), Mount Vernon Christian (3rd and 4th), Lopez Island (2nd), and a 4th place finish by Friday Harbor in 2021, and half the NWL has earned a state trophy sometime during the last five seasons.

On the outside looking in, ready to crash the party?

La Conner, Grace Academy, Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, newcomer Evangel Classical, and, of course, Coupeville.

The Wolves, who were in contention for a playoff berth until the final day of the campaign last year, return almost their entire team, with seniors Sage Arends, Solomon Rudat, and Sam Richards slated to anchor things.

Arends, who peppered the net for seven goals as a junior, enters his final high school season with 10 scores to his credit, while Rudat will patrol the pitch as a center midfielder and Richards returns as Coupeville’s primary goaltender.

Sage Arends leads the charge.

“Most of last year’s team returned, giving us a strong base,” said second-year CHS coach Jim Kunz.

“We (also) have some experienced players stepping into high school soccer for the first time.

“(Sophomore) Chayse Van Velkinburgh is a talented player that recently returned to Coupeville. We also have promising 8th graders that turned out.”

The Wolves have a 15-game schedule — with the first five being “non-league” tuneups against conference foes — kicking things off with three straight clashes on their home pitch.

First up is Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, which travels to Whidbey September 11. That will be a Friday Night Lights special, set to tip at 6:00 PM, and free to the public.

Fans can expect to see a well-conditioned Coupeville squad, Kunz said.

“We need to increase our fitness and teamwork. Most of this team has been playing together for many years, so they’re very cohesive.

“We’re working on knowing when to shoot and putting it on goal,” Kunz added. “Last year we had too many shots not on point.

The big two loom large, but the Wolves will face a stiff fight every time they take the pitch and will be prepared for it.

“Orcas and Friday Harbor have diverse teams. We’ll be adjusting our play for those games,” Kunz said.

“Last year we knocked on the door to playoffs. This year the team is determined to make it.”

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They leave goalies thunderstruck

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on July 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Wolves (l to r) Tamsin Ward, Lillian Ketterling, and Taylor Marrs are blazing a path to success. (Photo courtesy Jandellyn Ward)

They’re on a first-name basis with the back of the net.

When a new fall sports campaign kicks off in late August, Tamsin Ward and Sage Arends will lead a pack of Wolf booters hoping to add to their career totals.

Ward, who will be a sophomore, and Arends, part of the Class of 2027, are the active scoring leaders for Coupeville High School’s soccer programs.

Sage Arends surveys his home pitch. (Jackie Saia photo)

But they’re not the only Wolves looking to continue their assault on the career goals chart, as there are 13 players with at least one tally to their credit who can take the field this fall.

The current generation is chasing Mia Littlejohn and the Leyva family, who sit atop the record books.

Littlejohn owns both the single-season and career marks for CHS female pitch powerhouses, with 27 and 35 respectively.

Meanwhile, Abraham Leyva’s 45 goals top all male Wolf scorers, while his cousin, Derek, notched 24 in one campaign, but lost his senior year (and a chance to shatter the career mark) to a pandemic.

Coupeville’s soccer programs launched in 2004, and my tally of goals is not 100% complete, as the Whidbey News-Times failed to report on multiple games in the early going.

But we’re rock-solid during the Coupeville Sports era (2012-today), and I’m absolutely confident in the names (and goal totals) at the top of the charts.

With that being said, my still-a-work-in-progress CHS soccer goal-scoring lists, with active players in bold:

 

GIRLS:

Mia Littlejohn – 35
Kalia Littlejohn – 33
Genna Wright – 20
Lindsey Roberts – 17
Tamsin Ward – 15
Ayden Wyman – 13
Avalon Renninger – 12
Sophie Martin – 8
Sage Renninger – 8
Marisa Etzell – 7
Alexia Hemphill – 7
Micky LeVine – 7
Carolyn Lhamon – 7
Lyla Grose – 6
Lillian Ketterling – 6
Mallory Kortuem – 6
Eryn Wood – 6
Anna Dion – 5
Britt Harpe – 5
Audrianna Shaw – 5
Jenn Spark – 5
Tia Wurzrainer – 5
Erin Hickey – 4
May Rose – 4
Erin Rosenkranz – 4
Hayley Waterman – 4
Bree Daigneault – 3
Arisbeth Montiel – 3
Makana Stone – 3
Lauren Bayne – 2
Courtney Boyd – 2
Chelsea Harpe – 2
Paige Hill – 2
Kim Kisch – 2
Ema Smith – 2
Knight Arndt – 1
Wynter Arndt – 1
Jacki Ginnings – 1
Hazel Goldman – 1
Sophia Greene – 1
Finley Helm – 1 
Carmen Houk – 1
Nezi Keiper – 1
Lily Leedy – 1
Ariella Lee-Spaulding – 1
Ana Luvera – 1
Ashley Manker – 1
Ava Mitten – 1
Caitlin Phillips – 1
Taylor Sherman – 1
Ashley Smith – 1
Tori Wellman – 1
Reese Wilkinson – 1

Ariella Lee-Spaulding glides into action. (Jackie Saia photo)

 

BOYS:

Abraham Leyva – 45
Derek Leyva – 38
Aram Leyva – 29
William Nelson – 20
Ethan Spark – 17
Nick Guay – 14
Aidan Wilson – 13
Cael Wilson – 13
Zane Bundy – 11
Sage Arends – 10
Mike Duke – 10
Micah Einterz – 10
Geoff Wacker – 10
Cole White – 10
Jon Chittim – 9
Preston Epp – 9
Ezra Boilek – 8
Sebastian Davis – 8
Edmund Wilson – 8
Sean Donley – 7
Sage Downes – 7
Sam Wynn – 7
Xavier Murdy – 6
Zack Nall – 6
Angel Partida – 6
James Wood – 6
Jeremy Copenhaver – 5
Hunter Downes – 5
Alex Murdy – 5
Cameron Epp – 4
Nathan Lamb – 4
Greg Mottet – 4
Tony Sherman – 4
Brian Thompson – 4
Evan Bailey – 3
Colin Belliveau – 3
Chris Cernick – 3
Pedro Gamarra – 3
Miguel Puente – 3
Tom Rogers – 3
Jaren Tso – 3
Joel Walstad – 3
Josh Wilsey – 3
Taylor Anthony – 2
Reiley Araceley – 2
Jack Armstrong – 2
Andre Avila – 2
Will Butela – 2
Garrett Compton – 2
Tyler Harvey – 2
Uriel Liquidano – 2
JT Quinn – 2
Alex Smith – 2
Grant Steller – 2
Justin Adams – 1
Eli Berggren – 1
Laurence Boado – 1
Cameron Boyd – 1
Josiah Campbell – 1
Tony Garcia – 1
Zach Hauser – 1
Tanner Kircher – 1
Edmund Kunz – 1
Liam Lawson – 1
Jason Leavitt – 1
Garrit Manker – 1
Cody Menges – 1
Hank Milnes – 1
Loren Nelson – 1
Jonathan Partida – 1
Ehren Phillips – 1
Matt Scott – 1
Spencer Tack – 1
Andrew Williams – 1
Zeb Williams – 1

Edmund Wilson pushes the attack. (Julie Wheat photo)

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Booters notch All-Conference votes

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on November 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Sage Arends rolls into action. (Julie Wheat photos)

It’s the premier pitch conference in Washington.

The Northwest 2B/1B League has produced four of the last five 2B/1B boys’ soccer state champs and taken 13 of 20 tourney trophies in that time.

So, when it comes time for coaches to pick their best players, it’s ultra-competitive.

This time around was no different, with Orcas Island — which has played in five straight state title games, winning three — having the league MVP in senior Joaquin Shanks Morales.

The Vikings also collected the Team Sportsmanship trophy, while Mount Vernon Christian leader Jeremiah Wohlgemuth was tapped as Coach of the Year.

Coupeville, which was in playoff contention until the final day of the season, landed two players on the Honorable Mention list, with juniors Sage Arends and Sam Richards earning props for their play.

Arends punched in seven goals for the Wolves, while Richards stood tall as a goalkeeper, fending off some of the most-potent offenses in the game.

Sam Richards gets his props.

 

First-Team:

Emilio Bayas – Senior – Friday Harbor
Isidro Churape – Junior – Friday Harbor
Anthony Conejo – Senior – Orcas Island
Junior Conejo Medina – Sophomore – Orcas Island
Zane Dahlberg – Junior – Mount Vernon Christian
Abdul Guzman – Junior – Friday Harbor
Timoteo Malo – Junior – Orcas Island
Andres Meissner – Senior – Lopez Island
Kaleb Otis – Junior – La Conner
Sean Russell – Senior – Mount Vernon Christian
Ryker Stewart – Senior – Grace Academy

 

Second-Team:

Ben Letsche – Junior – Providence Classical Christian
Mickael Mbuyu – Senior – Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood
Connor Mounts – Sophomore – Mount Vernon Christian
Logan Mounts – Senior – Mount Vernon Christian
Elias Poole – Junior – Providence Classical Christian
Lauro Quintero Carrion – Senior – Orcas Island
Oliver Rick – Senior – Lopez Island
Angelo Vaccarella – Senior – Orcas Island
Sam Vaccarella – Sophomore – Orcas Island
Walker Wohlgemuth – Freshman – Mount Vernon Christian
Grady Woodmansee – Sophomore – Mount Vernon Christian

 

Honorable Mention:

Jayce Anderson – Senior – Grace Academy
Eric Apopei – Junior – Providence Classical Christian
Sage Arends – Junior – Coupeville
Forrest Goodremont – Junior – Friday Harbor
Huck Henderson – Sophomore – Lopez Island
Kaden Horn – Sophomore – Friday Harbor
Paul Kloss – Sophomore – Providence Classical Christian
Riley Miller – Junior – Friday Harbor
Kale Navarette-Higgins – Junior – La Conner
Lydia Negash – Junior – Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood
Sam Richards – Junior – Coupeville
Lane Tenborg – Senior – Mount Vernon Christian
Nolan Wohlgemuth – Junior – Mount Vernon Christian

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Booters finish season with a bang

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on October 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

CHS boys’ soccer won four out of its final five games at home, capping things by thumping La Conner Thursday night. (Julie Wheat photos)

They were in it to the very end.

A young Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad, which had no 12th graders to honor on Senior Night, was still fighting for a playoff spot in the season finale, proof of the scrappiness of a new-look roster.

And while the Wolves just barely missed out on that postseason berth, it was through no fault of their own, as they ran visiting La Conner off the field Thursday night in a campaign-closing 4-1 win.

With the victory, its fourth in its last five games on the pitch at Mickey Clark Field, CHS finishes 3-5 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-9 overall.

Defending state champ Orcas Island (8-0), Mount Vernon Christian (7-1), Friday Harbor (6-2), Lopez Island (5-3) and Providence Classical Christian (4-4) will rep District 1 in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood, Grace Academy, and La Conner finish in a logjam at 1-7 in league play, two games off of Coupeville.

Having finished his first season at the helm of the CHS boys’ pitch program, Wolf coach Jim Kunz sees a bright future for the booters.

Coupeville can return every player on its roster, with 12 of 15 players being sophomores, freshmen, or 8th graders.

“One of the biggest things for us was seeing the 8th graders step up and show they can play high school ball,” Kunz said. “We’ve got potential for our future years, and for building a really strong program.”

A growing number of Wolves have committed to playing select soccer and putting in off-season work, and while the team had no seniors, coaches used the opportunity to praise their three junior captains — Sage Arends, Solomon Rudat, and Sam Richards — for providing leadership to the young guns.

“Sage has been leading on and off the field,” Kunz said in pre-game comments.

“He’s a powerhouse on the field and spends personal time keeping teammates up to date on practices and games.

“Solomon is a graceful player on the field and has a knack for maintaining his temper and composure,” the coach added.

“Sam is an amazing goalie and vocally leads the team.”

It’s a war on the pitch.

While La Conner had little left to play for, the Braves put up a good fight in the first half Thursday, forcing the Wolves to scramble to reclaim the advantage.

Coupeville got on the board fairly early, as Edmund Wilson slapped a shot past the La Conner netminder less than three minutes into play.

Unfortunately, for the Wolves, they wouldn’t score again for nearly 40 minutes.

La Conner evened things at 1-1 thanks to a well-placed penalty kick, while Coupeville’s own chance to ring up a goal on a first-half PK slammed into the crossbar and bounced away.

Richards kept the game knotted up with several strong saves, including one in which he dove to spear a dangerous ball off the top of the grass, and the Wolves finally rediscovered their magic touch.

Arends slipped in the go-ahead goal in stoppage time, sending CHS into the break with a 2-1 lead, before Wilson came back around to punch in two more scores in the second half to net the hat trick.

With the late rush, Wilson finishes the season with eight goals, putting him one ahead of Arends in the race to lead the team.

With older bothers Aiden and Cael each scoring 13 times during their prep careers, the Wilson brothers have combined for 34 goals, second-most for one family in CHS boys’ soccer history.

Who are they chasing?

The Leyvas, as brothers Abraham (45 goals) and Aram (29) netted 74. Toss in Cousin Derek (38), and the number grows to an uncanny 112.

Arends also nabbed a bit of Wolf pitch history for himself, as his goal was the 10th of his high school career, making him the 14th CHS boy to crack double-digits.

 

Final season scoring stats:

Edmund Wilson – 8
Sage Arends – 7
Brian Thompson – 2
Edmund Kunz – 1
Liam Lawson – 1

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Booters shine in prime-time performance

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Edmund Kunz scored his first high school goal Friday night. (Julie Wheat photos)

The spotlight suits them.

Playing under Friday Night Lights, the Coupeville High School boys’ soccer squad rolled to a 4-1 win over visiting Grace Academy, sending their fans into a tizzy.

The victory is the third in the last five games for the Wolves and lifts them to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-6 overall.

Playing on its home turf as the sun set over Mickey Clark Field on a fairly serene mid-October night, Coupeville’s pitch kings were in control of the game from start to finish.

Playing for the first time this season with a completely healthy roster, including the debut of Jacob Lujan after he battled back from a leg injury suffered during the first day of practice, Coupeville attacked in waves.

And the goals came, fast and furious, as Sage Arends put together a hat trick, in just one half of play.

His first score came on a charge up the middle barely three minutes into the game, as he dared the Grace goalie to stop him, then offered the netminder no chance.

The ball left Arends toe like a rocket, splashing into the back of the net, and the rout was on.

From there, the silky-smooth junior banged home shots while on the move at the 22-minute mark, then again at the 34-minute mark.

With those three goals, Arends has five on the season, moving him back to the top of the team scoring chart, and eight for his CHS career.

While spending most of the half on the retreat, Grace did manage to get a few shots of its own off, only to have Wolf goalie Sam Richards deny them.

His best move? A block where he went parallel to the ground to punch the incoming shot off to the side, where it rolled out of bounds harmlessly.

The visitors did break through in the second half, scoring their lone goal on a laser to the corner of the net with 18 minutes left to play.

But the Wolves, to the delight of a group of high school fans beating out a steady rhythm on the metal stands with their legs, had an almost immediate response.

A Coupeville player was sent sprawling to the turf during an ensuing scrum, earning a penalty kick for the Wolves, and CHS coach Jim Kunz sent his son, Edmund, to the line for the one-on-one play.

The move paid off, with Edmund Kunz hammering the crud out of the ball, spinning it past the flailing goalie, notching his first high school goal, and capping the night’s offensive performance.

Wyatt Fitch-Marron, man of many talents.

With the Wolves basking in the afterglow of a home victory, Jim Kunz praised his team’s play, while honoring Wyatt Fitch-Marron as his game MVP.

The sophomore helped anchor the team while playing as both a defender and midfielder and showed consistent bursts of speed and an ability to kick-start the Wolf attack.

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