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Five still alive!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged 1A Olympic League, Chimacum, CHS Wolves, Klahowya Secondary School, Sage Renninger, tennis on May 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Sage Renninger, seen here in an earlier match, teamed with Payton Aparicio Monday to win a third straight Olympic League doubles crown. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Vilma Jurma of Port Townsend, a Finnish foreign exchange student, placed second in singles at the league tourney.

Coupeville senior Claire Mietus claimed fourth in singles and advances to the district tourney for the first time.

It went just about flawlessly.

Pretty much everything clicked into place Monday as Coupeville High School hosted the 1A Olympic League girls tennis tourney.

The weather morphed from early clouds into blazing sun, which was great except for one poor Klahowya netter who sat up from her towel late in the day to be met by muffled screams from her teammates.

“You are a lobster! No, I mean a red, REEEEEDDDDDD lobster!!”

Meanwhile, school groundskeepers were able to shepherd some wayward geese from the premises before they had a chance to unleash machine-gun-style poop. Always a win.

In the midst of all of that, CHS coach/tourney director Ken Stange pulled off a tight, well-oiled event which was done in time to let rival teams catch the early ferry, with nary a trace of drama, on-court or off.

Coupeville, as undisputed four-time league champs, had the most entries, claiming nine of the 24 slots.

By the end of the day that had held up, as the Wolves won a doubles title, tied for top honors in the team scoring race, and advanced five netters to next week’s district tourney.

CHS seniors Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger were the big winners, sweeping all three of their matches to claim a third straight doubles crown.

The team they beat in the final, Wolf sophomores Avalon Renninger and Tia Wurzrainer, played well above their seeding, taking out both of Klahowya’s doubles duos.

The youngest players to advance (eight seniors and two juniors will join them at districts), they had the match of the day.

That came in the semifinals, when Wurzrainer, whipping vicious cross-court returns and Avalon Renninger, peppering screaming left-handed winners, stomped on Klahowya’s #1 team.

“That! That was nice!!,” Stange said with a big grin as he strolled by in the aftermath.

The young Wolf duo benefited from the biggest cheering section of the day.

While school was in session Monday, many of their fellow athletes popped out during breaks, lunch or study hall.

Every Wolf had at least a few students on hand during their matches, but the clock timed out best for Avalon and Tia, who saw the bleachers jammed for their semifinal bout.

The two CHS doubles duos will be joined in Tacoma May 16-17 by senior singles player Claire Mietus, who is making her first trip to districts.

The top two finishers in singles and doubles at the two-day event, held at the Sprinker Tennis Center, advance to state.

Monday’s league tourney, which was missing Chimacum’s top two players, Renee Woods and Gladys Hitt, who had other commitments, opened with a winner-take-all first round.

Win a pro set and you were district bound, with later rounds (all best-two-of-three-sets) for deciding seeding. Lose and your season was done.

Wolf singles players Genna Wright and Heather Nastali and the doubles team of Kameryn St Onge and Maggie Crimmins fell in the first round.

Wright, who soared all the way to being Coupeville’s #1 player this season, is just a freshman, while the other three are seniors.

CHS sends five players to districts, while Klahowya (four, including singles champ Hailey Sargent), Chimacum (2) and Port Townsend (1) round out the Olympic League contingent.

Complete Coupeville results:

Genna Wright:

Lost to Maddy Rienks (Klahowya) 8-6

Claire Mietus:

Beat Makaela Caskey (Chimacum) 8-4
Lost to Vilma Jurma (Port Townsend) 6-1, 6-3
Lost to Rienks (Kla) 6-3, 6-0

Heather Nastali:

Lost to Jurma (PT) 8-0

Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger:

Beat Chiara Vignale/Claudia Garfis (PT) 8-0
Beat Grace Yaley/Chloe Patterson (Chim) 6-3, 6-0
Beat Avalon Renninger/Tia Wurzainer (Coup) 6-0, 6-0

Avalon Renninger/Tia Wurzrainer:

Beat Anna Wells/Kelisha Harris (Kla) 8-0
Beat Taylor Bruce/Marianne Marker (Kla) 6-2, 6-3
Lost to Aparicio/S. Renninger (Coup) 6-0, 6-0

Maggie Crimmins/Kameryn St Onge:

Lost to Yaley/Patterson (Chim) 9-7

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Another match, another lesson!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged CHS Wolves, girls tennis, Island rivalry, Sage Renninger, SWHS Falcons on March 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Tia Wurzrainer is teaming with fellow Wolf sophomore Avalon Renninger to form a potent doubles duo. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Tennis is a tricky game.

They record the team score, yet individual development is the primary objective.

Coupeville High School girls tennis coach Ken Stange has been hanging around the courts for most of his life, and has developed a nice Zen attitude about the whole thing.

So, while his Wolf squad fell to 0-3 on the season after taking a 4-1 non-conference loss at South Whidbey Friday, he can be at peace, seeing each of his netters develop their own story arc at their own pace.

Coupeville will have a tough time putting together a string of team wins, with seven matches against 2A schools, several others against tough 1A rivals like South Whidbey, and a Wolf lineup still very much in flux.

Friday’s match, while it ended in a team loss, had its positives, though, especially in doubles.

Stange’s top duo, seniors Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger, bounced back after a narrow loss to a Sequim tandem, pulling out an epic three-set win in Langley.

“Sage and Payton really figured it out today,” Stange said. “South Whidbey had a tough duo.

“It took a while for them to find the groove, but once they did, it was lights out for SW.”

Coupeville’s #2 duo, sophomores Avalon Renninger and Tia Wurzrainer, have only played three matches together, but their coach already sees a bright future for his young netters.

“Avalon and Tia continue to grow,” Stange said. “They may have lost, but I see them evolving into one entity.

“They remind me of my 1’s, in a way.”

The final varsity doubles match presented Coupeville’s coach with a bit of a quandry.

While he was fully in support of his own players — seniors Kameryn St Onge and Maggie Crimmins — one of the Falcon rivals happened to be Oliana Stange.

The SWHS sophomore was making her varsity debut, and she and her partner pulled out a win as Ken Stange carefully juggled two roles, that of an aggressive coach and a justifiably-beaming father.

“Between sets, I told Kam and Maggie to hit it to the less-experienced player. That was O,” chess-master Ken Stange admitted with a small smile. “I told my girls that she’d either wilt or rise up.

“O stepped up. I was quite proud.”

After another clash with a 2A school, this time Kingston, next Tuesday, Mar. 20, Coupeville begins its run at a fourth-straight Olympic League crown when it hosts Klahowya Thursday, Mar. 22

Complete Friday results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Claire Mietus lost to Farriss Jokinen 6-2, 6-1

2nd Singles — Genna Wright lost to Ashley Ricketts 6-0, 6-0

1st Doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger beat Mary Zisette/Ainsley Nelson 4-6, 6-1, 6-0

2nd Doubles — Avalon Renninger/Tia Wurzrainer lost to Robynn Maciel/Alison Papritz 6-4, 6-2

3rd Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Maggie Crimmins lost to Ally Lynch/Oliana Stange 6-2, 6-2

JV:

4th Doubles — Jillian Mayne/Zara Bradley lost to Annika/Chloe 6-1

5th Doubles — Heather Nastali/Nanci Melendrez beat Capri/Amara 6-1

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One to learn from!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged 1A vs. 2A, CHS Wolves, Sage Renninger, Sequim, tennis on March 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »

After two straight home matches to open the season, Megan Behan and her Coupeville tennis teammates hit the road Friday and travel to Langley. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Some days are about winning and losing, and some days are about learning.

Thursday afternoon the Coupeville High School girls tennis team got to experience the latter, as the Wolves ran into a buzz-saw in 2A Sequim.

“They’re good. No, I mean … they’re GOOD,” said a philosophical CHS coach Ken Stange as he ambled past, watching the action unfold through the chain-link fence.

The visitors, who are coached by Mark Textor, brother of Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Famer Phyllis Textor, cruised to a 7-0 win.

The non-conference loss drops the Wolves to 0-2, but they get an immediate chance to bounce back, as CHS travels to Langley Friday to face arch-rival South Whidbey.

Coupeville’s closest match against Sequim came at #2 doubles, where sophomores Avalon Renninger and Tia Wurzrainer fought through three tension-soaked sets before falling.

Complete Thursday results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Claire Mietus lost to Isabelle Hugonoit 6-0, 6-0

2nd Singles — Genna Wright lost to Olivia Preston 6-0, 6-2

3rd Singles — Heather Nastali lost to Emily Bundy 6-2, 6-0

1st Doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger lost to Jessica Dietzman/Kali Wiker 6-2, 7-6(7-5)

2nd Doubles — Avalon Renninger/Tia Wurzrainer lost to Mckenna Hastings/Ashley Rosoles 4-6, 6-1, 7-5

3rd Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Maggie Crimmins lost to Arlene Law/Amanda He 6-2, 6-3

4th Doubles — Jillian Mayne/Zara Bradley lost to Eden Johnson/Amanda Dietzman 6-0, 6-4

JV:

5th Doubles — Nanci Melendrez/Megan Behan lost 6-0

6th Doubles — Jaimee Masters/Emily Fiedler lost 6-1

7th Doubles — Elaira Nicolle/Nastali lost 6-2

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Netters pursue big-time success!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged CHS Wolves, Payton Aparicio, Sage Renninger, Spring Sports Preview, tennis on March 5, 2018| Leave a Comment »

CHS seniors Sage Renninger (left) and Payton Aparicio return to seek a third-straight Olympic League doubles crown, and their first trip to state. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Come out swinging.

It’s what Ken Stange’s Coupeville High School tennis teams have always done, and nothing is different this spring.

Despite losing their top three singles players to graduation, and seeing one of their better young players hop over to track and field, the Wolves are fully intent on staying on top of the Olympic League.

Coupeville, which jumps to the new six-team North Sound Conference next year, has never lost a league tilt in three seasons in its current home, going 15-0 on its way to a trio of titles.

Powered by two-time league doubles champs Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger, the Wolves are more than ready to defend their crown.

“One goal is to win the league title, and exit the Olympic League having gone four for four, in terms of league titles,” Stange said. “I think we have just enough firepower to do that.

“We are 16 strong,” he added. “It takes 11 for us to field a varsity squad, so we have to stay healthy this year, especially at the top of the line-up.”

And there is little doubt as to who sits atop the depth chart, as Aparicio and Renninger “have taken the reins and are leading the team with warm-ups and team-building.”

The duo missed a trip to the state tourney by a single slot as juniors, finishing second at districts in a year when only one team advanced.

This time around, District 3 netters get better odds, and Stange would love to see his senior leaders be rewarded with a trip to Eastern Washington.

“We’re hoping that the combination of hard work, last year’s graduation at Charles Wright, and two spots to state from districts will give Sage and Payton the chance to punch a well-deserved ticket to state,” he said. “If they make it, they will have a good chance at earning a medal.

“With all due respect to past doubles teams, Payton and Sage are easily the best female tandem I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” Stange added. “They’ve occupied the #1 doubles slot for their entire high school tennis career and each year, they pile up more wins than the last.

“It’s our last ride together, so to speak, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I’m excited for the opportunities they have created for themselves.”

While the star duo nab the headlines, Coupeville also returns seniors Maggie Crimmins, Kameryn St Onge, Claire Mietus and Heather Nastali, as well as sophomores Avalon Renninger, Tia Wurzrainer, Jillian Mayne and Zara Bradley.

Freshman Genna Wright, a First-Team All-Conference player in soccer, heads up the newcomers.

The early matches may be a bit of mix and match, as Stange juggles his lineup, looking for the best fit.

“We will be playing some untested people at the varsity level,” he said. “This happens most years, but we graduated all three of our singles players (in Valen Trujillo, Bree Daigneault and Fanny Deprelle).

“There will be a steep learning curve there.”

The strength of the team will be in doubles, and with four varsity slots compared to three in singles, CHS can win a lot of matches if their tandems click.

Beyond the regular season, which opens Monday, Mar. 12 at home against 2A Port Angeles, the Wolves want those duos to play on as long as possible.

“Another goal is to advance as many people to the district tourney as possible,” Stange said.

“With a likely three league tourney entries in both singles and doubles (top four advance to district), I’d like to see at least two, or maybe three, doubles teams advance to districts.”

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Wolf booters shoot, score!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged All-League, CHS Wolves, Genna Wright, Kalia Littlejohn, Olympic League, Sage Renninger on November 28, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Genna Wright was the only freshman in the 1A Olympic League to make the All-Conference soccer squad. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

With two goals and a team-high six assists, sophomore Avalon Renninger had plenty to celebrate.

The streak lives.

The Coupeville High School girls soccer squad landed three selections on this year’s Olympic League All-Conference squad, marking the fourth-straight year the Wolves have reached, or topped, that figure.

Of the league’s four schools, only Klahowya and CHS have hit that trifecta, or better, each year.

This time around, it was senior midfielder Sage Renninger, junior forward Kalia Littlejohn and freshman forward Genna Wright who got the nod.

It was the second time the two older players have been tabbed by league coaches (Renninger was also All-League in 2016, Littlejohn in 2015), while Wright was the lone 9th grader to crack this year’s roster.

The All-Conference honors were just the tip of the iceberg, though, as the Wolf booters gathered Tuesday to hand out awards at a season-capping banquet.

Renninger picked up Player of the Year honors from CHS coach Kyle Nelson, while Lauren Bayne (Most Inspirational), Natalie Hollrigell (Most Improved) and Wright (Rookie of the Year) also took home hardware.

Letter winners:

Knight Arndt
Mollie Bailey
Lauren Bayne
Anna Dion
Maddie Hilkey
Natalie Hollrigel
Mallory Kortuem
Kalia Littlejohn
Avalon Renninger
Sage Renninger
Lindsey Roberts
Ema Smith
Megan Thorn
Genna Wright
Sarah Wright
Tia Wurzrainer
Lily Zustiak