Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘South Whidbey’

   Mary Zisette (in SWHS tennis shirt), is a fast-rising Falcon star.

“To me, the people in this town are the best.”

Mary Zisette enjoys her time on the tennis court at South Whidbey High School, but it’s more than that.

“Everyone is incredibly kind and it’s fun to know all the people you see walking through town,” she said. “I think the sense of community is the most special.

“For our school it’s very similar,” Zisette added. “All the teachers are great and super helpful and you pretty much know every single person in the school.”

A strong presence on the court for the Falcons, whether playing singles or doubles, she’s headed into her junior year at SWHS.

With two postseason runs already to her credit, Zisette continues to work on her court skills, with an eye on always improving.

“I think I’m very coachable and can work new suggestions into my game,” she said. “I need to work on my mental tenacity in stressful matches.

“My goals are to just keep improving and keep working hard,” Zisette added. “Also, making it to state would be really nice, we’ve been close the past two years.”

Ever since she first picked up a racket, the love of the game has been there for her. A lot of that comes from the camaraderie she experiences on the court.

“Tennis is my favorite sport because of the atmosphere of the team and how supportive and encouraging the coaches and other team members are,” Zisette said. “I enjoy being a part of a team and getting to know new people each year.”

A member of the National Honor Society, she’s “interested in writing and loves art,” while finding time to balance a summer job with friends and family.

Those close to her have had a big impact on Zisette as she grows as an athlete and a young woman.

“My dad, who taught me to play tennis when I was little and has encouraged me along the way (is a big influence),” she said. “Also, the rest of my family, who are always supportive and teach me ways to be a better, more kind, person.”

Read Full Post »

   South Whidbey High School baseball coach Tom Fallon (right) landed two of his players on the All-State team. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

No love for the Wolves, but some appreciation for Whidbey Island.

When the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association released its 2017 All-State teams Tuesday, Coupeville rival South Whidbey landed two players on the 1A squad.

Senior pitcher Will Simms and senior outfielder Connor Antich capped their prep careers with the honor.

The Falcons went 12-10 this spring while playing in the always-tough 1A/2A Cascade Conference, which included eventual 1A state runner-up Cedar Park Christian.

On a side note, South Whidbey did lose 7-4 to Coupeville when the two Island rivals faced off in a non-conference game early in the season.

Come on, you know I have to mention that!

Also named to All-State squads were several other players who the Wolves faced this season, including Klahowya’s Dylan Zuber.

The senior pitcher/second-baseman was the lone representative from the 1A Olympic League.

Four other Coupeville rivals were honored, with Jacob Richey and Elliot Puttkammer-Saxen from The Bush School making the 1A team, James Grubb of Sequim tabbed in 2A and Kai Herko of Friday Harbor named to the 2B/1B squad.

The WSBCA honored players at five levels, with 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A having their own squads. The best of 2B and 1B were combined to make a fifth team.

Breaking from tradition a bit, coaches did not name players of the year or divide the lists into First and Second Team honors.

Ty Singleton, who led King’s Way Christian to a state title, was tabbed as the 1A coach of the year.

Read Full Post »

All your pertinent details.

All your pertinent details.

There is hope, Coupeville wrestlers.

While our town is a relative dead zone for the sport (boo!), there are opportunities for local grapplers if they’re willing to leave town.

One such opportunity is right down the road in Langley, where a new wrestling program is starting up practices at South Whidbey High School Mar. 2.

Chain Wrestling West is a youth wrestling club aimed at kids 8-18.

The club is an offshoot of Chain Wrestling East, which launched in Carnation in 2013 and has been extremely successful.

For all the info you need, take a gander at the photo above or pop over to:

http://www.chain-wrestling.com/

Read Full Post »

Highly-respected coach Mark Hodson is returning to lead South Whidbey's gridiron program after a three-year absence. (Photo poached from Hodson's Facebook)

   Highly-respected coach Mark Hodson is returning to lead South Whidbey’s gridiron program after a three-year absence.

South Whidbey football is returning to its roots as it rebuilds.

Former head coach Mark Hodson, who helped lead the Falcons for more than a decade, will be back at the helm next season.

He replaces Michael Coe, who resigned after posting a 1-18 mark in two years at SWHS.

Hodson will be the third head coach in four seasons, as former college coach Chris Tormey, who preceded Coe, only hung around for one 2-8 season before heading to the Canadian Football League.

South Whidbey, which hosts Coupeville in its season opener Sept. 1, has been a program in turmoil recently.

The Falcons went as low as 14 active varsity players at times last season, which forced it to be the first in a line of teams that forfeited to eventual 2A state champ Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

SWHS has now taken an indefinite leave of absence from the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and will play an independent schedule in 2017.

Hodson, who was the league’s coach of the year in 2007, helped lead the Falcon program for 14 seasons before resigning in 2014.

Some of that time involved working with Andy Davis as a co-coach.

The quick turnover in the last three years has been unusual for South Whidbey.

Prior to Hodson taking the Falcon job in 2001, SWHS had gotten a 19-year run from Mick Heggenes and a 30-year stint from coaching legend Jim Leirer.

Hodson played high school football at King’s, then went on to be a member of the 1987 Pacific Lutheran University squad which won a national championship.

He coached at several colleges before settling in as a teacher and coach in Langley.

Read Full Post »

Jered Brown (John Fisken photo)

   Jered Brown netted 11 Saturday, including a game-busting breakaway bucket off of a steal. (John Fisken photo)

(Kim Bepler photo)

   After hitting seven three-point bombs, Mason Grove (center) was so hot the wall turned red above his head. (Kimberly Bepler photo)

The real show was in the side room.

Pitting three-ball flinging mad men against South Whidbey’s big bangers, the Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball squad pulled out a wild 55-51 win Saturday night.

In a game where the lead went back-and-forth all night, the Wolves, now 3-2, held on to grab victory on the strength of their shooting from behind the arc.

Freshman Mason Grove knocked down seven treys, including three in the fourth quarter, as CHS countered a Falcon lineup which included freshmen who come in at 6’5 and 6’4.

Clinging to a one-point lead entering the final quarter, the Wolves put the ball in Grove’s hands and he answered, scoring half of his team-high 24 points in the final eight minutes.

That point total is the best by a CHS player this year, varsity or JV.

Grove’s treys also came in the white hot spotlight, with one tying the game late in the going and the next one giving Coupeville the lead for good.

Jered Brown, who tossed in 11 points in support, followed up Grove’s back-to-back bombs with a steal that he turned into a breakaway to seal the deal.

Drawing a defender to him while on the fly, the Wolf frosh hit a reverse layup, then added a free-throw after getting hammered at the end of the play.

Jered is one of the toughest kids I’ve coached, and that’s saying a lot,” said Coupeville coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh.

Also coming up big were Jacobi Pacquette-Pilgrim, who “did the yeoman’s work” in trying to deal with the Falcon’s big duo, and Ulrik Wells and Nikolai Lyngra, who did “a fantastic job” helping the Wolves deal with losing three players to fouling out.

Pacquette-Pilgrim dropped in eight in support of Grove and Brown, while Sean Toomey-Stout (5), Koa Davison (4) and Kyle Rockwell (3) also scored for the Wolves.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »