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Posts Tagged ‘state tourney’

Wolf girls prosper, boys in a drought

Posted in history, tagged , , , , on January 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Softball has the most-recent state tourney team win among Coupeville High School sports programs, thanks to the play of Mollie Bailey and friends. (Karen Carlson photo)

It’s been awhile.

The last time a Coupeville High School boys team won a game at the state tournament, in any sport, Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States.

The day was May 23, 1987 and the Wolf baseball team beat White Swan 2-0 as it wound its way to a 3rd place showing.

Since then, nada.

After beating White Swan, the ’87 CHS diamond men fell 14-7 to Morton, beginning what now sits at a 33-year streak without a team win in a state tourney game for Coupeville’s male athletes.

And I stress the word TEAM, as CHS sports programs where the athletes compete as individuals, have produced big success in that time, topped off by state champs in track and cross country.

Take a look at sports where success hinges on a team, however, and Wolf boys are in a long dry spell.

Wolf baseball (0-5), football (0-2), basketball (0-2), and soccer (0-2) have made it to the big dance multiple times in the past three decades, but none have won since ’87.

That has given the CHS girls a chance to play catch-up, and they have in a big way.

The ’87 baseball win was the fourth state tourney triumph by a Wolf boys team, while the Coupeville girls have now won 16 times.

The first victory came courtesy of the girls basketball squad in 2000, with the most recent W captured by the 2019 softball sluggers.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the first CHS team to make it to state, in any sport, the 1970 boys basketball team, it’s well past time for modern-day Wolf boys to recapture past glory.

Until they do, the stat sheet speaks for itself, and it tells us this — CHS girls rule the school.

 

State tourney history for CHS team sports (compiled by WIAA):

 

Baseball:

First trip: 1973
Most-recent trip: 2014
Total trips: 9
State tourney wins: 2
Schools beaten: Kittitas, White Swan
Best finish: 3rd in 1987

 

Boys Basketball:

First trip: 1970
Most-recent trip: 1988
Total trips: 5
State tourney wins: 2
Schools beaten: Columbia (Burbank), Montesano
Best finish: No trophies

 

Boys Soccer:

First trip: 2009
Most-recent trip: 2010
Total trips: 2
State tourney wins: None
Schools beaten: None
Best finish: No trophies

 

Football:

First trip: 1974
Most-recent trip: 1990
Total trips: 4
State tourney wins: None
Schools beaten: None
Best finish: No trophies

 

Girls Basketball:

First trip: 1998
Most-recent trip: 2016
Total trips: 7
State tourney wins: 7
Schools beaten: Freeman, Onalaska, Overlake, Winlock, River View, Cascade Christian, Zillah
Best finish: 6th in 2002

 

Softball:

First trip: 2002
Most-recent trip: 2019
Total trips: 3
State tourney wins: 5
Schools beaten: Cle Elum, Royal, Okanogan, Napavine, Deer Park
Best finish: 3rd in 2002

 

Volleyball:

First trip: 2001
Most-recent trip: 2017
Total trips: 5
State tourney wins: 4
Schools beaten: King’s, Freeman, Toutle Lake, Zillah
Best finish: No trophies

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Sluggers set for big stage

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on June 26, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Chloe Marzocca watches the ball fly far, far away. (Photos by Jackie Saia)

Foot firmly on the bag, Mia Farris beats the runner by a mile.

Madison McMillan has been a big-time cruncher at the plate for a high-scoring Central Whidbey Little League Majors softball squad.

Hammerhead catcher Brionna Blouin slaps the tag on a runner who maybe wishes she had stayed at third.

Jada Heaton looks down for the sign.

Slick-fielding Allison Nastali scoops up everything in the vicinity.

Hammerhead shortstop Taylor “The Beast” Brotemarkle unleashes the full fury of her nuclear-powered throwing arm.

Teagan Calkins dares the pitcher to try and throw the ball past her. “I will murder the freakin’ ball, lady, murder it!!”

We’re under 70 hours until the big dance kicks off.

The Central Whidbey Little League Majors softball squad, carrying a 17-2 record and a District 11 championship, opens play Saturday at the state championships.

The Hammerheads take the field at Snider Field in Poulsbo at 1 PM, facing North Kitsap, District 2 champs and tourney hosts.

Win or lose, Central Whidbey plays again Sunday as its winds its way through the double-elimination bracket.

With a victory over North Kitsap, the Hammerheads would face District 3 champs Montesano at noon.

Fall on day one, and Central Whidbey finds itself in a must-win scenario Sunday at 3:00 against either District 10’s Bonney Lake/Sumner or District 8’s Northeast Seattle.

The tournament stretches all the way out to July 7, with the state champ earning an invite to regionals in California.

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One win from title town!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville players head to the field Friday in Ephrata, ready for the start of the Babe Ruth baseball state tourney. (Heidi Roberts photo)

They didn’t buckle.

Facing the defending state champs, down a game after suffering their first loss of the season and enduring temps soaring towards 100 in Ephrata, the Coupeville Babe Ruth baseball squad rallied Friday to keep its dream alive.

After dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker in extra innings to kick off the state tourney, the Wolves roared back to blast Columbia Basin 6-2 in the afternoon tilt.

With the win, Coupeville improves to 17-1 on the season and sits one win from being hailed as the state champs in the 13-15 classification.

The two teams will play a third and deciding game 9 AM Saturday (likely in cooler temps), with the victor punching its ticket to the Pacific NW Regional Tournament in Portland, Oregon.

Columbia Basin is one of the biggies in Babe Ruth baseball, having won three straight and four of the last five 13-15 state titles.

That pedigree didn’t scare Coupeville, however, which wants to capture the town’s first state title since the 2010 Central Whidbey Little League Juniors baseball squad achieved that feat.

The Wolves survived a buzzsaw in game one, whiffing 13 times on pitches by Columbia Basin hurler Kevin Rexes, yet never falling out of the game.

Coupeville flame-thrower Daniel Olson was on point himself, putting nine rivals down on K’s, and the game remained close from start to finish.

The defending champs pushed a run across in the second, but the Wolves responded at the last moment, knotting the game at 1-1 with a run in the top of the seventh.

Olson walked, pilfered two bags, then zipped home on a passed ball to send the game to extra innings.

Things got interesting there, with Coupeville taking its first lead of the game on an RBI single off the bat of Scott Hilborn.

The base-knock brought Cody Roberts home, and brought the Wolf faithful to their feet in anticipation of the team’s 17th straight win.

It wasn’t to be, however, as Columbia Basin rallied for the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the inning, using three walks and two Wolf errors to bust open the game.

The loss came despite Coupeville out-hitting its foes, raining down six hits to four.

Roberts, Gavin Knoblich, Ulrik Wells, Hilborn, Olson and Ashton Leland shared the hot bats, each chipping in with a hit apiece.

With their season on the line, the Wolves responded, with their bats heating up under blazing skies.

A three-run second-inning burst, fueled by singles from Olson and Johnny Carlson and fast feet on the base-paths, put Coupeville ahead to stay and it coasted home behind the one-two punch of hurlers Leland and Roberts.

Once again, the Wolves spread out the love, with eight different batters ringing up a base-knock.

Hawthorne Wolfe and Xavier Murdy, who ran wild on the bases, led the way, with Wells, Carlson, Olson, Hilborn, Drake Borden and Leland chipping in to the team effort.

Coupeville, which is coached by Steve Hilborn and also includes Chelsea Prescott, Andrew Score and Sage Sharp on its roster, roared through the regular season, going 16-0.

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Road trip to the big time!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , on May 21, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Coupeville’s Sage Renninger (left), Ken Stange and Payton Aparicio are off to Yakima this weekend for the 1A state girls tennis tourney. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Well, at least no one gets to play in their backyard.

When Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger pile into a van with Coupeville High School tennis coach Ken Stange and head off to the state tourney this weekend, they’ll have a long drive.

It’s 192.4 miles from Cow Town to Yakima, and the duo will be the first Wolf girls double team to make the trek in a decade.

But, at the least, their first-round foes in the double-elimination draw, Sierra Rothlisberger and Madeline Peebles of Chelan, have to travel 138.6 miles.

Win or lose, Aparicio and Renninger are guaranteed a second match Friday, and it will be against either defending state champs Amanda Lin and Maria Russinovich of Overlake or Kaylee Schow and Ally Vestal of Tenino.

Those duos are trekking 141.2 and 165.7 miles one-way, respectively, so no one can really fall back on the excuse of tired legs.

What the Wolves will face is temps expected to be in the 90’s and unfamiliar foes.

The duos headed to state whom Aparicio and Renninger have played — Mary Zisette and Alison Papritz of South Whidbey and Grace and Kate Jung of Cascade Christian — are on the other side of the 16-team draw.

In an intriguing twist, the Falcon duo will also face a Chelan team, made up of Elle Rothlisberger (younger sister of Sierra) and Bella Gatzemier.

The Mountain Goats (yes, that is Chelan’s mascot, and yes, it’s awesome) hail from the 1A Caribou Trail League and the Rothlisberger sisters are coached by dad Marty.

Depending on how they do, Aparicio and Renninger will play between 2-3 matches Friday. Make it to Saturday and they are guaranteed a top-eight finish, and the medals that come with that.

As the duo prepare for their final run as prep netters, a look at the pertinent details:

 

What:

1B/2B/1A girls tennis state tournament

 

Where:

Yakima Tennis Club
2505 Fruitvale Blvd
http://www.yakimatennis.com/

 

When:

May 25-26

 

Ticket prices:

It’s FREE … if you go all the way to Yakima.

 

WIAA tournament central site:

http://wiaa.com/subcontent.aspx?SecID=1163

 

Draw:

http://wiaa.com/ardisplay.aspx?ID=1772

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Keep hope alive!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on May 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Wolves (back, l to r) Veronica Crownover, Nicole Laxton and (front) Mackenzie Davis, wait out a rain storm Friday at the district softball tourney in Lacey. (Kelly Crownover photo)

The rain might have been an omen.

Fresh off of beating Vashon Island in the district playoff opener Friday, the Coupeville High School softball team found itself beset by liquid sunshine.

And, while the umbrellas were finally put away and the Wolves were allowed to take the turf in Lacey, all the hits had been washed out of their bats.

After raining down base-knocks against the Pirates, Coupeville was one-hit by Bellevue Christian and fell 14-1 in the District 3 title game.

The Wolves can still punch their ticket to state, though, and all it will take is to beat a familiar foe.

Olympic League rival Klahowya, which Coupeville has beaten six straight times over the past two years, survived a loser’s out brawl with Vashon.

After winning 12-1, the Eagles will clash with the Wolves 1 PM Saturday and the stakes are simple.

Win, and you go to state (Coupeville’s last visit was in 2014, Klahowya’s in 2004).

Lose, and you hang up your uniform and prepare for your team banquet.

The two teams have similar records, with the Wolves sitting at 12-8 and the Eagles at 11-7, but their rivalry has been largely one-sided this season.

Coupeville swept to a league title by beating KSS 15-1, 9-4 and 12-7.

The Wolves have outscored the Eagles 60-22 over the past two seasons, winning all six of their clashes.

To keep that streak alive, and punch a ticket to Richland, CHS needs to hit more like it did in game one Friday, and less like it did on a wet, slick turf field in game two.

Coupeville’s only base-knock against BC came in the bottom of the second, when freshman third-baseman Chelsea Prescott launched a lead-off triple down the right-field line.

The ball curved over first base, hung in the air for a second, then bit ground just inside the chalk and skipped to the fence while Prescott sailed into third standing up.

She promptly came home on the next pitch, when the ball got away from the Bellevue catcher, but, as quickly as the Wolves launched their mini-rally, it was over.

BC scored in four of five innings, chipping away for two in the first, one in the second and another two in the third.

Coupeville’s best defensive stand came in the fourth, when Katrina McGranahan cut down the lead-off hitter on a come-backer, then ended the inning with back-to-back K’s.

The fifth inning, by contrast, was a killer, as the Vikings exploded for nine runs to turn a fairly close 5-1 game into a blow-out.

Other than Prescott’s hit, CHS only got three runners (McGranahan, Hope Lodell and Lauren Rose) aboard, all thanks to walks.

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