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Posts Tagged ‘SWHS Falcons’

Whidbey lands player on All-State hoops squad

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

South Whidbey’s Kody Newman (22) was named Wednesday to the AP All-State boys basketball team.

They noticed us.

When big-city newspaper types pick high school all-star teams, they often hyper-focus on players who made it to the state tourney, or fall back on those who live in large, urban areas.

But someone must have done their research, because Wednesday, when the Associated Press announced its 2018-2019 All-State basketball teams, there was Whidbey Island sitting right on the same line with Seattle and Lynden.

South Whidbey senior guard Kody Newman, who burned down gyms all season while shooting three-balls from the parking lot, not only made the lineup, he was picked for the first team.

Lynden Christian’s hugely-hyped Cole Bajema, who is off to Michigan on a hoops scholarship next year, was tabbed as the 1A boys player of the year.

Joining the Lync star on the First Team were Newman, Antonio Salinas (Zillah), Mason Landdeck (Cashmere) and Hunter Ecklund (La Center).

Newman, who is bringing a stellar four-year prep sports career to a close this spring with one last tour of duty on the baseball field, scored his 1,000th point on the high school hardwood against Coupeville.

It came on a long three-ball, and, just to make things interesting, it’s believed he shot the ball with his eyes closed to up the danger factor.

True story.

Newman wasn’t the only Wolf foe honored Wednesday, just the one to get the biggest props.

Freshman Tyler Linhardt of King’s and junior Irena Korolenko of Cedar Park Christian were tabbed as Honorable Mention selections.

Oumou Toure, a senior at 3A Kamiakin, and Anton Watson, a senior at 4A Gonzaga Prep, were the state players of the year across all classifications (4A-2B).

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Shorthanded booters fight hard in rivalry game

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on March 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

With starting goalie Dewitt Cole rehabbing an injury, Michael Langille played in goal Friday for the Coupeville High School boys soccer squad. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sometimes it’s just about survival.

Playing with a gutted roster Friday, and that was before losing players mid-game, the Coupeville High School boys soccer team fell 5-0 at South Whidbey.

Losing to a team which went to the state quarterfinals last season, and is the heavy betting favorite in the new North Sound Conference, is not unexpected.

The hope though is to have a full roster when the two schools tangle Apr. 23 in the regular-season finale.

Coupeville coach Kyle Nelson was philosophical as part of his team boarded the bus for the short trip back home from Langley.

“Considering we only had 14 players for the game and had to put a makeshift lineup together, I am proud of their effort,” he said.

With starting goaltender Dewitt Cole rehabbing an injury, back-up Michael Langille played the entire game in net and held up well.

South Whidbey senior Michael Lux paced the high-flying Falcons, rattling home a hat trick.

Coupeville, which was shut out for only the second time this season, drops to 2-2 in league play, 4-4 overall.

The Wolves sit solidly in third-place in what is supposed to be a six-team league.

CHS is a game-and-a-half off of league leaders King’s (3-0, 4-1-1) and South Whidbey (3-0, 6-1).

Cedar Park Christian (0-3, 0-4) and Sultan (0-3, 0-7) bring up the rear, while Granite Falls suspended its program this year due to a lack of players.

Staying in at least third-place is big, since it would bring the Wolves a “home” game in their district playoff opener.

Coupeville, which travels to Forks Monday for a non-league game, closes with four conference clashes, and is already assured of a postseason berth.

The #1 and #3 NSC teams host their first playoff bout, though the Wolves would need to travel to Oak Harbor for any postseason “home” games, since Coupeville High School doesn’t have a turf field.

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CHS softball finally gets its wish

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 7, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Thanks to a schedule shuffle, Izzy Wells and her Coupeville High School softball teammates will travel Mar. 16 to Oak Harbor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

This is not a drill. This is really happening.

Thanks to a last-second schedule shuffle, true Whidbey Island high school softball supremacy will up for grabs for the first time in more than a decade.

That’s because Oak Harbor, Coupeville, and South Whidbey will play each other, a rarity when it concerns the first two teams.

Coupeville and South Whidbey are reunited in the 1A North Sound Conference this year, and are scheduled to clash three times, twice in April and once in May.

The Wolves have dominated the series in recent years, winning four non-conference games over the past three years, including 12-0 and 10-0 routs last season.

But the biggest school on the Island, 3A Oak Harbor, hasn’t accepted a challenge from Coupeville in a very long time.

You can go all the way back to 2009 using the North Sound Conference web site, and there is not a single meeting between North and Central Whidbey on a high school field.

That changes Saturday, Mar. 16.

Coupeville was originally set to host 2A Lakewood that day, but now will travel to Oak Harbor and play a road triple-header.

The Wolf varsity opens at 11 AM against Lakewood on the OHHS softball field.

Coupeville’s JV squad also plays Lakewood, but at 1 PM at Hillcrest Elementary just down the street, while Oak Harbor and Lakewood’s varsity play on the high school field.

Then, at 3 PM, on the high school field, Coupeville gets what it’s been dreaming about for some time, a chance to square off with the Wildcats.

South Whidbey and Oak Harbor were already scheduled to meet in the season opener Mar. 12, meaning all three Whidbey teams will get a chance to recreate the magic from back when their players were in little league.

Last season, Coupeville went 12-9, South Whidbey 12-13, and Oak Harbor 2-18, but all enter a new year with a fresh slate and new challenges.

One Island, three teams, one “champion” to rule them all.

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Support peace, love, and Maia Sparkman

Posted in Fundraisers, tagged , , , , , on February 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Maia Sparkman, seen during her high school track days, sets off for Zambia in April to join the Peace Corps. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Maia Sparkman is one of the great ones.

She was a phenomenal athlete, both at South Whidbey High School and then at Seattle University.

As a Falcon, she was a standout on the soccer pitch and a state meet medal-winning supernova in track and field, the sport she continued to pursue in college.

Now, during her prep days, I was much more combative with those who lived on the South end of the Island.

There was a moment, though, after finally listening to people wiser than myself, that I started reaching out to Falcon Nation with an olive branch, instead of swinging my computer keyboard wildly to and fro.

During that time, I wrote several feature stories on South Whidbey athletes, and Maia, showing her grace, agreed to be the first Falcon I wrote about.

In her answers to my questions, she showed herself to be highly-intelligent, very-focused, and a young woman with immense potential.

Maia didn’t have to talk to me, but she did, and I greatly appreciated it, both then and now.

Thursday night, one of my favorite former Coupeville athletes, Haley Sherman, posted a link to a GoFundMe for Maia, and, being curious, I popped over to check it out.

Once there, I discovered Ms. Sparkman has joined the Peace Corps and is off to Zambia in April to kick off a two-year adventure.

I also found that, after working two jobs after college to build up savings, she unfortunately fell prey to a scam which gutted those savings.

Her family and friends have come together to try and help Maia get back on her feet financially, and I hope the mission blossoms.

This young woman is one of the best and brightest Whidbey Island has produced during my time running Coupeville Sports, and how can you not want her to succeed when her goal in life is simply to help others?

So, take a moment, pop over to the link below to get more facts, and, if you can, hopefully help Maia, with financial aid, positive messages, or both.

 

https://www.gofundme.com/support-maia

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Falcon ace gets historic, sinks Wolves

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Junior point guard Jered Brown and the Coupeville varsity boys need a win Friday to clinch a playoff berth. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Kody Newman stung the Wolves one more time.

The South Whidbey High School senior rattled home 32 points Tuesday, becoming the third member of his family to top 1,000 points on the prep hardwood, as the Falcons blitzed visiting Coupeville 72-40.

The loss drops the CHS varsity boys to 1-8 in North Sound Conference play, 2-14 overall heading into their regular-season finale Friday at Granite Falls (0-9, 2-17).

That game will be huge for the Wolves, as a win clinches the fifth, and final, postseason berth from their six-team conference.

If Granite wins Friday, however, the teams return immediately to the court Saturday, though this time in Coupeville, for a tie-breaker game to decide the final playoff team.

That contest, if necessary, would tip off at 5 PM.

Tuesday’s game at South Whidbey fell on Senior Night for the Falcons, and while Brock Gray netted a fourth-quarter three-ball, it was the other SWHS 12th grader, Newman, who dominated action.

Scoring from every angle, he hit a perfect 14-14 at the free-throw line, netted four treys, and tossed in three regular old-fashioned field goals just for fun.

Newman’s 1000th point came on a three-ball launched from the back reaches of the parking lot, allowing him to join siblings Lindsey and Riley in the exclusive club.

Paced by their senior sharpshooter, the Falcons took control of the game early, turning a 19-8 lead after one quarter into a 37-17 bulge at the halftime break.

Coupeville played its most-competitive ball in the third quarter, staying within 14-12, with five different Wolves connecting on shots in the frame.

Eight CHS players scratched their names in the score-book, with Hawthorne Wolfe, Sean Toomey-Stout, and Jacobi Pilgrim leading the way with eight points apiece.

It was a varsity career-high for Pilgrim.

Mason Grove banked in a pair of three-balls en route to six points, with Gavin Knoblich (4), Ulrik Wells (3), Jean Lund-Olsen (2), and Xavier Murdy (1) also scoring.

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