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With great power comes great wins

Posted in Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, Mia Farris, Mount Vernon Christian, Northwest League, undefeated, volleyball on September 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors (l to r) Lyla Stuurmans, Jada Heaton, and Taylor Brotemarkle are off to a great start. (Jennifer Heaton photo)

The gym was different, the result the same.

Playing at home for the first time this season Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad kept its perfect streak going.

Sweeping visiting Mount Vernon Christian 25-17, 25-15, 25-7 on Madison McMillan’s cake day, the Wolves get to 2-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-0 overall.

They haven’t dropped a set in regular season play, and certainly weren’t about to start against the Hurricanes.

Other than brief burps at the start of the first two sets, CHS led start to finish, with spry setter Katie Marti flying around, feeding a variety of big hitters who hammered winners upon winners.

MVC did lead 3-2 in the opening set, but then the Wolves promptly roared to life.

Bounding all around the court, Lyla Stuurmans and Teagan Calkins took turns delivering crisp winners which sliced off kneecaps and left the Hurricanes to wonder if their life insurance policies were paid up.

When the duo wasn’t banging away, they also delivered savage barbs with a poke here, a tip there, always keeping the ball just out of range of their rival hitters.

Add in some titanic mashes exploding off of the deadly fingers of Mia Farris as she swooped in from the side, and Jada Heaton up on her toes, ready to dominate at the net, and Coupeville was in full-on kill mode.

The ever-calm (even on her birthday) McMillan and the indispensable Taylor Brotemarkle dug deep to pull balls off the floor, with Marti cavorting from side to side, taking their setups and lofting the ball to her snipers.

Birthday girl Madison McMillan contemplates how hard she would have to hit the volleyball to make it explode. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Flush from the success of the first set, the second frame went down much the same.

Coupeville dominated, the Hurricanes fought back with a never-say-die spirit, and then the Wolves beat the air right out of the ball.

Farris, in full-on Mia the Magnificent mode, lashed a huge spike that tore off a chunk of the floor.

To which Stuurmans responded, “I can do that too,” as she bounded skyward and sent a missile screaming past a Hurricane defender who wisely decided that no, she didn’t really want to try and return that one.

Enter “The Red Dragon,” AKA Teagan Calkins, who, perhaps channeling Austin Powers, stated that she too liked to live dangerously.

And by live dangerously, she meant “hit the volleyball so hard it goes blind.”

Teagan Calkins drops a winner. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

If MVC thought the explosion at the power factory was done after the second set, it was sadly mistaken, since set three was nothing but non-stop bicep-poppin’, big-hittin’ fun for the Wolves.

McMillan punctuated her day of birth by firing a bullet which caught the corner of the court for a point, and a look at this reporter’s notebook reveals the following from set #3:

“Lyla bomb.”

“Mia laser.”

“Lyla mash.”

“Mia freakin’ massacred the ball.”

At the end of the fireworks show, the night’s final point was maybe the most impressive, while featuring artistry over pure firepower.

Scrambling madly towards the CHS bench (with a 24-7 lead), Marti stretched out to her full length and caught an out-of-control ball before it could get away.

Spinning it back over her head, she (somehow) sent it on a dime to Stuurmans, who sliced the ball across the top of the net.

Startled that the ball was coming back in her direction after the play seemed all but dead, a Hurricane hitter punched at the ball and sent it sailing far away into the night, ending things and sending the Wolves into a celebration.

In a match in which 10 girls hit the floor — Tenley Stuurmans, Aby Wood, and Dakota Strong also got floor time late — Coupeville got the nod of approval from coach Cory Whitmore.

“It was good to work through a couple of things,” he said. “We looked pretty sharp and controlled the first ball pretty well.

“What’s exciting about this group is they find the hitter with the hot hand, even if that changes from set to set and night to night.”

Milestone moments:

Both Calkins and Marti hit round numbers recently, Whitmore said.

Marti, a senior, nailed her 100th career ace at the service stripe during last weekend’s SunDome Volleyball Festival, and sits at 105 and counting.

Meanwhile, Calkins, a junior, reached 100 career kills during the last regular season match against Friday Harbor. With six more Thursday against MVC, she’s up to 112 for her prep career.

Thursday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 6 digs
Teagan Calkins — 6 kills, 4 digs, 3 aces
Mia Farris — 4 kills, 9 digs, 2 aces
Jada Heaton— 1 kill, 1 dig
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 8 digs, 19 assists, 1 block assist, 2 aces
Madison McMillan — 4 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces
Lyla Stuurmans — 10 kills, 7 digs, 1 solo block, 1 block assist, 1 ace
Tenley Stuurmans — 1 ace

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Wolves leave Klahowya thunderstruck

Posted in Football, tagged Chase Anderson, CHS Wolves, football, Klahowya, undefeated on September 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

What time is it? Time to be 2-0 after a big road win. (Bailey Thule photos)

Mother Nature brought the fury, while Coupeville High School’s gridiron squad brought the thunder.

Chase Anderson accounted for three touchdowns and freshman Liam Blas knocked down a pass in the end zone on the game’s final play Saturday, propelling the Wolves to a big road win.

Holding off host Klahowya 19-14 in a contest which was halted a half hour by lightning, CHS improves to a pristine 2-0 on the season.

Both wins have come against 1A schools, and the 2B Wolves will try and make it three straight against bigger schools when they host Granite Falls next Saturday, Sept. 21.

Coupeville and Klahowya are former conference rivals, from a time when both teams lived in the 1A Olympic League.

Back then the Eagles held a pretty solid advantage on the Wolves when it came to gridiron action, but current CHS coach Bennett Richter has led his squad to non-conference wins in two of the last three meetings between the schools.

Saturday, the Wolves jumped out to a 19-0 lead in Silverdale, with Anderson bolting for two scores and connecting with Johnny Porter on a screen pass which went for a touchdown.

Anderson has racked up five rushing TD’s across the first two games of the season, with Porter moving into a tie with Marquette Cunningham for second on the team with two scores.

Showing a fair amount of gumption, Klahowya tightened things up in the second half, scoring twice and getting the ball back in the game’s waning moments.

But Coupeville’s defense stood tall, keeping the Eagles out of the end zone and capping things with their fab frosh coming up huge.

“Liam had another big play at the end to swat down the ball with no time on the clock,” Richter said. “Defense played well, offense did enough to win the game.”

Jack Porter and Coupeville’s defense have played inspired ball.

Coupeville has already matched its win total from last season and is looking for more as it heads into a showdown with Granite Falls, which also sits at 2-0 after wins over East Jefferson and Sultan.

Key to unseating the Tigers will be maintaining the same fire the Wolves have brought to the field each game.

“Our boys showed a lot of heart,” Richter said. “We are looking forward to getting back on the field to continue to improve and clean up some of these early year mistakes.

“But for today, we will enjoy the win!” he added.

“Love this town, love this team!”

Bobby Carr (left) and Bennet Richter have the Wolves rolling.

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Special team, special season

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, La Conner, Northwest League, regular season finale, undefeated on February 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Current Wolves get support on the road from the next generation of Coupeville hoops stars. (Michele Murdy photo)

Roll on, Wolves, roll on.

Capping what’s believed to be the first undefeated regular season in the 105-year history of the program, the Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball team dismantled host La Conner Thursday, romping to a 79-45 win.

The victory lifts the Wolves to 11-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 15-0 overall.

Next up for CHS is the District 1/2 tournament, which it will host.

As the #1 seed from the NWL, the Wolves advance directly to the title game next Thursday, Feb. 17, when they will play for the program’s first district title since 1970.

A win in that game also assures the Coupeville boys of their first trip to state since 1988.

Thursday night, facing a La Conner team which had been run off the court by Friday Harbor the day before, the Wolves rained down death from above.

Netting a season-high 12 three-balls, Coupeville put four players into double digits, with 11 of 12 players to see the floor scoring.

And Dominic Coffman, the one player not to score, still had a huge impact, sacrificing his body on dives to the floor while coming up with one of the prettiest assists of the season.

The key to getting to 15-0 — especially for a program which didn’t post a winning season between 2010 and 2021 — has been this group’s willingness to play as a team, feeding the hot hand and lifting each other up.

Alex Murdy and Co. are on the prowl. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Thursday’s game was a prime example, as seniors Caleb Meyer and Hawthorne Wolfe combined for 17 points in the first quarter, then added just one more point after that.

Not because either hardwood veteran went cold, but instead other players jumped to the forefront and the duo slid into facilitator roles, whipping pinpoint passes, forcing turnovers, doing whatever was needed in the moment.

So you had Xavier Murdy and Logan Downes each go off for nine points in the second quarter, then big moments for Grady Rickner, Alex Murdy, and Logan Martin.

Share the ball, share the glory. Just get that W.

It might almost make Coupeville coach Brad Sherman a bit misty, as he sees his best-laid plans play out in high style.

Though, steely eyes scanning the court while much of his face lurks behind a pandemic era mask, the prairie legend hides any emotion well.

His players, however, showed off a mix of bravado and joy, with just a little chest-thumping when appropriate.

Wolfe, after draining a second three-ball to cap the first quarter, dropped a few good-natured sweet nothings to the La Conner cheerleaders as he ran back down court.

Meyer, when he wasn’t busy pulling his teammates together and giving them fatherly advice, pumped his fist each time he flipped the net skyward.

And that was pretty much every time he touched the ball in the opening quarter, as he drained a trio of three-balls and a sweet lil’ jumper while on the move.

There were actually two ties in the game, the last at 10-10, and La Conner wasn’t too far off at the first break, trailing 21-16.

But then the Wolf defense got nasty, and the tsunami hit.

The lead was at 28-20 when Coupeville dropped the hammer, going off on a 15-0 tear.

Downes, already a dangerous sharpshooter and just a sophomore, rifled home back-to-back treys as he poured in nine points during the run.

The second three-ball, which sent the CHS bench into a tizzy with a 23-point lead, was set up by a kickout from Rickner, who a play earlier, benefited from another nice set-up.

That one came flying off the hand of Wolfe, who looked one way, then fired a bullet right through three defenders, the ball smacking into Rickner’s hands with a happy little sigh.

Up 43-22 coming out of the halftime break, Coupeville kept its intensity up while emptying the bench.

Basically, everyone played, and everyone contributed.

Coffman pulled off two big-time hustle plays, the first on defense, the second while he was sprawled on the floor.

On the first, he could have straggled back downcourt with a 30+ point lead and La Conner on a breakaway.

Instead, Coffman flew like a bat out of Hell, got in front of the incoming ballhandler and planted himself, absorbing a huge collision and drawing the offensive charge on his rival.

It was a play which didn’t have to happen, but meant a ton to his fellow Wolves, who pulled him back to his feet while beating the crud out of him for a second time — this time in celebration.

Later Coffman came back around, diving on the floor, before shooting the ball to a waiting Logan Martin, who calmly splashed home yet another three-ball.

There was also Nick Guay, likely another varsity star of the future, taking advantage of some floor time to pull off a three-point play the hard way.

Cole White set him up with a strong dish, then Guay powered his way to paydirt while being slammed around the head, converting the bucket under great duress.

Don’t forget about Meyer, who made his own highlight reel-worthy pass in the fourth quarter, zipping a ball through multiple defenders to set up a Jonathan Valenzuela layup.

Coupeville, which topped 70 points for the 10th time in 15 games, spread its offense out admirably.

Xavier Murdy finished with a team-high 19 points, with Downes (12), Meyer (11), and Rickner (10) hot on his heels.

Alex Murdy (9), Wolfe (7), Martin (3), Guay (3), White (2), Valenzuela (2), and Zane Oldenstadt (1) also scored for a CHS squad which has won by double digits 12 times this season.

And some side notes for stats freaks, as Wolfe and Downes hit personal milestones.

With 775 points and counting, Wolfe moves past all-timers Barry Brown (769) and Jack Elzinga (770), and now sits at #14 on the CHS boys career scoring chart, which dates back to 1917.

Meanwhile, Downes, with 205 points as he nears the halfway point of his prep career, joins the 200-point club.

He’s the fifth active Coupeville player to reach that mark, joining Wolfe (775), Xavier Murdy (436), CHS girls star Maddie Georges (234), and Rickner (212).

Up next: a run at a district title and state tourney glory. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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It’s a start…

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged 2B, Associated Press, Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, polls, undefeated on February 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Grady Rickner drills the bottom out of the net. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A smidge of respect.

For the first time this season, the Coupeville High School boys basketball team — the only unbeaten squad left in 2B — has been noticed by the big city boys.

The Wolves, who sit at a pristine 13-0 heading into a game at Friday Harbor tomorrow night, received two votes in the most-recent Associated Press prep basketball poll.

That’s not enough to crack the top 10, which is led by Okanogan and Kalama, but it’s a start.

And, to be honest, the lack of votes is understandable, as AP voters tend to vote for teams they’ve seen play at previous state tournies.

Coupeville’s boys are chasing their first invite to the big dance since 1988, so, out of sight, out of mind.

But now, with each new win, it’ll get harder and harder to ignore the Wolves.

Never know — go win a state title, and they might actually crack the top 10…

To see the latest poll, pop over to:

https://apnews.com/article/sports-basketball-seattle-washington-olympia-490760c93b144fef81ac104033db6b6f

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We ain’t seen this before!

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged Alex Murdy, Boys Basketball, CHS Wolves, Granite Falls, undefeated on January 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Alex Murdy rampaged for 20 points Saturday as Coupeville improved to 13-0 on the season. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

History achieved.

Three times in the last 105 years, a Coupeville High School varsity boys basketball team started the season 12-0, only to stumble in unlucky game #13.

Not so for the 2021-2022 Wolves, who have done what the 1969-1970, 1976-1977, and 1996-1997 teams couldn’t do.

Holding off a feisty Granite Falls squad on the road Saturday, Coupeville escaped with a 70-62 win.

The non-conference victory over a 1A school which has been a longtime rival gives Brad Sherman’s squad — the only unbeaten 2B boys team in the state — a 13-0 mark heading into the home stretch of the regular season.

Left on the schedule are Northwest 2B/1B League tilts at Friday Harbor (Feb. 4) and La Conner (Feb. 10), before a likely appearance at the district tournament.

Coupeville once again demonstrated Saturday why they are so dangerous this year.

This group of Wolves doesn’t break under pressure, it can beat you from inside or outside, and it doesn’t matter which five players are on the floor at any given time.

As the Age of Coronavirus plays out, the state’s edict to test high school hoops players three times a week has left coaches to shuffle their rosters.

Saturday, the Wolves were down two varsity players, but as in every game before when other athletes were sidelined, the remaining group stepped up and seized the moment.

Facing a physical Granite Falls team which also hit the three-ball — at least in the early going — Coupeville didn’t blow its foe out.

But a win, by eight points or 48 points, is still a win. Get in, get the W, and get out.

Wolf senior Caleb Meyer, his curly locks glistening under the gym lights, got things started with a thunderous block on a Granite shot, and we were off.

The two teams traded baskets early, but a 13-2 run midway through the opening frame helped CHS open up a 17-13 lead after one quarter.

The Wolves kept Granite guessing, with Hawthorne Wolfe rippling the net on a long three-ball, before Meyer crashed end-to-end, taking a rebound all the way in for a bucket at the other end.

The biggest play, however, was a simple one, as Xavier Murdy got himself in perfect position on defense to draw a charge from a rampaging Tiger, sending a jolt of energy through the Coupeville faithful who traveled on a weekend night.

Cole White exploded off the bench to knock down back-to-back buckets to open the second quarter, but Granite hung tough.

The Tigers reclaimed the lead for a hot second at 27-26, before an Alex Murdy free throw tied things up, and then a wham-bam play staked CHS to a 29-27 lead at the half.

Logan Martin, rumblin’ down low in the paint, started things by coming up with a loose ball, before flicking an outlet pass to White.

The lanky sophomore led the charge down floor, sucked the defense in, then spun the ball to Grady Rickner — who was racing on his right — setting up a layup for his senior teammate.

Grady Rickner came up big on both ends of the floor.

Coupeville, as it has done so often this season, looked like it was blowing things wide open coming out of halftime.

Four Wolves combined to rattle the rims during a 21-9 third quarter surge, pushing the lead all the way out to 50-36 with eight minutes to play.

Wolfe led the way, lofting a pair of three-balls from the parking lot as part of an eight-point run, while Meyer slapped home six in support.

The rampaging Murdy siblings, who combined to toss in the other seven third-quarter points, teamed up on a pretty brother-to-brother bucket, with Xavier setting up Alex, and things looked safe.

But Granite had a few tricks still to play, as the Tigers rang up 26 points in a furious fourth-quarter rally.

Coupeville kept the lead right around 10, until Alex Murdy went out late after taking a rough tumble on a drive to the hoop and Wolfe fouled out on a questionable (at best) call.

A Tiger three-ball cut the lead all the way down to 66-60, but Granite also shot itself in the foot multiple times in the final moments.

Two missed free throws, an air ball on another trey, and a pair of turnovers forced by the aggressive Coupeville defense kept the hosts from staging a full comeback.

The Wolves missed some of their own free throws down the stretch, giving Granite a chance to dream, but converted when they needed it most.

Xavier Murdy, who joined the 400-point career scoring club Saturday, drained three of four charity shots in the final seconds to drive the final stake home.

As usual, the Wolves put together a very-balanced scoring attack, with Alex Murdy powering his way to a game-high 18 points.

Rickner kissed the glass for 16, Meyer drained 12, Wolfe made the nets jump for 11, while Xavier Murdy (9) and White (4) rounded out the offense.

It marked the ninth time in 13 games this season that Coupeville has topped the 70-point barrier.