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Posts Tagged ‘wrestling’

Former Wolf a titanic terror on the mat

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on December 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Izzy LeVine (second from left) lands on the podium again. (Sean LeVine photo)

Izzy LeVine is chasing a state title and looking stronger each day.

The former Coupeville supernova, now toiling on the wrestling mats in Arizona, closed 2023 with another stellar performance, which bodes well for 2024.

Mickey and Jae’s lil’ sis, who grapples for Casteel High School, claimed 3rd place at the Mile High Challenge in Prescott Valley, going 4-1 in tourney action.

She notched all of her victories by pin, before losing a tense tussle with the defending state champ in her weight class.

The youngest LeVine sister is 26-2 on the season as the calendar prepares to flip to a new year.

“Iz looked tough and continues to improve!” said dad Sean.

Overall, Casteel earned 5th place, out of 32 schools, in the team standings.

During their days in Cow Town, Izzy’s parents both worked in the medical field, while her sisters were multi-sport stars at Coupeville High School.

While her wrestling career didn’t hit the stratosphere until after a family move to Arizona, Joline’s youngest was a vocal fan for her sister’s athletic exploits while attending Coupeville Elementary.

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Many mats, one holy terror

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on December 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Izzy LeVine, woman of mystery and devastating pins. (Sean LeVine photo)

The mat, and the wrestler standing on it, tremble when Izzy LeVine swaggers into view.

The former Coupeville student, forever known as the little girl who gave me rocks at her older sister’s various sporting events, continues to terrorize rival grapplers in her new life.

Now a student at Casteel High School in Arizona, Izzy, the heir to the shining athletic legacy set by Micky and Jae, is a wrestler on a rampage.

Her latest stop, as 2023 prepares to exit out the door and be replaced by 2024, was the Fierce Filly Showdown in Queen Creek.

While operating on her home mats, the youngest LeVine claimed 2nd place at 128 pounds, ripping off five straight pins to open the tourney.

While Izzy was nipped by a top-ranked foe in a nailbiter championship match, she helped lead Casteel to a team title at the 20-squad event.

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Queen of the mat in any state

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on December 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Izzy LeVine? She’s kind of a superstar. (Sean LeVine photo)

The Cow Town Masher strikes again!

Izzy LeVine’s wrestling career didn’t take off into the stratosphere until after she and her family left Coupeville, but, since the seeds of her awesomeness were planted here, we shall forever claim her.

Mickey and Jae’s lil’ sister thumped all comers once again, cruising to a title at the Veterans Memorial Invitational Saturday in Arizona.

The youngest of the LeVine sisters went 4-0 with four pins and was one of two Casteel High School grapplers to claim a title.

Izzy and Co. finished 3rd in the team standings out of 32 schools.

The mat sensation, who used to give me rocks at her older sister’s games, is the daughter of Sean and Joline LeVine.

During their time in Coupeville, the family saw three family members inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

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Wolf grappler a star on the mats

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , on December 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grappler Jaje Drake awaits his next foe. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Lone Wolf is howling.

Coupeville High School senior Jaje Drake, a one-man Cow Town wrestling crew training and traveling with South Whidbey, is off to a strong start.

He split a pair of matches against Oak Harbor Thursday, Dec. 7, then went a crisp 10-0 Saturday, Dec. 9 during a tournament held at Chimacum High School.

Drake returns to the mat this Wednesday when South Whidbey plays host to Friday Harbor and Concrete.

A captain during the football season, he is following in the footsteps of former Wolf Alex Turner, who has followed up his time on the mat by working as a football coach at CHS.

Since Coupeville is one of the few schools in Washington state not to have its own grappling program, Drake had to find another school to join up with as a part of a co-op.

He will remain with South Whidbey, but rep Coupeville, during the regular season, then go his own way once the postseason arrives.

That’s because the Falcons are a 1A program, while CHS is a 2B school.

Drake goes to work.

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Wolf big man chases mat glory

Posted in Wrestling, tagged , , , , on December 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

CHS football players Adrian Cunningham (left) and Jaje Drake show off weight room work. (Sophia Broderick photo)

Here I go again on my own,

Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.

The heyday of ’80s rock gods Whitesnake came long before Jaje Drake was born, but the words of their biggest song, Here I Go Again, ring true as the Wolf senior chases his wrestling dream.

Coupeville is one of the few high schools in the state not to have its own grappling program, so any athletes wanting to hit the mat have to do so through another school.

For Drake, that reunites him with South Whidbey — where he attended middle school.

This time around, he’s training and traveling with the Falcons through the regular season, while competing as a one-man Coupeville wrecking crew.

When the postseason arrives, he’ll go his own way, since CHS is a 2B school and SWHS is a 1A one.

It’s a path similar to that followed by one of Drake’s Wolf football coaches, Alex Turner, who made the same trek during his own senior season.

Drake, who has put in considerable time in the weight room and was a captain for Coupeville’s gridiron squad, is currently slated to wrestle in the 220-pound class.

Dreaming about state meet glory. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

When football ended, the Wolf big man decided to find a different outlet, looking to add more success to his senior year.

“What led me to do this decision is just the fact that I was not done showing people what I can do before they may never see me in action again,” he said.

Getting a strong reaction from mat fans is nice, as well.

“What I enjoy about wrestling is just seeing people’s faces when they see me come onto the mat,” Drake said.

“Shocked faces and little comments, like “Holy crap, that man HUGE.”

His season gets fully underway Thursday as South Whidbey hosts Oak Harbor in a match which starts at 6:00 PM.

After that, Drake has his eyes set firmly on the prize.

“My goals are to go to state,” he said. “And be the only one walking down the state giveaway line with all the people wishing me luck.”

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