Coupeville High School baseball player Ben Etzell and football player Josh Bayne each earned first-team, all-state honors to highlight the athletic achievements on Central Whidbey for 2014.

The pair also earned league Most Valuable Player awards. Etzell was the first Coupeville athlete to receive the MVP honor in any sport in the Wolves’ decade in the Cascade Conference.

Ironically, Etzell won the award in Coupeville’s final season in the Cascade Conference while Bayne won his award in Coupeville’s first season in the Olympic League.

Here’s a look at the year’s top sports stories:

January

After losing by two points the night before, the Coupeville boys basketball team, coached by Anthony Smith, rebounded to defeat Orcas Island 84-37. The win broke a 13-game losing streak and was the Wolves’ second in 47 games.

The Wolves had five players score in double figures, led by Anthony Bergeron with 19.

A week later, Coupeville won again, topping Mount Vernon Christian 50-47 behind 17 points from Bergeron and 15 from Nick Streubel.

The Wolves wrapped up the month with their first Cascade Conference win in three years, stopping Lakewood 59-57.

The girls team, coached by David King, started the calendar year with two wins to raise its record to 5-2, the best start since 2010.

They finished January with a 48-38 win over rival South Whidbey, locking up a playoff spot.

February

The Coupeville girls basketball opened district tournament play with a 56-46 loss at Mount Baker.

The Wolves bounced back two days later to edge Meridian in 42-41 thriller. Julia Myers hit the winning free throw with 9.9 seconds left.

The following night, the Wolves couldn’t repeat the magic and lost 50-40 at Blaine. Coupeville made a late run, led by three-pointers by its only two seniors, Amanda Fabrizi and Bree Messner.

Fabrizi, in her final game for the Wolves, finished with 19 points.

March

Basketball player Makana Stone was the Wolves’ only first-team, all-Cascade Conference selection.

Messner and Fabrizi were honorable mention choices, as were boys Streubel and Bergeron.

The spring season got off to a promising start as Coupeville took two out of three from South Whidbey in baseball, and the softball team tripped the Falcons 6-3.

In track, Streubel (shot put, 45-09.5) and Stone (400, 1:01.46) won events at the eight-team Seattle Relays.

April

Etzell struck out 15 batters in eight innings but the Wolves lost 1-0 in nine innings to Cedarcrest April 7.

Etzell followed that effort with a 1-0, no-hit win over Lakewood April 14.

Seattle’s Justin Johnson and Portland’s Liv Brumfield were the winners of the 13th annual Whidbey Marathon April 13.

In the event’s 10K race, Coupeville’s Olivia Flack recorded the top finish for a local female, placing 21st (sixth among women).

Stone set a Coupeville High School record (60.27) in the 400 meters at King’s April 17; she would go on to reset the mark several times during the season.

May

Coupeville High School graduate Hunter Hammer, competing for Trinity Lutheran College of Everett, placed third in the discus and fifth in the hammer throw to earned All-American honors at the National Christian College Athletic Association track and field championships May 1-3.

The Wolves soccer team, led by first-year coach Kyle Nelson, qualified for the district tournament but lost 3-0 in a loser-out match at Mount Baker May 7.

Allie Hanigan and the doubles team of Jacki Ginnings and Wynter Thorne each finished fourth for Coupeville, coached by Ken Stange, at the district 1A tennis tournament.

The Coupeville High School baseball team, coached by Willie Smith, finished second in the District 1 1A tournament May 10, losing to South Whidbey 4-0.

The Wolves went on to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2008 by beating Overlake/Bear Creek 1-0 and Charles Wright/Life Christian Academy 6-3 May 17 in the tri-district tournament.

In the 1-0 win, Kurtis Smith drove home the winning run in the eighth inning and Etzell pitched a three-hitter, striking out 12.

At the state tournament, the Wolves lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Rochester May 24.

Etzell and baseball teammate Aaron Curtin also competed in the state 1A tennis tournament in doubles, winning one of three matches May 30.

Coupeville’s Christine Fields placed fifth in the girls 1A district golf tournament and qualified for state for the third time. She was fifth at state, the best finish in school history.

The Coupeville softball team, coached by David and Amy King, finished fifth at tri-district tournament May 24 and qualified for the state tournament for just the second time. At state, the Wolves lost to Warden 8-1 and Okanogan 5-2 May 30.

Stone broke her Coupeville school 200- and 400-meter records at the tri-district track meet May 24. She then went on to place second in the 400 at the state meet May 31.

June

Etzell wrapped up his award-winning season in June.

In addition to being the Cascade Conference’s Most Valuable Player, he was named the Most Valuable Player in both games of a doubleheader that featured the area’s top seniors from 1A, 2B and 1B schools.

Etzell was joined at the all-star games by coach Smith and teammates Wade Schaef, Kurtis Smith and Jake Tumblin.

Etzell’s efforts earned him a spot in the all-state series played later in the month in Yakima. The state series included four teams of the top seniors, regardless of classification, in Washington.

He topped off his career by being named to the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state first team.

Other Wolves earning first-team all-Cascade Conference honors were junior Fields (golf) and senior Madeline Roberts (softball).

Wolves picking up second-team honors were sophomore Stone (track, 400), senior Tumblin (baseball, catcher), senior Kurtis Smith (baseball, outfield), junior Bayne (baseball, infield), junior Aaron Trumbull (baseball, infield), senior Brett Arnold (soccer, defender), senior Sean Donley (soccer, midfielder), sophomore Abraham Leyva Elenes (soccer, forward), senior Messner (softball, catcher) and junior Hailey Hammer (softball, infield).

Coupeville honorable mention selections were C.J. Smith (baseball) and McKayla Bailey (softball).

Streubel (football, basketball, track) and Messner (volleyball, basketball, softball, cheer) were named Coupeville High School’s Athletes of the Year.

Olympic speed skater Anna Ringsred visited Coupeville to take part in the Boys and Girls Club Olympic Day June 16.

July

The Central/South Whidbey 9/10 Little League softball team, coached by Lark Gustafson, and the Central Whidbey 13/14 Junior Little League softball team, coached by Kevin McGranahan, qualified for their respective state tournaments by taking district titles.

The Junior softball team won one of three games at state; the 9/10 girls went two-and-out. Sarah Wright hit a home run in the Junior’s win.

August

Coupeville’s Laura Luginbill and Oak Harbor’s Johnathon Janowiecki produced the best finishes among local runners in the Race the Reserve’s featured event, the half marathon, Aug. 9.

September

After more than a decade in the Cascade Conference, Coupeville High School changed leagues and began play in the Olympic League 1A division with Chimacum, Klahowya and Port Townsend.

Coupeville reclaimed “The Bucket” by defeating rival South Whidbey 35-28 in football Sept. 5; and the Wolves’ soccer team broke a four-year losing streak to the Falcons with a 2-1 win Sept. 9.

October

Singles player Curtin finished second in the District 3 tennis tournament Oct. 31 and earned a trip to state.

November

The Coupeville High School girls soccer team, coached by Troy Cowan, put together one of the program’s finest seasons but lost 3-0 to Vashon Island in the district tournament opener.

Bayne rushed for 311 yards and scored six times in Coupeville’s 55-38 win over Bellevue Christian Nov. 7. The game was the last for coach Tony Maggio, who resigned earlier in the week. Bayne earned state 1A Player of the Week honors for his big day.

Bayne, Aaron Wright, Oscar Liquidano, Matt Shank and Wiley Hesselgrave were first-team, all-Olympic League choices.

Soccer players Myers, Erin Rosenkranz and Marisa Etzell and volleyball players Hailey Hammer and Valen Trujillo were also first team.

Football players Joel Walstad and Hunter Smith were honorable mention.

December

The Associated Press named Bayne to its 1A all-state  first team as a running back and second team as a linebacker.

Bayne rushed for 1,528 yards on 143 carries, a 10.69 average, and scored 25 touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 473 yards and averaged 21.56 yards on nine kickoff returns.

Defensively, he had 91 tackles, two sacks, six interceptions and two fumble recoveries.