Wolf spring teams dream of state glory

Coupeville High School athletes rev back up to make runs at glory.

March 14, 2025 1:30 am

By DAVID SVIEN

Special to the News-Times

New season, new dreams

As winter potentially fades, and spring creeps towards the prairie — in all its windy, wet glory likely — Coupeville High School athletes rev back up to make runs at glory.

Three of four Wolf teams sent athletes to state last year, with the fourth actually putting together the best regular season run.

That group was the softball sluggers, who won a league crown for the third time in the past four seasons and fell just a few runs short of advancing out of districts to the big dance.

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The diamond queens, who have a new coach with former assistant Aaron Lucero replacing the departed Kevin McGranahan, return every starter from that 14-5 team.

Seniors Madison McMillan (3B), Mia Farris (OF), Taylor Brotemarkle (SS), and Jada Heaton (OF) lead a well-balanced unit, with junior catcher Teagan Calkins wielding a big arm and a bigger bat.

The Wolf pitching staff is young, with freshman Adeline Maynes backed up by sophomores Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter, but all three played extensively a year ago, with Maynes already an ace in the pitcher’s circle.

Additional depth will come from junior Danica Strong and fab frosh Ava Lucero, Sydney Van Dyke, and Chelsi Stevens, with that trio having played varsity softball as 8th graders.

Coupeville’s baseball squad enters its third season under the tutelage of Steve Hilborn, having advanced to state in both of the coach’s first two campaigns.

Senior Landon Roberts is back, and with juniors Coop Cooper and Camden Glover, as well as freshman Carson Grove, will help form the core of a team with talent but a thin roster.

With losses to graduation and family moves, the Wolves had to put a hard push on to field a starting nine, but they got there.

“Looks like we’ll have a team. We have 11 right now,” Hilborn said. “Several kids new to baseball but with lots of potential.

“We’re working on basics and having fun. And that’s the name of the game.”

Another program building its numbers is girls’ tennis, which saw Tenley Stuurmans make it to state as just an 8th grader.

Now with varsity volleyball and basketball experience under her belt, she’s ready for her freshman season of net action, and is joined by returning netters Brynn Parker, Delanie Lewis, Kauri Hamilton, and Sofia Phay.

Coupeville has also added 10 newcomers, ranging from 8th graders to seniors, and finally has its own home field advantage back.

The school moved its courts from next to the bus barn to next to the gym, and weather troubles kept the Wolves and their foes from being able to use the newly installed playing surfaces in spring 2024.

That’s changed now, and CHS welcomes Anacortes to Cow Town March 21 for the first of five home matches.

Finally, the Wolf track and field team boasts an epic-sized roster led by a pack of returning state meet vets.

Senior Lyla Stuurmans, who has never met an event she can’t dominate, has three state meet medals to her credit, including a 2nd place finish in the 4 x 200 as a sophomore.

She’s joined by Carly Burt (2), Cael Wilson (2), Axel Marshall (1), and Zac Tackett (1) as prior medalists, while numerous other Wolves have the potential to join that list.

Carson Field, Davin Houston, Liam Blas, Marcelo Gebhard, Marquette Cunningham, Preston Epp, and Thomas Strelow are noteworthy names, as are Noelle Western, Katie Marti, Lillian Ketterling, Ayden Wyman, Mikayla Wagner, and Aleksia Jump.