Saturday, March 15, 2014 • Whidbey News-Times
PREVIEW CONTINUED FROM A10 “Our greatest strength is the experience our team brings to the table,” coach Eric Peterson said. “We have girls in the sprints, distance, jumps and throws that have postseason experience.” Returnees Deja Bunch, Taylor Deconzo, Jackie Dejesus, Nalani Gabbert, Suzanne Kaltenbach, Alex Laiblin, Matti Miesle and Sierra Seabolt all placed in the 2013 Wesco meet. Twenty-one other letter winners are back: Claire Anderson, Juliet Aspery, Geslyne Barretta, Zoeann Bassett, Amelia Berner, Mariah Bolander, Faith Callies, Rachel Crowther, Jinai Guzman, Jonalynn Horn, Olivia Hunt, Stephanie Kolden, Kaylee Lamb, Aubrey Lock, Hayley Lundstrom, Natalie McVey, Priya Osborne, Emily Schroeder, Hanna Schroeder, Lauren Vagt and Savanah Wilson. The Wildcats include two of the area’s top distance runners, Laiblin and Horn. Laiblin finished sixth in the state in the 3,200 last spring. This past fall in cross country, Horn placed eighth and Laiblin 13th at the state finals, two of the best finishes ever by Oak Harbor runners. With over 100 athletes out for track, it is too soon to evaluate what new comers will have the biggest impact, Peterson said. An added bonus of having a large group of returning team members, Peterson
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CV Soccer Wolves field youthful group
said, is “they know how to train and prepare” and “can help our younger kids.” Oak Harbor hosts the Island Jamboree, which includes Coupeville, South Whidbey and Lakewood, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20.
CV Track Wolves return record setters Three talented female sprinters return to lead the Coupeville High School track team. The Wolves set school records in all three girls relays last spring (4x100, 48.01; 4x200, 1:47.27; and 4x400, 4:14.98). Gone through graduation are relay members Jai’Lysa Hoskins and Madison Tisa McPhee, but coach Randy King welcomes back junior Marisa Etzell and sophomores Makana Stone and Sylvia Hurlburt. Hurlburt and Stone ran on the 4x200 team that placed fifth and Etzell and Stone on the 4x400 team that placed 11th at the state meet last year. Stone also earned firstteam, all-Cascade Conference honors in the 100 and 200 and set a school record in the 200 (26.74). Other returning letter winners among the girls are senior Heni Barnes (throws) and junior Erin Rosenkranz (distance). Senior Nick Streubel, who finished fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put at the league meet in 2013, returns for the boys, along with letter-
Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times
Relay record-setters Marisa Etzell, left, and Sylvia Hurlburt are back for the Wolves’ track team. men senior Brandon Kelley (hurdles), a tri-district qualifier, and sophomores Matthew Hampton (distance) and Lathom Kelley (sprints). Jared Helmstadter also returns and is “going to be one of our fastest,” King said. Some of the key newcomers among the girls, according to King, are distance runner Mattea Miller; throwers Briess Potter, Sophia Jebrail, Joye Jackson, Ashlyn Miller and Skyler Lawrence; and sprinters Carlie Rosenkrance, Lauren Burrow and Nene Maxie Stokes. Junior Matt Shank (throws/sprints) tops the list of newcomers among the boys. Because of the quality of the Coupeville track and the lack of electronic timing, the Wolves will not host a home meet this spring. They start the season at the Island Jamboree in Oak Harbor with South Whidbey and Lakewood at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20.
OH Soccer Seniors push for playoff return Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times
Alex Krantz, left, and Andrew Mitchell are part of a solid senior class that will pace the Oak Harbor soccer team this spring.
The Oak Harbor High School soccer team returned to the playoffs last spring for
only the second time since 1994. The Wildcats can return this season if they “win one game at a time,” according to coach Brian Thompson. It will also be necessary, he added, for his team to “learning from each game to make us better” and “for each player to see the importance of grades, being a team and how important their role on the team is to our success.” Winning matches and reaching the postseason is certainly attainable since Oak Harbor returns 10 lettermen, including eight seniors: Danny Ross (midfielder), Chase Muller (defender), Gavin Stewart (midfielder), Caley Powers (forward), Alex Krantz (midfielder), Andrew Mitchell (midfielder), Ben McCornack (defender) and Kevin Silveira (goalkeeper). Also back are junior Dakota Powers (midfielder) and sophomore Garth Wescott (defender). The senior class is deep in experience and talent. Six lettered as freshmen and five – Muller, McCornack, Stewart, Caley Powers and Silveira – were second-team, all-league selections last season. A key newcomer, according to Thompson, is junior Taylor Yancy (midfielder/ defender), a transfer from Boston.
Oak Harbor isn’t alone in the talent department in the Western Conference, according to Thompson. He expects all the teams in the North to be strong and evenly matched. The Wildcats host Ferndale in a non-league match at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, in the season opener.
With a young team, this season should be one of “growth and experience” for the Coupeville High School soccer team, according to first-year coach Kyle Nelson. The Wolves return only six lettermen: seniors Brent Arnold (defender), Jared Dickson (defender) and Sean Donley (midfielder); junior Joel Walstad (goalkeeper) and sophomores Zane Bundy (forward) and Tanner Kircher (defender). Key newcomers, according to Nelson, are seniors Josiah Campbell (midfielder), Cameron Boyd (midfielder) and Jason Knoll (midfielder); junior Oscar Liquidano (midfielder); and sophomore Abraham Leyva Elenes (forward). “While the team does not have a lot of players with varsity experience, we do have quite a bit of soccer experience,” Nelson said. “We have a good balance between offense and defense.” He added that the team needs to “take the opportunity to learn and improve.” “As we come together as a team we should see some success and continue to build off of those successes,” Nelson said. “We will be looking to surprise some teams.” Nelson expects Archbishop Murphy and Cedarcrest to be the powers of the Cascade Conference. Coupeville hosts Lake Stevens and South Whidbey in a jamboree at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15, and Friday Harbor at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18.
Photo by Jim Waller/Whdibey News-Times
Senior Sean Donley will be one of the few veterans on the Coupeville High School soccer team this season.