BENch notes

Three Falcons qualify for 1A state tournament | GIRLS GOLF

benwatanabe — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:52:41 +0000

Congratulations are in order for Jenna Kaik, Hannah Cotton and Rosie Portillo.

All three Falcons qualified for the 1A state girls golf tournament after scoring some of their best scores of the season Tuesday.

South Whidbey made it as a team to the 1A tri-district tournament in Bremerton at the Gold Mountin Golf Club. The Falcons’ entire varsity team moved on to the tri-district round after winning the 1A District tournament behind a champion’s performance by Kaik, who tied for first place with 82 strokes through 18 holes at the North Bellingham Golf Course.

The Falcons claimed the team title at the tri-district tournament, too. So here are South Whidbey’s girls golf accolades, thus far: Cascade Conference champions, District 1 champions and tri-district champions. The only team award left is 1A champions.

South Whidbey will take its shots at the Lake Spanaway Golf Course on May 21-22. The field is cut in half after the first round and first day.

Island Greens spring golf league starts soon

benwatanabe — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:01:54 +0000

Anyone looking for a little golf this spring can take a trip to the full-size miniature golf-esque Island Greens Golf Course and Driving Range.

Together with South Whidbey Parks and Recreation, Island Greens hosts a spring golf league on Thursday evenings for eight weeks of league golf play from May 8 to June 20. Play begins at 5 p.m.

Shotgun start, straight up golf, each week will include additional contests and prizes, like longest drive, most greens hit, etc. Free golf will be given to the top three finishers at the barbecue on the last day. Call the parks district for more details at 360-221-5484.

Falcons steal wins from Red Wolves, rival Wolves | FASTPITCH

benwatanabe — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:22:46 +0000

South Whidbey softball snaked a pair of wins in its final full week of regular season games.

The Falcon fastpitch squad beat Coupeville 7-1 and Cedarcrest 11-6 ahead of its final home game Tuesday and the 1A District 1 playoffs that begin Friday, May 10.

“This team is a special group of ladies, has amazing potential and believes in each other & it’s starting to show just in time for district,” said Falcon head coach Ashley Lopez.

Facing Coupeville, the Falcons scored five runs in the third inning. Singles by juniors Haley Viers and Chantel Brown and a walk by senior Ellie Greene loaded the bases. Anne Madsen jacked a bases-clearing double, followed by a two RBI home run by junior Mackenzie Hezel.

In the fourth, Brown was brought home on a RBI single by senior Alex Kubeska.

South Whidbey finished its scoring in the sixth on another Madsen double that scored Greene.

Kubeska pitched the complete game striking out 11 batters and allowing two walks.

Against league-leading Cedarcrest on May 3, South Whidbey jumped out to six runs in the second inning.

Hezel and Sarah Merrow hit back-to-back doubles, including a RBI for Merrow. Calli Patterson followed with a RBI double. Viers singled to put runners on the corners for Brown, who knocked a two RBI triple. Kubeska’s single brought home Brown, and a double for Ellie Greene scored Kubeska.

Sophomore Abby Hodson singled in the third inning. Patterson pulled the ball to left-center field for a two RBI home run.

Singles by Madsen and Hezel put a runner in scoring position for Merrow, who scored Madsen on a single of her own in the fourth.

Greene and Hezel each hit RBI singles in the sixth.

South Whidbey only committed one error against Cedarcrest, while tallying 22 hits.

Hezel closed the game with seven pitches in the sixth inning and made all three outs.

The 1A District 1 fastpitch tournament begins with a doubleheader at 4 and 6 p.m. Friday, May 10. Should South Whidbey advance, it plays games at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11 at Janicki Fields in Sedro Woolley.

Of the eight-team field, only the top four teams advance to the tri-district tournament May 16 and 18.

Falcons fight for final district playoff berth | BASEBALL

benwatanabe — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:13:16 +0000

South Whidbey baseball fought off Lynden Christian in a 7-3 victory Saturday that sent the Falcons on to the 1A tri-district tournament.

South Whidbey won two of four District 1 playoff games, beating Blaine for its other victory.

The Falcons face Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma on May 7.

Lyncs lap Falcons for district title | BOYS SOCCER

benwatanabe — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:41:12 +0000

South Whidbey boys soccer had its shot at the 1A District 1 title. And they missed.

Lynden Christian showed it was the top soccer squad in the area with a 4-0 rout of South Whidbey on Saturday. The Lynchs led 3-0 by halftime and the Falcons were well out of the game by the 60-minute mark.

South Whidbey plays in a loser-out match against Cascade Christian at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7 at King’s School in Shoreline.

Falcon boys soccer blasts Blaine in first-round playoff match

benwatanabe — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:57:12 +0000

South Whidbey boys soccer advances in the winner’s bracket of the 1A District 1 tournament after routing Blaine 6-0 on Wednesday.

The Falcons face Mount Baker at South Whidbey High School at 4 p.m. today. Tickets cost $6 for adults and students who do not have an ASB card.

Against Blaine, Falcon senior Stephen Lyons scored two goals, senior Connor McCauley scored a pair, sophomore Bryce Auburn booted in one goal and senior Guy Sparkman scored once. Senior Sam Turpin assisted two goals, and senior goalie Andrew Holt, junior Calvin Shimada and Lyons each had one assist.

Also of interest from the first round: Lynden Christian, the overall No. 1 seed, barely escaped Coupeville with a 1-0 victory. King’s, which is in the Cascade Conference with Coupeville and South Whidbey, was soundly defeated by Meridian, 6-1.

Ben Watanabe / The Record | Stephen Lyons holds up three fingers to the South Whidbey High School grandstand after scoring his third goal against Sultan on April 2.

King’s win over Lakewood boosts South Whidbey | BOYS SOCCER

benwatanabe — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:16:50 +0000

A 3-2 win by King’s over Lakewood on Monday may boost South Whidbey from fourth place in Cascade Conference standings to third.

The Falcon boys soccer team narrowly escaped Sultan on the road with a 4-3 victory that apparently required little to no defense for much of the game. Multi goal games in high school soccer are rare, especially where both teams have several scores.

Both South Whidbey and Lakewood are 8-4-0 in Cascade Conference games and 8-4-2 overall. South Whidbey and Lakewood split the season series.

None of it matters for either team’s playoff position, however. South Whidbey is a 1A school and Lakewood is 2A. But the recent loss could bump South Whidbey to third, and even possibly second place in its conference, for its best league record in more than four years.

No fear in Falcons ahead of AMHS match | BOYS SOCCER

benwatanabe — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:55:03 +0000

A 9-0 drubbing of Sultan gave South Whidbey boys soccer confidence, and lots of it.

Ahead of a potential first-place match with Cascade Conference power Archbishop Murphy on Friday, the Falcons finally fired on all cylinders Tuesday. It came at the expense of the Sultan Turks, who were depleted because the school was on spring break.

Ben Watanabe / The Record | Stephen Lyons holds up three fingers to the South Whidbey High School grandstand after scoring his third goal against Sultan on April 2.

“I’m confident that if we play as well as played tonight, we will definitely win,” said Falcon senior Stephen Lyons fresh off a hat trick performance against Sultan.

The AMHS Wildcats are undefeated this season through five conference games and seven games overall.

South Whidbey is 3-1-1 in Cascade Conference play and 3-2-1 overall.

South Whidbey travels to Everett to play AMHS at 6 p.m. Friday, April 5.

Two Falcons named to all-Cascade Conference hoops teams

benwatanabe — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:33:02 +0000

Even though both South Whidbey High School basketball teams ended their seasons one game short of a state 1A playoff appearance, each program can boast of its all-conference player.

The Falcon girls were led by senior Ellie Greene, who was voted to the second team all-conference.

Nick French, a junior, enforced the post well enough to be voted to the second team for the boys.

Archbishop Murphy senior Beth Carlson was voted the girls’ most valuable player. Cedarcrest senior Zach Taylor was selected as the boys’ MVP.

Monell advances to second day of state wrestling tourney

benwatanabe — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:24:12 +0000

Pat Monell battled his way through the consolation bracket and will wrestle today with a chance for third place at the 1A state tournament.The 220-pound South Whidbey High School senior lost his first match to Chelan junior Asa Schwartz, 9-3. Dropped to the consolation bracket, Monell pinned Zillah sophomore Alex Diaz in the first round. Then he outlasted Kettle Falls senior Tyler Vining, 3-2.

Monell wrestles Eatonville senior Wyatt Gustason at noon at the Mat Classic in Tacoma.

Falcon hoops dropped from playoffs

benwatanabe — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:21:13 +0000

Both South Whidbey High School basketball teams were eliminated from the 1A playoffs Friday night. The Falcon boys team lost 66-56 to the Mount Baker Mountaineers. Both scores were well above South Whidbey’s season averages of 47.4 points for and 58.9 against. South Whidbey’s boys finished with their worst record under third-year head coach Henry Pope with a 2-12 record in Cascade Conference play and 5-19 overall.

The Falcon girls struggled against the Blaine Borderites, 48-32. Offensively, South Whidbey was held under its season average of 38.4 points per game, but allowed more than its average of 44.3 points per game. South Whidbey’s girls finished 6-6 in Cascade Conference play and 12-12 overall.

Falcon boys hoops hosts Wolves tonight

benwatanabe — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:16:16 +0000

The Falcon boys face elimination or an extension of their 1A playoff run tonight. And it gets better than just “win or go home.”

South Whidbey hosts its Whidbey Island rival, Coupeville, in the 7 p.m. elimination game tonight. The Falcons cruised against the Wolves in the previous two meetings, winning by double digits each game. Those victories were South Whidbey’s only wins in Cascade Conference play. Conventional wisdom says that beating a team three times in a season.

An important change for fans: tickets cost $6 for adults and students without ASB, or $4 for children and students with ASB.

Falcon girls face Nooksack Valley in playoffs

benwatanabe — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:09:24 +0000

South Whidbey’s first playoff test comes tonight on the road against Nooksack Valley.

The Pioneers finished Northwest Conference play with a 7-5 record (13-7 overall) and averaged 47.2 points, while holding opponents to 39.9.

The Falcons (6-8 Cascade Conference; 11-10 overall) have struggled on offense, particularly breaking press and trap defenses. Overall, South Whidbey’s offense languished to 38.9 points per game and allowed opponents 43.9 points.

South Whidbey finished its regular season with a 41-31 victory over Granite Falls on Friday.

Final Falcon girls basketball home game is tonight

benwatanabe — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:16:52 +0000

South Whidbey’s final girls basketball home game is tonight at 6:45 p.m. The Falcons host the 8-4 Archbishop Murphy Wildcats.

The Falcons will celebrate senior night and honor four seniors: Ellie Greene, Aly Chapman, Hayley Newman and Annalies Schuster.

South End shows its 12th Man pride

benwatanabe — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:10:57 +0000

The Bayview Community Hall propped this up on the Bayview hill recently.

Seems 12th Man pride has swept across Washington these days with the Seattle Seahawks surging into the playoffs, trouncing the Washington Redskins last Sunday and facing the Atlanta Hawks this Sunday morning.

How are you showing your #Seahawks support?

South Whidbey hosts struggling Granite Falls squad | GIRLS BASKETBALL

benwatanabe — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:27:31 +0000

Penrith traveled a long way from Australia to South Whidbey, and its girls basketball team will go home with a solid 42-40 victory.
In the friendly international game Monday night, South Whidbey lost despite Hayley Newman’s game-high 17 points.
The Falcons had less than a day to recover as they returned to Cascade Conference action tonight. South Whidbey hosts Granite Falls, which has yet to win a conference game.
At sixth place, South Whidbey is mired at the bottom of the conference and needs to improve its record to own the tiebreaker with fellow 1A school Coupeville, which won earlier this season. Only the top two 1A teams from the Cascade Conference will advance to the playoffs.
While turnovers have plagued the Falcons, it seems the Tigers struggle with losing the ball more. Through 12 games, Granite Falls averaged only 26.8 points per game and allowed 48.3.
Tip off is at 6:45 p.m. at South Whidbey High School.

Falcon boys hoops looks to rebound from losing streak against Tigers

benwatanabe — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:27:16 +0000

Losing four games in a row, the Falcon boys basketball team had a short rest before facing the Granite Falls Tigers on the road tonight.
The Falcons lost an international game to Penrith, a team from Australia, 59-41 on Monday night.
The Tigers (2-4; 6-6 overall) are one spot ahead of the Falcons in the Cascade Conference. South Whidbey’s offense has sputtered in recent games, which allowed opposing teams to score quickly and often.
In the past three conference games, South Whidbey allowed 85, 67 and 71 points. On the season, the Falcons allow an average of almost 60 points while only scoring 48. The Tigers, however have a positive difference between their points scored (59.7) and points allowed (57.5).

Issue: Code of conduct infraction

benwatanabe — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:35:38 +0000

According to a report from the Daily Herald, a dozen players were suspended from the Everett High School basketball teams. This brings up an interesting issue with the code of conduct. Everett Public Schools has followed the conduct appropriately by suspending the students from athletic activities for the infractions, which was for the illegal consumption of drugs or illegal drugs and being in the presence of others using illegal drugs or alcohol.

There are lots of angles here, but the newsroom was most interested in a few. The first is the responsibility of the paper to hold young people accountable. The Herald chose not to publish the students’ names, which holds to the Everett school district’s policy. At times, the Record has chosen to print student-athletes’ names when involved in off-campus incidents. At others, the Record chose to let kids remain anonymous.

Another issue is that of parents who are inevitably fighting to reinstate their children. Parents should protect their kids, and more than a few coaches have shared their philosophies of working with players who get in trouble rather than immediate dismissal. Where’s the line between being too harsh and holding a player accountable?

Finally, the thought of Richard Sherman’s recently won appeal with the NFL for allegedly testing positive for Adderall. Sherman, the Seahawks’ starting cornerback, appealed his suspension on the grounds that the test was not properly administered and won. Even as a Seahawks fan, I was concerned that it sent the right message to the NFL to do its due diligence and sent the wrong message to young people that the rules can be averted.

What are your thoughts?

Falcons host down-under Penrith teams in doubleheader

benwatanabe — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:34:58 +0000

South Whidbey’s boys and girls basketball teams will host Penrith, a school from Australia tonight at 5:30 p.m.

The Falcon boys play first and the girls have the normal tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Penrith is a public high school in New South Wales, about 30 miles west of Sydney. The game was set up months ago, and has been looked forward to by South Whidbey staff, coaches and players. It’s the first international game played by South Whidbey in several years.

Falcon, Cougar athletes receive honors from South Whidbey School Board

benwatanabe — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:46:47 +0000

Four South Whidbey High School athletes and the Langley Middle School cross country team will be recognized tonight by the South Whidbey School Board.
Falcon fall sport athletes Meagan Longdon, Nick French, Cole Zink and Lillianna Stelling are slated to be honored at the 7 p.m. business meeting Wednesday. Longdon, a junior volleyball player, was voted to the first team all-Cascade Conference team as a setter. French, a junior, was voted to the first team defense for football as a defensive back. Zink and Stelling automatically qualified for all-league honors based on their placing at the Cascade Conference cross country championship meet.
The Langley Middle School cross country teams will also be honored for winning the Cascade League championship.

Meet the Falcon wrestlers

benwatanabe — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:30:48 +0000

These couple of dozen high schoolers will battle for conference, district and state supremacy on the wrestling mats this season.

UPPERCLASSMEN
Back row: Jake Leonard, Patrick Monell, Beck Davis, Benjamin Bruce Nerison, Max Corell and James Itaya,
Front row: Keegan Warwick, Donnie Sutton, Jose Chavez, Kyrell Broyles and Andy Madsen.
Not pictured: Calvin Shimada, Tyler Russell and Jake Baesler.

UNDERCLASSMEN
Josh McElhinny, Jimmy Persoon, Pierce Jackson, Chris Henderson, Eric Shirey, Ben Dugin and Madison Evans.
Front row: Elijah Mathew, Steven Smith, Stephen Lutsock and Jonathon Peterson.
Not pictured: Hunter Parrick and Will Holbert.

Coaches Jim Thompson and Paul Newman.

Meet the Falcon boys basketball program

benwatanabe — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:12:05 +0000

Here are the Falcon boys basketball players.

SENIORS
From left: Sam Turpin, Mitchell Hughes, Chase Collins, Taylor Simmons and Josh Bishop.

JUNIORS and SOPHOMORES

Back row, left to right: Angus Jones, Mo Hamsa, Nick French, Brandon Asay, Nick Cary, Parker Collins and Jeff Bueler.

Front row: Nathan Hanson, Kale Wolfgang Reichersamer III, Nick Bennett, Jordan Parrick, Campbell Albertsen and Christopher Wilson.

C-TEAM

Back row: Nate McMurdo, Ricky Muzzy, Nathan Eckland, Cole Zink, Zac Kelley, Jared Eckert and Charlie Patterson.
Front row: Kobe Saephan, Jacob Nelson, Michael Hastings, Donnie Miller and Devon Demerol.

2012-2013 Falcon wrestling schedule

benwatanabe — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:10:11 +0000

Here is the remaining schedule for the South Whidbey wrestling squad.

Saturday, Dec. 1,

Cleveland Invitational

Saturday, Dec. 8,
Port Townsend Hat Trick

Thursday, Dec. 13,
Lakewood, 7 p.m.*

Thursday, Dec. 20,
Seahawk Duals, 10 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 22,
Lynnwood Classic

Thursday, Jan. 3,
Sultan 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5,
Cascade Christian Invite

Thursday, Jan. 10,
Granite Falls, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12,
Rainier Classic

Thursday, Jan. 17,
Cedarcrest, 7 p.m.*

Saturday, Jan. 19,
Mountlake Terrace
C-Team/JV Tournament

Thursday, Jan. 24,
Archbishop Murphy,
7 p.m.

* home matches

Meet the winter sports Falcon cheer team

benwatanabe — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 21:19:23 +0000

South Whidbey’s winter sports will have lots of support from the cheer team this season.

Back row: Maria Crain, Rohini Mikkelsen, Lisa Walker, Molly Sage and Miya Springer.
Front row: Hannah Grady, Rhylie Frye and Ingrid Valle.

2012-13 Falcon boys basketball schedule

benwatanabe — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 15:08:45 +0000

Here’s the 2012-13 South Whidbey boys basketball schedule.

Tuesday, Dec. 11,

Cedarcrest, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 14,
Coupeville, 5:15 p.m. *

Saturday, Dec. 15,
Overlake, noon*

Tuesday, Dec. 18,
Lakewood, 6:45 p.m. *

Wednesday, Jan. 2,
Sultan, 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 4,
AMHS, 6:45 p.m.*

Monday, Jan. 7,
Penrith, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 8,
Granite Falls, 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 11,
King’s, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 15,
Cedarcrest, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Jan. 18,
Coupeville, 7 p.m.*

Saturday, Jan. 19,
La Conner, 5:30 p.m.*

Tuesday, Jan. 22,
Lakewood, 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 25,
Sultan, 6:45 p.m.*

Tuesday, Jan. 29,
AMHS, 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 1,
Granite Falls, 6:45 p.m.*

* home games

Meet the Falcon girls basketball teams

benwatanabe — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:26:07 +0000

Meet the 2012-2013 South Whidbey girls basketball players.

VARSITY
Back row: Abby Hodson, Kristen Schuster, Annalies Schuster, Hayley Newman and Ellie Greene.
Front row: Madi Boyd, Anne Madsen, Aly Chapman and Meagan Longdon.

JUNIOR VARSITY
Back row: Lizzy Hanzelka, Morgan Davis, Sanna Bjork, Jennifer LeRoy, Marina Alber and Mykayla Ferguson.
Front row: Donia Kashkooli, Hailey Simchuk, Morgan Mackie and Julie Casey-Peters.

Coaches Andy Davis, Mandy Jones and Alannah Alber.

Falcon girls basketball schedule

benwatanabe — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:08:32 +0000

Here’s the 2012-13 South Whidbey girls basketball team’s schedule.

Tuesday, Dec. 11,

Cedarcrest, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Dec. 14,
Coupeville, 7 p.m. *

Saturday, Dec. 15,
Overlake, 2 p.m.*

Tuesday, Dec. 18,
Lakewood, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 2,
Sultan, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Jan. 4,
AMHS, 7 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 7,
Penrith, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 8,
Granite Falls, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Jan. 11,
King’s, 6:45 p.m.*

Tuesday, Jan. 15,
Cedarcrest, 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 18,
Coupeville, 5:15 p.m.*

Saturday, Jan. 19,
La Conner, 4 p.m.*

Tuesday, Jan. 22,
Lakewood, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Jan. 25,
Sultan, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 29,
AMHS, 6:45 p.m.*

Friday, Feb. 1,
Granite Falls, 7 p.m.

* home games

South Whidbey volleyball team gets elimination match with Lynden Christian

benwatanabe — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:06:24 +0000

The South Whidbey volleyball team has its shot to make the state 1A tournament.

All the Falcons have to do is beat the Lynden Christian Lyncs at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Burlington-Edison High School. Should South Whidbey win, it will advance to the tri-district tournament Nov. 3 at King’s School as the third seed from District 1.

Friday Night Lights preview: Sultan

benwatanabe — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:52:18 +0000

South Whidbey takes on the Sultan Turks tonight for the Falcons’ homecoming game.

The Falcons (1-4 Cascade Conference; 2-5 overall) are off a disappointing 18-13 loss to their Whidbey Island rivals the Coupeville Wolves. Sultan (2-3; 2-5 overall), however, hasn’t won since Sept. 21.

Sultan’s offense has been limited this season to less than 16 points per game. The Turk defense has allowed almost 36 points per game against Cascade Conference opponents.

Both South Whidbey and Sultan have suffered their worst defeats, all double digit deficits, to King’s, Lakewood and Archbishop Murphy.

After last week’s offensive struggles, South Whidbey averaged just over 16 points per game and allowed 35 against conference teams.

Sophomore quarterback Parker Collins is likely to make his second start of the season in place of junior Nick French, who is limited with a hand injury.

Falcon Diner returns tonight

benwatanabe — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:37:22 +0000

The classic Falcon Diner is tonight before the football team’s homecoming game.

At 5 p.m., prior to the final home game, the South Whidbey High School Booster Club offers a spaghetti dinner complete with dessert for $7. Families of four or more pay $25.

Also, the 2012 Falcon Hall of Fame inductees will be presented.

South Whidbey hosts Sultan at 7 p.m. tonight.

Rain scraps District 1A tennis tournament, may be postponed again

benwatanabe — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:26:42 +0000

Steady rain forced South Whidbey High School to postpone hosting the District 1 boys tennis tournament Saturday.

The plan is to host Coupeville, Friday Harbor, Lummi Nation and Meridian on Tuesday morning. As long as the courts are dry, the matches will begin at noon. Should rain drench the courts, the tournament will be pushed back to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Friday Night Lights preview: Coupeville

benwatanabe — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:41:11 +0000

Rivalry games are the best. No matter how talented the teams are or how terrible their records, blood-feuds make for exciting contests.

So shall it be tonight when South Whidbey hosts its northern neighbor Coupeville. It will be the first time in a generation that the two schools meet as 1A opponents, and South Whidbey has the chance to shore its seeding to the tri-district playoffs with a victory.
Statistically, the two teams are surprisingly similar. Through six games, the Wolves averaged 19 points per game and allowed 36. The Falcons have scored just under 20 points per game and allowed about 35, also through six games.
Here’s the difference: Coupeville’s new conference schedule excludes 2A schools Lakewood, Archbishop Murphy and Cedarcrest. South Whidbey’s last two losses, both by four touchdowns, were to Lakewood and Archbishop Murphy.
Look for the Falcons to reestablish their island dominance through the air. Falcon receivers have been active recently, albeit held in check, and watch that allow their rushing attack to find room, especially for quarterback Nick French and running back Pat Monell.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. tonight at Waterman Field.

Quotable: Falcon volleyball

benwatanabe — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:06:56 +0000

After going to the scream- and cheer-filled gyms of the South Whidbey Invitational volleyball tournament, there are some entertaining quotes.

This first one was from Falcon senior Hannah Calderwood, who reflected on what she enjoyed about playing her fourth South Whidbey Invite.

“First of all, I like our outfits,” Calderwood said, pointing to the bright orange, Hawaiian-style shorts and orange shirt the Falcons donned for the tournament. “I like playing against teams I’ve never seen before. They don’t know anything about us, we don’t know anything about them.”

The Falcons had played 15 sets in five days going into the full day of volleyball matches Saturday. Fatigue was on my mind, mainly because it was 9:30 on a Saturday and I was working, but nonetheless the Falcon players said they were neither sore nor tired.

“I always ignore it when I’m back on the court because I love the sport,” Anne Madsen, Falcon sophomore.

Archbishop Murphy football coach quits

benwatanabe — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:53:56 +0000

Big news today out of Everett.

The former Cascade Conference football titan, Archbishop Murphy, has now cycled through two coaches in less than one year. Bill Marsh, who was hired after Dave Ward was ousted in spring, resigned over the weekend.

Aaron Swaney at The Daily Herald first reported the news this morning. Marsh led the Wildcats to a 2-2 record, including a 49-0 blowout loss to Lakewood on Friday. Wildcat defensive coordinator Michael Allison will take over in an interim role.

Friday Night Lights preview: King’s

benwatanabe — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:21:03 +0000

South Whidbey meets King’s tonight. And King’s is the team to beat in the Cascade Conference this year.

Heck, the Knights (1-0 Cascade Conference; 3-0 overall) )may be the team to beat in all classes smaller than 3A in the whole state. Through three games, King’s has put up 42, 43 and 40 points, an average of 41.7 per game, while only allowing 20.3. The most recent King’s victory was over recent football powerhouse Archbishop Murphy, a 2A school, 40-15.

Ben Watanabe / The South Whidbey Record | Falcon junior running back hits the edge against Granite Falls.

Knights senior quarterback Billy Green is back from his standout junior season that sent King’s to the quarterfinals of the state 1A tournament. His performance against AMHS, 18-for-31 for 312 yards and five passing touchdowns, garnered him the Daily Herald’s Player of the Week award.

The Falcons are flying high on offense, too. Thanks to junior quarterback Nick French, who is equally effective running or throwing the ball and a bevy of receivers highlighted by Nick Bennett and Cameron Coupe (though marred by the season-ending broken collar bone of junior Kale Reichersamer), South Whidbey’s offense has moved downfield at will in its first three games.

South Whidbey (1-0; 2-1 overall) )is averaging 25.7 points per game, but has allowed 23.7. A good chunk of the points against the Falcons came from a 35-28 loss to the Cedar Park Christian Eagles. Against the Knights’ up-tempo offense, South Whidbey will either need to put up a lot of points, or grind out the game with a rushing offense to limit the number of possessions.

Quotable: Falcon football

benwatanabe — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 23:20:50 +0000

After a 28-21 victory in South Whidbey’s Cascade Conference opener, the Falcons had a lot to say. It was a close contest, closer even than the score, a one touchdown edge, shows.

Here’s this week’s Quotable line.

“We knew we had to stop them. We knew we could,” French said. “We got ‘Camp Nasty’ right there on the goal line.” – Nick French, Falcon quarterback.

Then there’s this gem from junior receiver Nick Bennett: ”Their defense wasn’t as great as I thought they were.”

Quotable: Falcon football

benwatanabe — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:47:52 +0000

This favorite quote that did not make it into the paper is from Nick Bennett, a junior receiver for the Falcons.

Bennett had a lot of catches, including a 50-yard grab after slipping behind the Eagles’ secondary.

Ben Watanabe / The Record | Nick Bennett, a Falcon receiver, hauls in a deep pass from quarterback Nick French. This grab was good for 50 yards. The junor had a busy night. South Whidbey tried to rally from a seven-point deficit in the third quarter and stop Cedar Park Christian’s rush offense that used several running backs.

“Me and him (quarterback Nick French) know each other. And we always talk about throwing to each other because I’m one of the go-to receivers. I’ve got the speed, I’ve got the hands, and that’s how it works.”

Here’s another quote from French, the Falcons’ junior quarterback.

“Throw the ball more and get the ball out of my hands instead of running and taking sacks.”

Meet the team: Falcon girls cross country

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:20:22 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon girls cross country team.

Front row: Mallorie Mitchem, freshman; Anna Justus, freshman; and Anna Hood, senior.
Back row: Caitlyn Workman, junior; Emma Lungren, sophomore; Nora Felt, senior; Bonnie Klamm, senior; and Lillianna Stelling, senior.
Not pictured: Ellie Boone, Carson Orr and Kelsey Hardaway.

Meet the team: Falcon boys cross country

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:16:43 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon boys cross country team.

Front row: Truman Hood, sophomore; Evan Mellish, freshman; Isaac Greene, freshman; and Jon Devitis, freshman.
Back row: Anders Bergquist, sophomore; Jhamil Bader-Jarvis, senior; Cole Zink, sophomore; Garrell Poteat, sophomore; and Zach Ramsay, sophomore.
Not pictured: Gavin Imes, Andy Zisette and Anthony Kovic.

New coach at Archbishop Murphy making waves

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:42:30 +0000

Well, now that the Dave Ward era is totally over at Archbishop Murphy, the Bill Marsh movement has begun.

The Daily Herald’s David Kreuger wrote about the culture change at AMHS. Ward was criticized for the way he managed the players and worked with his staff, eventually trying to force out assistant coach Jeff Schmidt. Ward was hired at Sedro-Woolley, and Schmidt took a similar position at Inglemoor High School.

Meet the team: Falcon football sophomores and juniors

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:27:41 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon football sophomores and juniors.

Front row (sophomores): Pierce Jackson, Jordan Stevens, Chris Watson, Parker Collins, Zac Kelly, Devin Dameran, Brandon Chapman, Brent Piehler, Steven Smith, Cooper Nichols and Dillon Lowe.

Back row (juniors): Leif Wildon, John Rasmussen, Simon Tapert, Jose Chavez, Nate Hanson, Jordan Parrick, Beck Davis, Nick Bennett, Nick French, Kale Reichersamer and Uriah Beason.

Meet the team: Falcon football freshmen

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:25:36 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon football freshmen.

Front row: Xavier Wilson, Kobe Saephan, Stephen Lutsock, Elijah Mathew, Machiyaw Beason, Kohl Hunter, Calep Parker and Charles Patterson.

Back row: Ricky Muzzy, Madison Evans, Zach Soto, Bjorn Elliott, Max Divina, Jared Eckert, Thomas Rasmussen and Anthony Eveland

Meet the team: Falcon football seniors

benwatanabe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:22:43 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon football seniors.

Wesly Thorsen, Cody Huffman, Cameron Coup, Patrick Monell and Aaron Curfman. Not pictured: Jake Leonard.

Meet the team: Falcon boys tennis underclassmen

benwatanabe — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:15:08 +0000

Meet the underclassmen on the 2012 Falcon boys tennis team.

Front row: Josh McElhinny, Jeff Meier, Loel Nichols, Jacob Nelson and Jake Papritz.

Back row: Johnathon Peterson, Campbell Albertson, Beau Blakey, John Cary, Charley Stelling, Trent Fallon and Austin Heston.

Meet the team: Falcon boys tennis upperclassmen

benwatanabe — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:12:33 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon boys varsity tennis team.

Front row: Adam Baesler, Guy Sparkman, Mitchell Hughes, Connor McCauley and Cameron Baldwin.

Back row: Jake Baesler, Austin Drake, Chase Collins, Kyle Simchuk, Taylor Simmons, Sam Turpin and Lucas Christiansen.

Meet the team: Falcon fall cheer squad

benwatanabe — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:04:12 +0000

Meet the 2012 fall sports Falcon cheerleaders.

Front row: Shaina Nielson, junior; Lisa Walker, junior; Rhylie Frye, junior; and Amanda Lee, junior.

Back row: Co-captain Madyson Hunter, junior; Maria Crane, junior; Caitlin Christensen, senior; Rohini Mikkelsen, freshman; Hannah Grady, sophomore; and co-captain Elli Madsen, senior.

Meet the team: JV girls soccer

benwatanabe — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:02:50 +0000

Meet the 2012 junior varsity Falcon girls soccer team.

Front row: Donia Kashkoolia, freshman; and Bailey Bryan, freshman.
Middle row: Coach Jane Gerlach; Charlotte Gallelli, sophomore; Grace Houck, freshman; Clara Martin, freshman; Iona Rohan, freshman; and Zoe Tapert, freshman.
Back row: Nicole Leggett, freshman; Cassie Neil, freshman; Jamie Detmore, freshman; Carlie Newman, sophomore; Bridget Haimes, sophomore; Sanna Bjork, freshman; Isla Dubendorf, sophomore; Grace Stinger, sophomore; and Madeline Remmen, freshman.

Meet the team: Girls soccer

benwatanabe — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:00:34 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon girls soccer varsity squad.

Front row: Paige Farmer, senior; Samantha Baldwin, sophomore; and Madi Boyd, junior.
Middle row: Kendra Warwick, freshman; Sienna Schaal, senior; Olivia Bolding, sophomore; Katie Sibley, junior; and Lindsey Grimm, senior.
Back row: Coach Ben Rusch; Anni Field, freshman; Annie Lux, freshman; Maia Sparkman, junior; Jaime Rodden, junior; Hayley Newman, senior; Ellie Greene, senior; Audrey DiGirolamo, senior; and Kiana Murray, sophomore.

Meet the team: JV volleyball

benwatanabe — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 23:52:44 +0000

Meet the Falcon junior varsity volleyball girls.

Front row: Calli Patterson, sophomore, and Marina Alber, freshman.

Middle row: Chloe Huffman, sophomore, Molly Sage, sophomore, Sara Bryant, freshman, Katherine Read, freshman, and Maddie Barker, freshmen.

Back row: Natasha Cortes, sophomore, Maggie Fisher, sophomore, Jessie Toney, senior, Katie Haugen, sophomore, and Morgan Davis, freshman.

Meet the team: Volleyball C-Team

benwatanabe — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 22:54:57 +0000

Meet the 2012 Falcon C-team volleyball players.

Front row: Tera Applegate, freshman.

Middle row: Maryn Patterson, freshman, Shady Moody, sophomore, and Sophia Pisana, freshman.

Back row: Sarah Merrow, sophomore, Meaghan de Wolf, sophomore, Joellyn Leffler, sophomore Hailey Simchuk, freshman, and Aubrey Marbin, freshman.