WESCO 2A/3A Conference Preview

Photo Credit: scnews.com The WESCO 2A/3A Conference returns many talented top teams at the top of the conference that include some great players all over the state. Last year Edmonds Woodway and Mountlake Terrace led the conference but this year many teams return talent that will compete with those two teams for a state playoff berth. <ol start="13"> <li><strong>Marysville-Getchell Chargers</strong></li> </ol> The young Chargers squad graduated four starters last season after finishing 2-8 in the conference. A key player to help replace those starters will be 6-2 senior point guard, <strong>Cody Day</strong>. <ol start="12"> <li><strong>Shorewood Thunderbirds</strong></li> </ol> The Thunderbirds finished fifth last season in Wesco, with a conference record of 4-8. Shorewood lost a couple of key seniors but return a couple of players, including 5-10 senior point guard <strong>Daniel Ishkhanov</strong>, and 6-3 senior forward <strong>Thomas Hundhausen</strong>. <ol start="11"> <li><strong>Lynnwood Royals</strong></li> </ol> Last season the Lynnwood Royals finished 2-10 in the conference while compiling place them last. This season Lynnwood has a lot of veteran experience and a couple of key players will be athletic 5-11 guard <strong>Bryce Milne</strong> and 6-4 forward <strong>Eli Edwards.</strong> <ol start="10"> <li><strong>Snohomish Panthers</strong></li> </ol> After graduating seven seniors, the Panthers are looking to restock some of that talent to improve on their 6-14 record from last season. Improvement starts with senior 5-10 guard <strong>Kyle Sandifer</strong> and senior 6-4 forward <strong>Kole Bride</strong>. <ol start="9"> <li><strong>Arlington Eagles</strong></li> </ol> The Eagles finished with a 9-13 overall record last season and return one of the best players in the conference, senior 6-2 guard <strong>Drew Bryson</strong> who averaged 17.3 points, two assists, five rebounds and 1.8 steals per game last season. <ol start="8"> <li><strong>Oak Harbor Wildcats</strong></li> </ol> Even though the Wildcats are one of the younger teams in the conference they have some talent, specifically in the backcourt with a pair of junior guards, 6-0 <strong>Gabe Salinger</strong> and 5-10 <strong>Adam Nelson</strong>. <ol start="7"> <li><strong>Meadowdale Mavericks</strong></li> </ol> Finishing with a 9-10 record last season the Mavericks are on the rise with key talent returning. A couple key returners will be senior 6-3 forward, <strong>Drew Tingstad</strong> who just got done leading the Meadowdale football team to a state semifinals appearance as quarterback. Other key returners include 6-2 senior forward <strong>Zach Plummer</strong> and senior 6-0 guard <strong>Zach Walsh</strong>. <ol start="6"> <li><strong>Edmonds Woodway Warriors</strong></li> </ol> After an impressive 2016 season, the Warriors are looking to build off of that success to make state again. They are losing their top scorer, David Woodard, but bring back a couple of key pieces. The first is 5-10 junior shooting guard <strong>Mike Epoch</strong>, who averaged 7.3 points per game during his sophomore season. Another piece to the puzzle will be 6-6 senior forward <strong>Ryan Peterson</strong>, who averaged 4.6 points per game last season. <ol start="5"> <li><strong>Mountlake Terrace Hawks</strong></li> </ol> After making a run to nearly reach the state playoffs last season, the Hawks are looking to forward to the new season. A key returner is 6-3 senior guard, <strong>Khyree Armstead</strong>. <ol start="4"> <li><strong>Everett Seagulls</strong></li> </ol> The Seagulls only graduated two players last season and return multiple players for their junior and senior seasons. Last season was a bit rough, but with experience the Seagulls have a chance to surprise some people in this conference. A key returner is senior power forward <strong>Louis Cornelius Davis II</strong>, who is a very good athlete at the power forward position. <ol start="3"> <li><strong>Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks</strong></li> </ol> After finishing an impressive 8-2 in conference, the Tomahawks are hoping for the same type of success this season. A couple of key returners will be 6-1 junior guard <strong>Josiah Gold</strong> and up and coming 6-4 sophomore guard <strong>Raequan Battle</strong>. <ol start="2"> <li><strong>Stanwood Spartans</strong></li> </ol> After a very impressive 2016 season when the Spartans finished 9-1 in the conference they expect to put up similar numbers with the return of a couple of key pieces that have great length. Senior 6-6 guard <strong>AJ Martinka</strong> averaged 12.9 points per game last season, while 6-6 senior forward <strong>Chase Strieby</strong> averaged 13.5 points per game. <ol> <li><strong>Shorecrest Scots</strong></li> </ol> The Scots return many key players from their 2016 squad that went 8-4 in conference. Length is going to be an important benefactor for the Scots, as the team has eight players over six feet tall. One player to look for is actually one of two players under six feet, 5-10 senior point guard <strong>Dagmawi Menelik</strong>.