5A: West Albany Bulldogs – 2025-26 Season Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the high school season approaches, rosters are being released and I'm going to be previewing each team from the 6A and 5A levels. I'll go over each team's key players going into this coming season, list the returners/newcomers, and key departures. Here is the preview of the West Albany Bulldogs (5A) of the Mid-Willamette Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach: Drew Halvorson (4th Season at West Albany, 62-22 Record)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last Season's Record: 22-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2572921"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694122199e67f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Walker, a crafty 6'3 forward, handled the ball well and attacked the glass with activity. He could finish with his left hand and consistently create effective scoring plays for himself. His versatility allowed him to impact the game in multiple ways. (AG)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1958534"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694122199e734"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Glue guy yesterday, more of a leading man today for the senior guard was aggressive looking for his in offense, hitting open shots, and crashing to boards too. When it was all said and done, he had a double double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. (JT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2462672"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694122199e7aa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A threat off the bench for last season's 5A state tournament team, Southard will ascend into the starting lineup and be a major offensive weapon for the Bulldogs in 2025-26. He's long, lanky, and athletic at 6-foot-5 and in addition to being able to knock down jumpers from the perimeter he can also get to the hoop and finish with the flush. He's become a recruiting target for many of the in-state D-III and NAIA schools. (JT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returners</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brett Gilles (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Koda Fredricks (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2732151' first='Grey' last='Nieman'] (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Newcomers</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2894374' first='Ares' last='Boulware'] (Class of 2029)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colton Hubert (Class of 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordan Walker (Class of 2028)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kyson Peck (Class of 2028)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aiden Hammond (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennett Madsen (Class of 2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Departures</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gavin Aguilar (Graduated)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owen Hopkins (Graduated)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Additional Contributions by Jed Tai</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->