Pre-Season Predictions: 1A - Part 2

With the season starting very soon, I am going to predict how each conference is going to end up finishing. This will be based on last years standings, returning players, and how who/how many each team lost. Here we will finish with the 1A conferences. The teams are listed in the order I believe they will finish.   Nisqually:   Annie Wight - losing 10 seniors. The defending 1A state champs will not look the same headed into next year as their key players have moved on to the college level. However, the incoming 2029 class that Annie Wright has is arguably the best in the state. They may be young, but they will be ready. [player_tooltip player_id='2746865' first='Austin' last='Collins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2621488' first='Zelalem' last='Poulin'] are some underclassman to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='2726747' first='Brian' last='Holliday'] is poised for a big season as the team leader.   Cascade Christian - losing 5 seniors. They finished 3rd last year but were very close with Bellevue Christian for 2nd. They are a bit younger but with [player_tooltip player_id='2021639' first='Cooper' last='Tripp'] returning and being able to hold the workload, they should be a team to keep an eye on.   Seattle Christian - losing 2 seniors. This team is only losing 2 seniors which means they will carry over a lot of experience at the varsity level. Ashton Ward and [player_tooltip player_id='2878383' first='Sam' last='Althoff'] are some current seniors with length to keep an eye on. They could be a team to keep an eye on.   Bellevue Christian - losing 6 seniors and [player_tooltip player_id='2140811' first='Drake' last='Penberthy'], who is transferring to Woodinville. [player_tooltip player_id='2140853' first='Rhett' last='Huber'] is a big threat in the paint, staying strong and steady in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id='2835724' first='Kyler' last='Skogstad'] is a player who could take another big step on the court too.   Life Christian Academy - losing 6 seniors. [player_tooltip player_id='2174679' first='Jabez' last='Boyd'] will be the only senior on this years team and Boyd is an incredible athlete who does a great job being a leader. Beau Pearson and Lance Kariuki are some other players to keep an eye on headed into the season for LCA.   Vashon Island - losing 1 senior. With most players returning, Vashon Island could be a sneaky team. They have good size and solid guard play. They will be competitive and play great games this season, with Rafferty Koefoed-Nielsen being a soon to be senior to watch.   East Jefferson - losing 1 senior. The bottom few teams from this conference were very close last season and with East Jefferson only losing 1 player from their roster, they could be a team who could improve from last season. They are a bit undersized but can be a team who can gel together nicely.   Klahowya - losing 4 seniors. Klahowya has a lot of players returning which will help with experience but with many players headed into their sophomore years, they are still a young group.   Charles Wright - losing 7 seniors. Charles Wright is losing a lot of their squad from last season, which is why I think they could struggle a bit. They could absolutely prove me wrong and have a great season but from the outside looking in, it looks like a rebuilding year.   South Central Athletic:   Zillah - losing 2 seniors. This conference is always so much fun with 3-4 teams always being able to compete for a conference championship. In my eyes, Zillah or Royal will take it home. The difference between them? [player_tooltip player_id='1863242' first='Dekker' last='Van De Graaf']. He is a difference maker on the court and scores from all 3 levels with ease. [player_tooltip player_id='2878385' first='Memphis' last='Jones'] is another player to keep an eye on.   Royal - losing 5 seniors. Royal will be losing some key players to their rotation, with Lance Allred and Trent Jensen departing. [player_tooltip player_id='2375339' first='Grant' last='Wardenaar'], Deme Holman, and Dax Jenks will bve a big part of the Royal offense.   Wapato - losing 3 seniors. Wapato finished 1 game behind 3rd place last year and should stay in that area this upcoming season. Despite losing 3 players, [player_tooltip player_id='2383538' first='AJ' last='Garza'] and Jordan Bobb will be returning to help the squad. Fiander is a big post in the paint too, which could end up being a difference maker.   Cashmere - losing 4 seniors. Cashmere is losing a few pieces but will still have a few key players in their rotation that could help the team. They are a bit undersized, which is why I dropped them to 4th.   Kiona-Benton - losing 5 seniors. This squad is losing some key post players but are returning most of their guards which will turn out to be big during the season. Sebastion Villarreal, Aiden Leavitt, and Cooper Hanson are some guys to know.   Wahluke - losing 4 seniors. Wahluke returns a good amount of players this season but is still a fairly young squad on the court. They will compete against other teams and have some competitive games but it is likely still a rebuilding year for them.   Connell - losing 5 seniors. Connell is losing some key players as well but have a lot of upside on their roster. I think Hunter Vanhollebeke could be a key part of their offense as well as incoming sophomore Adam Mauia.   Naches Valley - losing 1 senior. Losing only one player from the team last season will help Naches Valley. With a solid 2027 class, they will continue to get better as a team and should see better results as a whole.   College Place - losing 2 seniors. Only losing 2 players will be a good thing, but with the season last season being a long one, this seems like another rebuilding year for College Place. They should see a rise in the win category, in my eyes.   NWC - 1A Only   Lynden Christian - losing 3 seniors. This team competes for an NWC and state title every single year. They will easily be the number 1 seed during the 1A NWC district playoffs, as they normally are. [player_tooltip player_id='2392727' first='Dawson' last='Hintz'] is going to prove he is a division 1 level talent during the season by leading this team far. [player_tooltip player_id='2457277' first='Kaden' last='Veldman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2739562' first='Gunnar' last='Dykstra'] are some other players who will have big roles.   Meridian - losing 5 seniors. This Meridian team is going to look a lot different than the one that finished 4th at state last season. With top players Jaeger Fyfe and Talon Jenkins playing college ball, there will need to be new faces to step up. Gabe Galbraith, Trey Alexander, and Pierce Brzozowski will be the next guys up. State could be in the future again, but they will battle with Nooksack for the 2nd bid out of the district.   Nooksack Valley - losing 5 seniors. Nooksack is also losing some very key pieces, especially with Caden Heutink moving onto the next level. Football players Cole Coppinger and Dane Ackerman will likely be the key offensive pieces for the Pioneers. It is going to be close between them or Meridian.   Mount Baker - losing 5 players. Baker will also be missing big parts of their team this year with Darius Gilstrap and Luke Smith graduating. [player_tooltip player_id='2375343' first='Kell' last='Reardon'] is a D1 football player and should dominate in the paint on both ends all year. [player_tooltip player_id='2845151' first='Gabe' last='Smith'] is a gaurd to keep an eye on. They could surprise people and come out with the 2nd bid out of the district.   Blaine - losing 4 players. The Borderites will be young once again, with not a lot of current seniors on their roster now. [player_tooltip player_id='2021631' first='Landon' last='Melton'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021632' first='Kai' last='Kerwin'], Landon Brown, and Angus Dickson will be the leaders for this team and should stay close with the Mount Baker and surprise people possibly.   Trico 1A:   Seton Catholic - losing 4 seniors. Seton Catholic will be losing Rico George who was a key part of the program over the next couple seasons. They shouldn't see too much of a dip in their offensive production due to Kaiden Wilson returning. He is a top player in the state and can carry this team far.   La Center - losing 4 seniors. La Center will also be losing a key guard from last year in Logan Rainey but Peyton Larkin will be ready to step up and help out his team. They will be competitive and should have a solid season.   Kings Way Christian - losing 1 senior. With KWC only losing 1 senior, they are going to be a very competitive team. [player_tooltip player_id='2393411' first='Jackson' last='Lovato'] is going to take the next step on the court and will be a huge part of this team. They are going to see a big jump in the standings in my eyes.   Columbia (White Salmon) - losing 5 seniors. They are losing 5 players from last year and every other player from last year will now be seniors. They could make a lot of noice and cause havoc in this conference. [player_tooltip player_id='2894471' first='Mason' last='Hamilton'] is a tall post who has strength in the paint that is hard to guard.   Fort Vancouver - losing 8 seniors. With most of the roster graduating, I think there could be a little dip for Fort Vancouver which is why i dropped them a bit in the standings. [player_tooltip player_id='1609019' first='Leighton' last='Livengood'] is a tall post who will see a lot of the offense come through him. They will need their guards to step up and show they are ready to make a good run.   Castle Rock - losing 6 seniors. They will still have some decent size and potential returning this year but it seems like it is going to be a rebuilding season for Castle Rock. They have some players with high potential and will gel well as a squad, being able to put competitive games together.   Kalama - losing 3 seniors. Kalama will have a lot of players returning so could have a sneaky good season. Due to their lack of height, it will be hard to win games against teams with a lot of height but they could out-run them and speed up the pace. They could be sneaky.   Stevenson - losing 7 seniors. After finishing with a 2-18 record last year and losing the majority of the team for this season, I am not sure what to expect from Stevenson. They are a young group who will keep growing week by week as a team, gelling more and more.

With the season starting very soon, I am going to predict how each conference is going to end up finishing. This will be based on last years standings, returning players, and how who/how many each team lost. Here we will finish with the 1A conferences. The teams are listed in the order I believe they will finish.