YAKIMA – The banquets and community celebrations haven’t been held yet, but the prospects of next year’s season are already being considered.
On the girls side, Davis and Zillah won state championships, while Prosser pushed three-time winner Lynden, but weren’t able to unseat the Lions atop Class 2A.
With rosters heavy on juniors, those teams and a few others are expected to be in contention for state titles, if not the favorite for those titles.
Preps reporter extraordinaire Todd Milles of VarsityWA polled coaches about whom they see as favorites for next season.
Matt Evans of Evans Rankings put together a formula that accounted for returning and graduating players, and add a ‘growth’ factor to the players scheduled to be back.
He also projected the number of berths each district will receive. The allocations have not been set for the 2026-27 school year.
Here are their prognostications, as well as comments from Stat Hound, which will look at the area’s three conferences beginning Saturday.
Are these guesses? Sure, but pretty darn good educated guesses, and will help fuel the offseason discussion.
CBBN
2026 QUALIFIERS: 1. Davis, 16, Eisenhower.
IN VARSITYWA 2026-27 TOP THREE: 1. Davis.
IN EVANS RANKINGS 2026-27 16-TEAM BRACKET: 1. Davis, 16. West Valley.
THE SKINNY: Graduating just two players from their back-to-back championship team, and are favorites to become first Class 4A team to win three straight championships since Spokane’s Lewis & Clark pulled off the feat 2005-07.
Evans gives the CBBN’s second berth to West Valley, which finished third in the conference standings last year.
After meeting Sumner in the postseason four times, including the last two championship games, the Spartans are the No. 2 seed in the VasrityWA predictions.
CWAC
2026 QUALIFIERS: 2. Prosser, 7. Ellensburg, 8. Selah.
IN VARSITYWA 2026-27 TOP THREE: 2. Prosser, 3. Selah.
IN EVANS RANKINGS 2026-27 16-TEAM BRACKET: 2. Prosser, 9. Grandview.
THE SKINNY: With two-time CWAC scoring champ and reigning conference MVP Herbie Wright set to return, the Mustangs again will have their sights set on the program’s first championship since 2011 after five straight trips to the semifinals and a runner-up finish Saturday.
After that, the conference should be as stacked as it was this year. While VarsityWA likes Selah as the top threat to Prosser, and Evans Rankings is high on Grandview, Ellensburg and star junior Bella Standish can not be dismissed, no matter how much the third-place state finishers graduate.
SCAC
2026 QUALIFIERS: 2. Zillah, 5. Royal, 11. Wapato.
IN VARSITYWA 2026-27 TOP THREE: 1. Zillah, 3. Royal.
IN EVANS RANKINGS 2026-27 16-TEAM BRACKET: 1. Zillah, 3. Royal, 7. Wapato, 8. Cashmere.
THE SKINNY: Zillah likely will be the heavy favorite to repeat as champions, and will have plenty of competition in conference play.
The Knights won their first trophy in 30 years, and should have plenty back to earn some more hardware.
Evans Rankings is particularly bullish on the SCAC. Not only does Wapato return with a protected seed, but they’re joined by Cashmere, which was fourth in conference play
