Nine teams from the Stat Hound footprint cracked VarsityWA’s top-50 football teams heading into the 2026 season.

Royal, which kicks off its pursuit of a seventh straight Class 1A state championship Friday at Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, checks in at No. 12 and is the first team east of the Cascades in the rankings.

The Knights are just ahead of two-time defending CBBN champion Moses Lake, which is 13th. The Mavericks open the season against Richland, which is 24th in the rankings, just behind Mid-Columbia Conference rival Kennewick, No. 23.

CWAC-favorite Prosser is 25th, and the lone representation from the Class 2A conference.

Defending MCC champion Chiawana is 33rd in the poll, with SCAC and 1A state runner-up Cashmere at 35.

Kamiakin and Southridge round out the area entries into the poll at 42nd and 44th, respectively.

In VarsityWA’s top-10 rankings released Monday, Royal is No. 1 in 1A with Cashmere third, while Prosser is fourth in 2A, while Moses Lake is No. 6 and Richlan 10th in 4A, and Kennewick 10th in 3A.

• For the complete rankings, visit VarsityWA.

Editor’s note: This summary comes from the rankings that were originally published by content-sharing partner VarsityWA, founded by journalists Todd Milles and Lauren Smith. Milles and Smith bring nearly 40 years of sportswriting experience — much of it at The News Tribune in Tacoma (while Todd also spent six years at SBLive Washington). Support that venture at VarsityWA.