With the basketball season upon us, the next 3 months will be a blur. As many squads look to make it to the promised land, very few actually will. This competition brings out the best of every squad and will make for an extremely entertaining season. While there are so many leagues in Washington, few will be more competitive than Washington State’s 1A league, the SCAC.
Of course, there are the usual contenders: Cashmere, Royal, and Zillah; however, almost every squad in the league has a case to be a contender. For a proper preview of the league, every squad will be represented, and both their positives and their negatives will be mentioned.
Cashmere Bulldogs: They finished their 2024-2025 campaign with a record of 19-9, 13-6 in league play. This was enough to propel them to a State appearance, ending a 4-year drought. Cashmere had star power all across the board, from current sophomore standout Mac Carlson to now senior Tobie Larson to graduate Rylan Nelson. Cashmere had 4 players graduate, with Nelson highlighting the list, averaging 20 points a night in his senior year. The Bulldogs will also be without several key bench players this year due to various reasons. However, 4 starters from last year will be returning, and Cashmere should have a decent shot at state this year.
Royal Knights: They graduated 6 Seniors last year, with star athlete Lance Allred highlighting the list. However, their best player, now junior Grant Wardenaar. On top of his return, the Knights will welcome a deep freshman class, with a few of them having the potential to start. Royal placed in state last year and with such a young core group, they will be contenders for state, for the foreseeable future.
Zillah Leopards: Their Only big loss was starter River Buck, who graduated. They retain reigning SCAC player of the year, Dekker Van de Graaf, and welcome junior Budda Aranda, who transferred from Wapato. Zillah will have a deep roster this year, and is not only the league favorites, but most likely the 1A state favorites as well.
Wapato Wolves: They lost two key players, Omar Arizpe, who graduated, and Budda Aranda, who transferred to Zillah. However, arguably their best player, AJ Garza, will be returning. Wapato finished 4th in the conference last season, and they will look to finish around there this season as well. They will definitely be solid this season, but will they be competitive with the top dogs in the conference, we will see.
Connell Eagles: They had an alright season at best last year, going 6-10 in league play. However, they have an incoming star, Nathan Moore, who will be playing his final year of High School hoops with the Eagles after transferring from Richland, a 4A powerhouse. The Eagles will be a much different squad from last season and will most likely finish around the middle of the pack in the SCAC; however, their ceiling could be very high.
Wahluke Warriors: They were very average last season, going 7-12 in League play. However, they lost a lot of valuable seniors and didn’t get any transfers. One of their very few bright spots is now Sophomore Kobe Corrales, who will look to build off a stellar freshman campaign. Wahluke will most likely finish towards the bottom of the league; however, their coach has made it very clear that he believes they can be a top 4 seed.
Kiona Benton Bears: They finished 7th in the conference last year, and arguably their two best players are gone. Spencer Hansen, who graduated, and his younger brother Cooper, who transferred to Mount Si. However, on the bright side, they have most of their team returning, so they could be decent this year; however, they may be the favorites to finish in last place in the league.
Naches Valley Rangers: They only graduated one senior, and with everyone else a year older, they will look to build off a rough 3-17 season last year. They will most likely still finish in the bottom 3.
College Place Hawks: They were at the bottom of the barrel last year, going an abysmal 0-18 in league play. However, almost everyone from last year will be returning from last year, and although they have a lot of work to do, an extra year of chemistry will definitely help. They will also likely finish towards the bottom of the league; however, they will probably win at least 1 league game.
While there is a ton of buzz currently surrounding Washington State hoops, more specifically, nationally ranked #1 boys hooper in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, and his decision to join Basketball powerhouse Rainier Beach. While most eyes will be on him, watch out for SCAC as well.
