🏈 Prep Talk 08/28/26

I had an eventful summer covering recreational activities and wacky sports in Whatcom and Skagit counties — including horseshoes, kayak soccer and Scottish Highland Games — but it is time for my favorite season to return.

Through the summer, I crossed paths with several coaches and students to pick their brains about the upcoming fall sports season and come up with my preseason predictions, listed below.

Archbishop Murphy's rise to the top has come with scrutiny across the state. The Wildcats reloaded with a powerful squad that can contend with nearly any team in the state regardless of classification and should be state contenders again. Anacortes and Lynden trail behind as top-10 teams in the 2A classification. The Seahawks are led by Washington State quarterback commit Ryan Harrington, while Lynden will rely on wide receiver Sam Arango and running back Dawson VanDalen.

Mount Baker returns the most experienced lineup out of all five teams, but Lynden Christian will be battle-tested. The Lyncs’ non-conference schedule includes 3A powerhouse Bellevue and 2A contenders Franklin Pierce and Archbishop Murphy. Meridian returns quarterback Trey Alexander and a couple of his top weapons, while Nooksack Valley and Blaine will be younger teams lacking playing experience.

Sehome and Squalicum have rosters capable of making a run toward a state title in the 2A classification. Both squads come into the season with questions surrounding injuries and a couple spots to fill, but both have extreme depth to fill those voids.

Anacortes is led by one of the top players in the state. Notre Dame commit Mailee Hilburn is a dominant striker who is paired up with rising star Elliot Davis this season. Bellingham and Ferndale will have experienced rosters with a defensive-heavy lineup that will make it tough for opponents to score against them.

Will Lynden be perfect again? Probably not. But the Lions return nearly the entire starting lineup and some younger players who will make them a dangerous squad again. Kimberly Grycel returns as the Lynden Christian head coach with high expectations after Dennis Janzen stepped down in January. The Lyncs, as well as the Ferndale Golden Eagles, return a majority of their players for the upcoming season.

Meridian's unbelievable run at state last year will be more of an expectation this season. The Trojans return senior Eden Bernardy and junior Melanie Short.

After winning state last season, Sehome is going to be the top team due to its depth at singles and doubles. Bellingham sits behind them with the league's top player, Leo Kuhn, returning as the first singles player in Bayhawks history to win a state title. He returns with a competitive squad that will compete for a league title. Squalicum also returns an experienced lineup looking to send some kids to districts and state. The Storm and Lynden will also have new head coaches this fall.

Anacortes went undefeated in conference meets last season and returned nearly all of its state competitors. The Seahawks are led by senior Alli Claridge and juniors Felix Duez and Chloe Hernandez. The three of them competed as part of the 400-yard freestyle relay and other events at the 2A meet.

Sehome also returns some state swimmers, including Elsa Ethelbah and Raha Gharaei. The Mariners are a younger team with high upside for the future. Squalicum is the youngest team with a lot of potential. The Storm also return sophomore Jazzy Nelson, who was the top diver in the conference.

Sehome will be the top team for the boys and girls for the upcoming season. The Mariners are led by Aidan Batt and Kjirsten Ludeman, who are both looking to lead their squads to another state title this fall. Anacortes and Meridian will also have a couple of runners with high expectations, including the Seahawks' Ashley Becerra Guzman and the Trojans' Reuben TeVelde.

The prep sports begin next week. A handful of games to look out for include Franklin Pierce vs. Lynden Christian football on Sept. 3, Sehome vs. Squalicum football on Sept. 4, Lynden Christian vs. Anacortes girls soccer on Sept. 3 and Lynden vs. Lynden Christian volleyball on Sept. 5.

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