2/24/2026
Now that the 1A State Tournament brackets have been released and the schedules are set, let’s take a look at who’s in and who’s out, comparing the teams from last year to this year and other notable points of interest.
Let’s get started!
1A Girls Tournament
Link to 2026 tournament bracket
Link to 2025 tournament bracket
Last year’s Trophy winners
Champion (2) Bellevue Christian
2nd (4) King’s
3rd (1) Lynden Christian
4th (3) Zillah
5th (5) Annie Wright
6th (8) Naches Valley
Last year’s top 8 seeds
1. Lynden Christian
2.Bellevue Christian
3. Zillah
4. King’s
5. Annie Wright
6. Seton Catholic
7. Cashmere
8. Naches Valley
This year’s top 8 seeds
1. King’s
2. Zillah
3. Lynden Christian
4. Annie Wright
5. Royal
6. Bellevue Christian
7. Seton Catholic
8. Lakeside
Last year’s best underdogs
The top eight seeds all made the quarterfinals, and the #1, 2, 3, and 5 teams made the semifinals. Annie Wright was the #5 seed last year and ended up making the semifinals after a win over Seton Catholic. Also, the #4 seed in Kings beat the #1 seed Lynden Christian on a buzzer beater to book their ticket to the championship game. There were no major underdogs that had standout performances in last season’s tournament. However, the #2 seed Bellevue Christian ended up winning it all in the end.
This year’s underdogs to watch
Seton Catholic is coming off a district championship win over Montesano and is the #7 seed. They are a dangerous team that already has accolades to prove it this season, and are looking to make a mark on the state tournament this season. Lakeside, as well, is the #8 seed, which is a step up from their #13 seeding last year. They are another team that has the chance to do big things. Bellevue Christian is the defending champion, and despite the fact that they are the #6 seed, they are still as dangerous as last season and are a team that everyone will have to watch out for.
Last year’s best Favorites
Bellevue Christian strolled their way to a championship after their tight game in the first round against Naches Valley. From the round of 12 onward, they averaged a 18-point win margin and cruised to a state championship. King’s as well had a great run in state and even beat the #1 seed Lynden Christian 45-44 to advance to the championship game. Again, 4/5 top-five seeds made it to the semifinals, and all top-eight seeds made the quarterfinals, so the favorites all had success in the tournament.
This year’s best chance Favorites
This year’s best chances belong to the higher seeds in Zillah, King’s, Lynden Christian, and Annie Wright, as well as the defending champions in Bellevue Christian. Lyden Christian, Zillah, and Royal hold the best records in the tournament, all having 20+ wins on the season and few losses to their name. It will be a toss-up to see how the tournament plays out, as so many teams have similar records, history with each other, and match up well.
Biggest surprises!
Who’s the most surprising they are in?
The teams that made it this year are very similar to the teams a year ago, only the seeding has slightly changed. Cascade Christian, however, did not make the tournament last year, but managed to get the #10 seed this season. Their regular-season success is on par with some of the top five seeds, including Annie Wright and Bellevue Christian. Cascade Christian, despite being a lower seed, has been battle-tested all season against teams that made it far in the state tournament last year, and they are looking to make waves this season.
Who’s the most surprising they are out?
Cashmere last year was the #7 seed and had almost defeated the would-be champions in the opening round. This season, they did not make the tournament and lost 35-33 in a winner-to-state/loser-out game to Naches Valley in the District 5 tournament. The Bear Creek School also found themselves as the #14 seed after not making the tournament last season. They had an overall record of 12-11 and went 4-2 in the ESC Chinook league.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of familiar faces in this year’s tournament, and the top eight teams have stayed the same with a few exceptions. The talent level and the way the teams can match up with each other will make for a wild and intense road to the state championship. It is anyone’s guess as to how it could play out, and some new candidates could even make their mark this year in the state tournament.
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1A Boys Tournament
Link to 2026 tournament bracket
Link to 2025 tournament bracket
Last year’s Trophy winners
Champion (1) Annie Wright
2nd (3) Lynden Christian
3rd (4) Zillah
4th (2) Royal
5th (7) Meridian
6th (9) Chelan
Last year’s top 8 seeds
1. Annie Wright
2. Royal
3. Lynden Christian
4. Zillah
5. King’s
6. Seton Catholic
7. Meridian
8. The Bear Creek School
This year’s top 8 seeds
1. Zillah
2. Lynden Christian
3. Royal
4. The Bear Creek School
5. Annie Wright
6. King’s
7. Chelan
8. Seattle Christian
Last year’s best underdogs
Last year, 7/8 of the top eight seeds made it to the quarterfinals, with the exception being Chelan High School, which would have two dominant wins before eventually falling to the #2 seed in Royal 67-46. The championship was not a battle between the top two seeds but rather the #1 and the #3 in Annie Wright and Lynden Christian. No underdog truly stood out in the later round but Overlake High School, as the #15 seed, beat the #10 seed in Riverside to get to the round of 12.
This year’s underdogs to watch
Seattle Christian did not make the tournament last year, and now they are the #8 seed and are hunting a state deep playoff run in this year’s tournament. Fort Vancouver is also coming off a district championship in their win over Montesano and is the #9 seed. They are also a team that others should be on the lookout for because they are dangerous and have the skill to make a statement this season.
Last year’s best Favorites
Annie Wright rolled their way to a state championship last season with a dominant and historic showing, with all wins being blowouts by 10 or more points, and ended in state gold. They were not to be denied and walked through some very tough opponents on their way to the championship. Lynden Christian also made the championship last year and also dominated their opponents en route to the title game, where they would eventually fall to Annie Wright.
This year’s best chance Favorites
Zillah is the biggest favorite as it stands right now, being the number one seed and undefeated all year long. They have not lost yet, and they do not plan to in this year’s tournament. They won the title in the 2023-24 season and are looking to get the trophy back into their halls this year. Annie Wright is the defending champion and the #5 seed, so they are still the team to beat and will be watched out for. Everyone in the top four rankings is favorited and they had impressive showings last year. It is anyone’s game as to who goes out and brings the whole gold.
Biggest surprises!
Who’s the most surprising they are in?
Seattle Christian went from being out of the tournament last year to the #8 seed this year, which speaks to the talent and coaching of the team. They will have an opportunity to shock the classification as they will face the undefeated and #1 seed in Zillah in the opening round. Nooksack Valley, as well, went from out to in this season and stands at the #16 seed. They have faced some of the top seeds already before and are looking for a Cinderella run. King’s Way Christian and Cascade Christian have also gone from being out of the tournament last year to being in this year. They are the #15 seed (Kings Way) and the #10 seed (Cascade Christian).
Who’s the most surprising they are out?
Seton Catholic and Meridian are the two teams that stick out as they were both in the top eight of seeding last year, and this season are not in the tournament. Both of them made the quarterfinals as well, and Seton Catholic was just three points away from being in the semifinals in their game with Zillah.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot of high-level talent across all the seedings in this tournament. The top eight seeds have seen some changes from last year to now. New teams are on the horizon, trying to make waves this year, while others have maintained consistency at the highest level and are looking to once again have a successful showing in the state tournament. There is no telling how this tournament could play out, and it will make for a crazy postseason in the boys 1A state tournament.
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