Storm takes top spot in power rankings

Over the years the Northwest Conference has been loaded with quality, and this winter seems to be no different. While Squalicum could be regarded as an early favorite to win the league, Lynden, Anacortes, Lynden Christian and plenty others could contend. Odds are, the NWC again will be well represented at the Yakima SunDome come March.

1. Squalicum: Storm bring back Josiah Westbrook, Damek Mitchell and Darious Powell from 2A state semifinal team and should again contend for league title.

2. Lynden: The Lions are strong 3-point shooting team, and Sterling Somers should have another big year as Lynden will be looking to get back to state.

3. Anacortes: The Seahawks are a perennial power, and even with some key losses, expect Anacortes to contend for a league title and compete with everyone.

4. Lynden Christian: The Lyncs reached the 1A state final a year ago and have a 12-man roster made up of 10 seniors. LC is a veteran group with skill.

5. Bellingham: Kyle Hofstetter, Austin Shenton and Jake Chamberlin are a strong senior trio, and the Red Raiders will be determine after last year to snag a postseason berth.

6. Burlington-Edison: An early win over Ferndale shows the Tigers are poised to have a bounce-back season, but only time will tell how Burlington-Edison will fare.

7. Ferndale: Austin Honeycutt and John Weg are two bigs with heaps of talent, but it’s the Golden Eagles’ guard play that could make the difference with new coach Jason Owens.

8. Sehome: The Mariners still have a lot of quality left with Leighton Kingma, Marcus Montag and Logan Deboo, but new coach Steve Call will need to figure out how to integrate Sehome’s newcomers.

9. Mount Baker: The Mountaineers are a veteran group and have a ton of size with standout big-man Timothy Soares and key returning TJ Bass. Look for Baker to make a run at state.

10. Nooksack Valley: The Pioneers have the skill to compete with just about anyone in the Northwest Conference, but the Pioneers will need to get accustomed to playing tight games.

11. Sedro-Woolley: Life after Jackson Price could be tough for the Cubs, but Woolley always puts together scrappy defensive teams. No team should over look the Cubs.

12. Blaine: Kier Munzanreder is a definite worth-while watch, and the Borderites bring back a lot of experience from a season ago and should be much-improved.

13. Meridian: Trojans will need to rely heavily on their defense, and without Alex Martin, Meridian will need to develop some other scorers. Daniel Young and Derek Campield are likely candidates.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Storm takes top spot in power rankings."