State in mind

Arlington Eagles

Wrestling: 7-4 overall, 5-3 Wesco North

It’s hard to tell exactly where the Eagles will land in this year’s wrestling postseason. They have shown the ability to compete with some of the best grapplers in the state, and the exact opposite. Nevertheless, there are a few, such as Chris Berg, Hunter Amundson, Matt Badgley, Ian Davis, Seth Henderson and Dustin Ward that have been more consistent than the rest. They’ll have to continue this hot streak and then some to earn a trip to the Mat Classic. Each has to finish in the top four of his or her weight class at the Regional tournament Feb. 13 at Auburn High School to compete in the Tacoma Dome. If coach Shaun Williams has his guys wrestling like they did against Marysville-Pilchuck, it’s possible to see more than a handful get in the van.

Boys Basketball: 10-7 overall, 7-6 Wesco North

The Eagles have just one game left to upend Snohomish (9-4 Wesco) for the final outright spot in the District 1 tournament. If the Eagles defeated both Cascade and Everett, and Snohomish losses to either Lake Stevens or Stanwood — or both — then Arlington is in good position to take that final spot. If not, however, Nick Brown’s boys will have to play the No. 4 team out of the Wesco South, Feb. 12. If and when Arlington makes the tournament, it will need two wins before getting two losses to make the 4A state tournament in the Tacoma Dome. With such an emotional season, a young team like the Eagles has the chops and experience to win out the regular season. The recent hot streak can be attributed to learning how to score without Eric Carlson on the floor and the emergence of sophomore Bo Brummel.

Girls Basketball: 9-8 overall, 6-7 Wesco North

Coach Nathan Davis has his girls on the precipice of a playoff berth, but the loss to Oak Harbor (7-6) Feb. 3 changed things significantly. Instead of having a cushy lead, it all could come down to the Feb. 10 game versus Snohomish (6-7). The top four Wesco North teams earn an guaranteed spot to the District 1 tournament, with the No. 5 team playing the No. 4 team from the Wesco South. Should the lady Eagles make the tournament, they will need to win two games before losing two to make the 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

Arlington has the easiest remaining schedule, with two Everett teams while Oak Harbor has to play Marysville-Pilchuck and Snohomish has to play Lake Stevens.

Lakewood Cougars

Wrestling: 3-8 overall, 0-4 Cascade

While the Cougars struggled as a team with Cascade Conference wrestlers, there are a few bright spots in this year’s Lakewood squad, starting with Keely Caldwell. Ranked 12th in the nation at 128 pounds by the United States Girls Wrestling Association, Caldwell could be Lakewood’s second state champion. She has the capability to follow in the footsteps of Christina Ordonez, who was the school’s first individual state champion in 2009.

Also on the verge of a state appearance is heavyweight Alex Wilson. Wrestlers need to finish in the top four of regionals for a spot in the Mat Classic. A few wild cards in coach Tom O’Hara’s lineup that could make it to the Tacoma Dome are 145-pounder Josh Linscott and 215-pounder Travis Givler. At times, both have shown the ability to dominate their opponents,, both in and away from Casecade Conference meets.

Girls Basketball: 0-15 overall, 0-9 Cascade

Coach Chris Walster has done an admirable job keeping his girls competitive in the face of losing three girls to season-ending knee surgeries — before December. Unfortunately, however, they are unable to make the fifth spot at for a play-in game to the District 1 tournament.

Boys Basketball: 5-10 overall, 4-5 Cascade

The Cougar boys team is in the District 1 tournament, just where they will be is still up in the air. The game against Archbishop Murphy Jan. 9 went a long way to deciding if the Cougars will get a No. 3 or 4 seed. Of course, with three games still on the schedule, coach Matt Hart’s boys have to keep winning to avoid needing a play-in game to make the bracket. Once at districts, the Cougars need two wins without losing twice to make it to state.

The road to the playoffs has been a difficult one for the Cougars, who started their season 1-7, but it appears as they are starting to find ways to win.

A senior-loaded team has benefitted from junior transfer student Tre’ Haslom, while still keeping the identity built by Cameron Fry, Joseph Hawkins, Dustin Stanton, Jacob VonPein and Nathan Hesselman.

Hart is looking to find the right rotation for the playoffs, as he has played all 12 players on his team in a given game with 10 seniors on the roster. It’s finding the right match of which players complement each other to keep the Cougars from running into dry scoring spells in the playoffs.

Highland Christian Knights

Boys Basketball: 1-14 overall, 0-11 Northwest 1B

The Highland Christian boys team faced a rough season this year and finished with one win. Unfortunately, that was four wins shy of earning the No. 4 spot in the Northwest 1B and qualifying for the tri-district tournament.

Girls Basketball: 7-10 overall, 6-4 Northwest 1B

A tough non-conference schedule has helped coach Steve Brown accelerate his young team’s acclimation to Northwest 1B varsity basketball. The dividends show up in a tie for second place in the conference with Grace Academy. The lady Knights turn their attention to the tri-district tournament and winning two games to get to state.

Winter Postseason Schedule

Wrestling:

Feb. 13 — 4A Regional at Auburn High School, 10 a.m.

Feb. 13 — 2A Regional at Cedarcrest, 10 a.m.

Feb. 13 — Girls Regional at Sedro-Wolley, 10 a.m.

Feb. 19-20 — Mat Classic at Tacoma Dome, TBA

Boys Basketball:

Feb. 12-20 — 1B Tri-District Tournament, title game at Mountlake Terrace

Feb. 26-March 6 — 2A District Tournament, title game at Mount Vernon

Feb. 17-27 — 4A District Tournament, title game at Jackson

Feb. 24-27 — 1B State Tournament, Yakima SunDome

March 3-6 — 4A State Tournament, Tacoma Dome