How do you stop Brooke Walling?
That’s the question 3A GSHL teams will be trying to answer this season as the 6-foot-3 post looks to have Prairie in top form again, despite losing four starters from last year’s team.
But the league beyond Prairie is relatively young and unknown.
“Everyone is young,” Fort Vancouver coach Arlisa Hinton said. “Mountain View is super young. Evergreen, pretty young, young in a sense that they’ve got a lot of new players.”
The chorus of praise toward Prairie is extended by coaches across the league. That’s what having a Division-I recruit and five state titles to your program’s name will earn. But the gap between the Falcons and the rest of the league, where the Falcons outscored the league by an average of 46.1 points per game, may have shrunk.
“Four of their starters left, so I really think the league is kind of up for grabs,” Evergreen coach Jeremy Starks said. “Whatever team can gel together, continue that and work hard for each other, I think it’s pretty open right now.”
That’s not to say the Falcons won’t be atop the league, and poised to make a run at state.
But the three schools that tied for second all field significantly different teams. Evergreen is young, as is Mountain View, while Kelso has a new coach.
It’s that very reason Walling thinks the Falcons will be underestimated a bit this season.
“We’re so excited with how young we are,” Walling said. “We’re going to show them what Prairie is all about.”
So, who is the most qualified to make a jump?
Bay returns most of its core from a team that won two league games, and boosted its depth. Evergreen lost six players from last year’s team. Fort believes its turned the page toward winning ways. Kelso returns its three all-league selections. Mountain View boasts youth, and has reigning 3A GSHL coach of the year Dave McIntosh to guide them.
“It might be kind of a cluster in the middle like it was last year,” McIntosh said.
Perhaps one (or more) of the teams will surprise.
“Fort is in the same boat we are, approximately, but I hear they are a lot better,” Bay coach Michael Rainville. “The other three teams? We’re going to try to jump over those three.”
Projected finish
(Picks by Columbian sports staff)
1. Prairie: No seniors, no problem for perennial league champ Falcons.
2. Kelso: Three second-team all-league players are back for Hilanders.
3. Evergreen: Second-team all-league point guard Ahna Burney leads a young roster.
4. Mountain View: Returning coach of year Dave McIntosh has a small but fast group.
