Teams to watch in the 4A class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As players wrap up their 7v7 seasons and wrap up attending camps and showcases, I wanted to take a look into each class within the state and see which teams that you need to keep an eye on as the season goes along. This is just a couple teams listed, there will be more who will be at the top of the class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Stevens HS</strong> - Last Season: 12-2 - <em>4A STATE CHAMPIONS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Stevens had a fantastic season last year, only losing regular season games to Garfield and West Linn (OR). They recovered well and had one of the best rushing attacks in the state led by the Limar brothers. [player_tooltip player_id='348138' first='Jayshon' last='Limar'] ('25 RB) will be back and will be the main RB out of the backfield. He's more than ready for the workload and will excel. They won the 4A state championship by a score of 24-22 over Kennedy Catholic and should contend once again. Kolton Matsen ('25 QB) and [player_tooltip player_id='338797' first='Bryce' last='Slezak'] ('24 OL) will also be back to contribute to the teams success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emerald Ridge HS</strong> - Last Season: 10-3 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emerald Ridge was taken out in the semi-finals of the 4A state tournament by Kennedy Catholic by a score of 28-42. They will have quite a few role players returning to the squad from last year, so I expect them to have another deep run into the tournament. They lost regular season games to Puyallup and Graham-Kapowsin but recovered well after each loss. [player_tooltip player_id='115343' first='Jake' last='Schakel'] ('24 QB) will be back to lead the charge for the squad. He will have [player_tooltip player_id='158405' first='Tony' last='Harste'] ('24 WR0, [player_tooltip player_id='158394' first='Pierce' last='Kelly'] ('24 ATH), [player_tooltip player_id='643366' first='Kajon' last='Babcock'] ('24 ATH), and [player_tooltip player_id='158342' first='Gio' last='Kafentzis'] ('24 WR) will all be returning firepower for the Jags offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kennedy Catholic HS</strong> - Last Season: 12-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kennedy Catholic was a team that went on a run late in the year last season. They were ranked as the 4th seed going into the state tournament but played some really good football and stayed in it till the very end before losing in the 4A state title game to Lake Stevens by a score of 22-24. They will be bringing back a lot of talent who was apart of the squad last season. [player_tooltip player_id='348145' first='Devon' last='Forehand'] ('25 QB), [player_tooltip player_id='158339' first='Isaac' last='Syph'] ('24 ATH), [player_tooltip player_id='348164' first='Josiah' last='Paaga'] ('25 WR), [player_tooltip player_id='348146' first='Ezekiel' last='Taliauli'] ('25 LB), Maddox Menses ('25 OL), [player_tooltip player_id='402789' first='Derek' last='Colman-Brusa'] ('26 OL/DL), [player_tooltip player_id='726151' first='Dante' last='Saladino'] ('26 DB), and [player_tooltip player_id='726164' first='Joey' last='Thomas'] ('26 ATH) are all names you should keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eastlake HS </strong>- Last Season: 8-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eastlake lost in the first round of the state tournament last season to Emerald Ridge by a score of 9-21. This team is very well coached and has many role players from last season who are going to impress with their bigger roles this upcoming season. They lost to Lake Stevens and Skyline last year in the regular season and should compete with the best of the best in the 4A class once again. [player_tooltip player_id='348144' first='Landon' last='Renfroe'] ('25 QB) and [player_tooltip player_id='643372' first='Kai' last='Brown'] ('24 ATH) are some names to watch for the Wolves this upcoming year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chiawana HS </strong>- Last Season: 10-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chiawana was the number one see headed into the 4A state tournament last season but were upset by Emerald Ridge and the 8th seeded Jaguars. Now, the Riverhawks look to bounce back and keep their name in the contention for 4A state champion. They will have a big role to replace at the running back position but with [player_tooltip player_id='158383' first='DJ' last='Duran'] ('24 QB) and [player_tooltip player_id='643410' first='Michael' last='Hansen'] ('24 WR) returning, this should help their offense transition nicely. [player_tooltip player_id='643371' first='Cage' last='Sommerville'] ('24 DB) is another name to keep an eye on for them this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->