Way Too Early 2026 State Title Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've made it through spring AAU and “June ball” and players will be back in school before you know it. Sacred Heart has won the last 5 state titles but with Zakiyah Johnson now at LSU, are they vulnerable? Let's take a look at 5 teams that are in the mix to win the state title in March, even though it's too early to even discuss such things.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Favorite:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sacred Heart - As the great philosopher Ric Flair has said, "to be the man you have to beat the man". Well in this case to be the champs, you have to beat Sacred Heart. Life after Z will be an adjustment but they still have [player_tooltip player_id='376791' first='Brianna' last='Wilkins'], [player_tooltip player_id='747640' first='Amirah' last='Jordan'], [player_tooltip player_id='903695' first='Riley' last='Gilvin'], [player_tooltip player_id='903651' first='Tahri' last='Ralston'] and Gabby DeCamillis, amongst others. The Valkyries will still be very hard to beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Second Favorite:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>George Rogers Clark - It's entirely possible that we are on a collision course for another SHA vs GRC state title game. The Cardinals are led by Junior [player_tooltip player_id='739686' first='Kennedy' last='Stamper'] and Senior [player_tooltip player_id='376806' first='Teigh' last='Yeast'] while the Chestnut sisters (Kyleigh and Anaya) are primed for big seasons. Rising 8th grader Eliyah Strode has the potential to be a special player too. Don't overlook the reigning Runners Up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Other Teams in the Mix (Alphabetical Order):</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Assumption - The roster is super talented and they have a lot of depth. If the Rockets can get past Sacred Heart, they're capable of winning it all. [player_tooltip player_id='376789' first='Ashlinn' last='James'] remains one of the best Seniors in Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper - The Lady Jags have a new coach but return almost everything else on the roster that made the Elite 8 in March. [player_tooltip player_id='747645' first='Haylee' last='Noel'] is a special player and [player_tooltip player_id='1192546' first='Addyson' last='Brissey'] is one of the better second options in all of Northern Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frederick Douglass - The Lady Broncos ran through the 11th region last season before GRC ended their run at Rupp. The roster is incredibly talented with [player_tooltip player_id='743664' first='Jaelee' last='Knowles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='903256' first='Tamia' last='Waide'] being backed up by a very solid Senior class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor County - [player_tooltip player_id='1050025' first='Kennedy' last='Deener'] is an elite player and 6 of the top 8 scorers are back for the Lady Cardinals. I'm not sure they aren't a year away from really competing for a title but they deserve to be on the list as "in the mix"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->