No Seniors, No Problem—Now These Teams Are Seasoned and Dangerous

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into the new high school season, a lot of eyes go to teams stacked with veteran players who've grown over four years on the hardwood. But some squads were light on seniors last year, leaving younger players to take the reins. While that can be tough in the moment, it pays off once those underclassmen get time together at the top level. Here are the teams to watch this year—the ones that had little to no senior class a season ago and are ready to make some noise now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Westlake</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westlake returns a roster that's been together for a while and didn't lose any major stat-getters, which sets them up to make some noise this season. They may not have a ton of size, but their chemistry is a real strength. Add in a bench with some experience, and they've got the pieces to make a legit run at the title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796479' first='Avery' last='Thompson'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='861992' first='Ella' last='Seymore'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796486' first='Mia' last='Foster'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1248783' first='Keira' last='Hester'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='829862' first='Isley' last='Sauvao'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fremont</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fremont might have the most production in the state, coming from last year's sophomore class. They return a stacked lineup—literally—with three players over six feet. Dropping down to 5A only adds to their advantage, making them a serious threat this season. The best thing about this team is that most will be back next year for another go as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796472' first='Abigail' last='Christensen'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='827419' first='Olivia' last='Surrage'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1274979' first='Mia' last='McArthur'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='985882' first='Lily' last='Hall'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mountain Ridge</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a while since Mountain Ridge has had any seniors. They graduated one last year, but that didn't ding their starting line-up, except [player_tooltip player_id='790536' first='Kya' last='Newton'], who is now at Olympus. This will be the third year for most of these girls playing together as the ones to bring in the points, and for most of them, their final year at a chance of coming home with a title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='866703' first='Jada' last='Jangard'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796847' first='Jessica' last='Maynard'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='805789' first='Cailin' last='Kehl'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='805788' first='Kaylee' last='Montgomery'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952614' first='Maci' last='Larsen'] || Sophomore</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beaver</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beaver made a strong run to the finals last year, falling in bracket play to the eventual state champs. With only one senior gone, they return nearly intact and hungry for revenge. In a 2A field where a lot of teams are turning over starters, the title could be theirs for the taking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1308536' first='Brittni' last='Crum'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='790608' first='Danzee' last='Bradshaw'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1308537' first='Ruby' last='Lurth'] || Sophomore</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1308535' first='Britlee' last='Bastian'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1308538' first='Aspyn' last='Evans'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lone Peak</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With just two seniors last season—neither seeing big minutes—the younger core had the chance to gel, and it paid off with another 6A state title. The squad is still young, with plenty of room to grow, so expect to see a similar lineup and another strong run at the crown. They'll have competition, though, as a few other young teams also got valuable time to develop without upperclassmen in the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796745' first='Kennedy' last='Woolston'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='875181' first='Huni' last='Folau'] || Sophomore</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='804252' first='Madeline' last='Pope'] || Sophomore</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='849040' first='Lave' last='Holdcraft'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='673099' first='Tatiana' last='Harness'] || Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='796473' first='Zuri' last='Nordstrom'] || Junior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->