Over the last few years, Wesco fans have been treated with some of the best basketball around. From the days of Terry Dawn, Jason Todd, Brett and Dan Kingma, and many other high school basketball greats that were products of Wesco, the league has been one of the most competitive in the state.

Last season, Wesco 3A North included games throughout the season that will go down in history as classics. It seemed as if every Arlington-Marysville Pilchuck matchup came down to the wire, with one resulting in a game winning tip-in that landed on the Sportscenter Top Ten Plays segment. Possibly one of the clutchest moments in the season came when Karsten Chaplik hit a game winning three pointer at the buzzer against MP, giving the Spartans a 69-66 win, and crowning them Wesco 3A North Champions for the second straight year.

In Wesco, players know how to finish games, and flashy wins are nothing new. This year, coaches are expecting the same level of competition.

The Stanwood Spartans finished last season 19-5 overall, and 10-0 in league play. Their season ended during the regional round of the state tournament, losing to Kennedy Catholic 68-47, and missing out on a trip to Tacoma. Seniors Karsten Chaplik and Skout Roberson led the team in scoring last season, and their graduation has led to an opening in the leadership role for the Spartan offense. While the departure of these two athletes may come as a red flag to some, the number of returning players (10 out of 12) gives the Spartans high hopes for another Wesco North Championship.

When asked to identify some impact players for the upcoming season, Coach Zach Ward pointed to A.J. Martinka on his list of possible standout performers. Martinka, a 6’6 junior guard, had his fair share of playing time last season and was able to make an impact on every game he played in, moving the ball in order to compliment players such as Chaplik.

“We know teams will be gunning for us,” said Coach Ward. This attitude is quite normal with the Spartans, a team that has been a consistent Wesco North powerhouse.

The second place finisher in Wesco 3A North last year was the Marysville Pilchuck Tomahawks. MP finished 19-8 overall, and went 8-2 in league, ending their season at the Tacoma Dome, where they lost their two games to Eastside Catholic and Bellevue. Seniors Michael Painter and Cole Grinde were two of the four scorers in double digits for the Tomahawks last season. Painter’s ability to score the ball from mid-range and Grinde’s spot up shooting both accounted for a big chunk of the offense for MP, and played a huge role in the team’s playoff run. The other two top scorers were juniors Bryce Juneau and Josh Bevan, the team’s two guards who are now entering their senior season.

Last season, Bevan acted as mainly a three point specialist, punishing defenders with the three ball when they didn’t pressure him, even when he was standing feet behind the three point line. But this season, Coach Barry Gould believes his senior guard’s ability has evolved far past that of just a perimeter threat.

“Joshua is stronger than ever before and is much more than just a 3-point shooter now,” said Gould when asked about his guard combo. He went on to discuss Juneau. “Bryce has the ability to get to the rim and use his penetration to create scoring opportunities for his teammates.”

Juneau’s drive and dish play still will likely compliment players such as Nate Heckendorf, the 6’4 senior who had a huge impact in the rebounding game and defensive effort for the Tomahawks last season. A typical sight at a MP basketball game would be an opposing player going up for a layup that looked as if it had all intentions of going in, only to be pinned against the backboard by the highflying Heckendorf. Look for the big three of MP to have a big impact on the Tomahawks’ season, and possibly another state tournament birth.  

The Arlington Eagles finished third in Wesco 3A North last year with an overall record of 15-9, and a 5-5 record in league. While the Eagles’ league record might not have shaped up to be what they were hoping for heading into the season, it got them into the District Playoffs, where they lost to Marysville Pilchuck in the semifinals, ending their season in yet another nail biter between the two teams. Nathan Aune’s departure, as well as other seniors, has opened up the Eagles roster for anyone to step up and make an impact. Drew Bryson’s sophomore season was filled with a barrage of threes, and an average of 11.5 points per game, which came as no surprise to anyone who has watched the guard play at any other level. This season, the Eagles lack size. However, the small lineup has plenty of speed.  

“We can play the halfcourt, but we like to push the ball,” said Coach Nick Brown when asked on how the offensive focus will be different with such a small lineup.  Along with Bryson, Brown listed some other impact players on the roster, including Donovan Sellgren, a senior guard who has been a consistent performer for the Eagles since his sophomore season, and Brennon Wiersma, the senior post who will be the biggest presence down low for the Eagles.

When asked about the fatigue factor that comes into play when players are on the floor for large periods of time, the Arlington coach said, “Drew doesn’t get tired. In the past we haven’t had to worry about that cause we’ve had a lot of depth. I’ll have to be creative.”

Arlington is known for taking a lot of shots, and with shooters such as Bryson, Sellgren, and other guards such as senior Aaron Carlson, and junior Sam Tregoning, who are all adept perimeter shooters, this season looks to follow suit. When asked how his guards stacked up to the rest of Wesco, Brown responded by saying, “I think I have the best guards in the league.”

Look for the Eagles’ guard play and speed to exploit teams in transition, and open up more opportunities for Wiersma in the post.

Looking at the bottom of the pack, Everett, Oak Harbor, and Marysville Getchell are teams that look to bounce back from poor performances last season. Everett finished 8-15 overall, and 4-6 in league, missing the playoffs. The departure of Everett’s leading scorer, David Popach, who averaged 14.8 points per game last season, has left the offensive load on the shoulders of Chris Bell, a Wesco 3A North Second-Team selection who was second in scoring for the Seagulls.

Oak Harbor finished 3-17 overall, with a 2-8 record in league. Dyllan Harris carried the offensive load for the team, finishing the season averaging 20.7 points per game, the highest in Wesco North. While this statistics shows Harris’s ability to score for his team, the need for other scoring options is apparent as the team finished the season last year with Harris being the only scorer averaging double digits.

Marysville Getchell looks to have a bounce back year, coming off of a season that ended with the Chargers in last place in the league, sporting a 4-16 overall record, with a 1-9 record in league. The Chargers success will rely on their ability to feed the ball to Cameron Burns, the senior post who has the ability to impact games drastically.

Wesco 3A North has always been a hard fought conference, and this year is shaping up to follow that tradition. A battleground for explosive teams and a generator for epic high school basketball moments, this league is in high anticipation, and fans are once again in for a treat.