Preseason Preview: 6A Teams to Watch
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The 6A OSAA classification is stacked with tons of talents, with some teams bolstering quite the impressive roster. Five teams poised to do very well are Central Catholic High School, Jesuit High School, Sheldon High School, South Salem High School, and…
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Continue ReadingThe 6A OSAA classification is stacked with tons of talents, with some teams bolstering quite the impressive roster. Five teams poised to do very well are Central Catholic High School, Jesuit High School, Sheldon High School, South Salem High School, and West Linn High School. Jesuit and Central Catholic, who have been powerhouse programs since the 1990s, are sure to dominate yet again. A program that finished at the top of the Three Rivers League last season is West Linn High School and they have become a prominent program the past couple seasons, but have not won a State title since 2007. Two teams oozing with potential are South Salem High School and Sheldon High School which have stacked rosters of upperclassmen.
Here is a look at some key players for these high schools, as well as a few top returning athletes to watch.
(Teams are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of State finish predictions.)
Central Catholic High School
With the Central Catholic High School Rams returning a bulk of their starting line-up from the 2020 season they are poised to be a competitive squad this season. The Rams went 11-2 last season, dropping two matches to Jesuit High School and West Linn High School during culmination week. Fearlessly running the offense, like last season, will be 2023 Mia Starr Mia Starr 5'10" | S Central Catholic | 2023 State #176 Nation OR (also an insanely talented attacker) and 2022 Lauren Stemple Lauren Stemple 5'7" | S Central Catholic | 2022 OR . However, they also have 2024 Delainy Williams Delainy Williams 5'8" | S Central Catholic | 2024 State OR , a setter/right side, so she may make her way into the lineup as well. On the outside, they are returning powerhouse 2022 Elliott Bush Elliott Bush 5'8" | OH Central Catholic | 2022 OR , on the roster since her freshman season. They will have options with 2023 Alycia Wilson Alycia Wilson 5'10" | OH Central Catholic | 2023 State OR , 2023 Sofia Cooper Sofia Cooper 5'11" | OH Central Catholic | 2023 State OR and potentially newcomer 2025 Mia Hunt. Hunt has been trained as a setter for the majority of her career but is listed on the roster as an outside attacker. In the middle, the Rams could place 2023 Sofia Cooper Sofia Cooper 5'11" | OH Central Catholic | 2023 State OR there again, or 2022 Sydnee Jordan Sydnee Jordan 6'0" | RS Central Catholic | 2022 State OR , or 2023 Emily Hegar Emily Hegar 5'10" | MB Central Catholic | 2023 OR . They will also have newcomer 2025 Malia Parker, a quick and dynamic middle blocker, who could fill this position. They graduated their libero Kealani Rosa Kealani Rosa 5'6" | S Central Catholic | 2021 State OR last season, so this position is up for grabs. Will it be 2022 Renee Tassin Renee Tassin 5'2" | DS/L Central Catholic | 2022 OR ? Or 2022 Reagan Zuckerman? Or somebody else entirely? The options are endless!
The season opener for the Rams is next Tuesday (8/31) against Centennial High School.
Follow along here.
Jesuit High School
The Jesuit High School Crusaders, a team that went 12-0 last season, had a huge graduating class last season, so a bulk of their starters will not be returning. However, they had a deep bench last season so these players should be ready to jump into the starting lineup. Some returners that already made a huge impact for the Crusaders were 2022 middle blocker Tess Masingale Tess Masingale 6'3" | MB Jesuit | 2022 State OR (arguably the most dominant middle blocker in the State and a recent Cal Poly commit), 2022 libero Maisie Alexander Maisie Alexander 5'6" | DS/L Jesuit | 2022 State OR and 2023 outside attacker Isabel Patterson Isabel Patterson 5'10" | OH Jesuit | 2023 State #88 Nation OR . They will also be returning defensive specialist 2022 Hannah Nguyen Hannah Nguyen 5'5" | DS/L Jesuit | 2022 State OR (Harvard commit) and 2023 right side Ceanna O’Loughlin Ceanna O’Loughlin 5'11" | RS Jesuit | 2023 State OR . However, I would predict that O’Loughlin will be seen on the outside this season, and we might see Nguyen in the setters position. The Crusaders graduated Alison Buccholz and Peyton Griffin Peyton Griffin 6'0" | S Jesuit | 2021 State OR who had been the previous setters since their freshman seasons. They are also rostering two freshman setters Jackie Carle and Hayden McGehee, so these athletes might be seen running the Crusaders offense. 2024 middle blocker Lilly Lansing Lilly Lansing 5'11" | RS Jesuit | 2024 State OR , who had an impressive club season with Athena 15-1, might be the other middle blocker alongside Masingale.
The season opener for the Crusaders is Thursday (9/9) against Beaverton High School.
Follow along here.
Sheldon High School
The Sheldon High School Irish is stacked with returning talent, with eight returning varsity players. An integral part of this team’s success has been 2023 Beaux Bruegman Beaux Bruegman 5'10" | S Sheldon | 2023 OR who has been running the offense since her freshman year. Another integral part of their success and also a starter since her freshman season is 2023 Kaitlyn Wood Kaitlyn Wood 5'11" | MB Sheldon | 2023 State OR , a bouncy and versatile attacker. Wood could be seen back in the middle or on the outside. On the pins, the Irish will have tons height with Wood, 2022 Olivia Santee Olivia Santee 5'11" | MB Sheldon | 2022 State OR (also an option in the middle), 2023 Gwen Fife Gwen Fife 6'0" | OH Sheldon | 2023 State OR (a recent University of Utah Beach commit), 2022 Keira Vaughn Keira Vaughn 5'10" | OH Sheldon | 2022 State OR , and 2023 Gabbie Harms Gabbie Harms 5'11" | MB Sheldon | 2023 State OR (another option in the middle). All of these athletes are over 5’11” and are destined to dominate. The back row will be lead by either 2022 Alayna Hughes Alayna Hughes 5'8" | DS/L Sheldon | 2022 State OR or 2023 Elle Bruegman Elle Bruegman 5'8" | DS/L Sheldon | 2023 State OR (yes, the twin sister to Beaux). The Irish went 9-1 last season, and with a majority of their starters returning, they are bound to see success.
The season opener for the Crusaders is Thursday (9/16) against North Medford High School.
Follow along here.
South Salem High School
The South Salem High School Saxons are stacked with tons of upperclassmen and varsity returning talent. Last season this team went undefeated, going 14-0. As in the past three seasons, the court will be run by 2022 Laila Leaks Laila Leaks 5'10" | S South Salem | 2022 State OR , the former PrepDig Mountain Valley Co-Player of the Year. On the outside, 2023 phenom Kayleigh Carpenter Kayleigh Carpenter 5'9" | OH South Salem | 2023 State #146 Nation OR is returning, as well as powerhouse 2022 Araeya Watanabe Araeya Watanabe 5'7" | OH South Salem | 2022 State OR . 2023 Brooksie Isham also saw court time last season on the pins, so she is another option. In the middle, 2022 Brookelyn Worst Brookelyn Worst 6'3" | MB Cascade | 2022 State OR , who brings height and power, will be returning. The other rostered middle blocker is 2024 Malena Mathis, who was on the varsity squad last season as well. The former libero for the Saxons, Sarah Kivett, has graduated, so this spot is up for grabs. With three rostered defensive specialists, 2022 Zoe Israel, 2022 Mackenzie Scott, and 2023 Olga Wongkar, the Saxons will have plenty of talent to choose from.
The season opener for the Saxons is next Thursday (9/2) against West Salem High School.
Follow along here.
West Linn High School
The West Linn High School Lions are poised to do well this 2021 season, having gone 11-1 last season, dropping one match to Jesuit High School during culmination week. But they have a definite hole in their line-up: three-year varsity starter and current University of Washington player Audra Wilmes Audra Wilmes 6'2" | OH West Linn | 2021 State OR has graduated. However, with 2022 #1 recruit for PrepDig Rankings, Emily Warmenhoven Emily Warmenhoven 5'10" | OH West Linn | 2022 State OR (Belmont University commit) should fulfill this role as a dominant outside attacker. They will also have options with 2023 Amyah Semau Amyah Semau 5'10" | OH West Linn | 2023 State OR and 2023 Addie Hoover Addie Hoover 5'9" | OH West Linn | 2023 State OR both very capable of dominating on the outside. In the middle, they will have returners 2022 Rayna Reynolds Rayna Reynolds 5'11" | MB West Linn | 2022 State OR and 2022 Ella Nordquist Ella Nordquist 6'0" | MB West Linn | 2022 State OR (Western Oregon University commit), with newcomer to the varsity squad 2022 Kaelin Kehm Kaelin Kehm 6'1" | MB West Linn | 2022 State OR . Running the offense for another season, 2022 Shealyn Cecil Shealyn Cecil 5'5" | S West Linn | 2022 State OR previously ran a 6-2 with Kate Griffin Kate Griffin 5'7" | S West Linn | 2021 State OR . So will she run a 5-1, solo? Or will 2024 sophomore standout Olivia Doel Olivia Doel 5'7" | S West Linn | 2024 State OR be running a 6-2 alongside Cecil? They also have 2022 Karly Moos Karly Moos S West Linn | 2022 OR , a newcomer to the varsity squad, listed as a setter on the roster, so she would be another option for the Lions. Their backrow was previously run by Lily Snook Lily Snook 5'7" | DS/L West Linn | 2021 State OR who took the libero spot from sister Ellie Snook once she graduated. This season they have three rostered seniors listed as defensive specialists: 2022 Audrey Shih Audrey Shih 5'7" | DS/L West Linn | 2022 OR (on varsity as a sophomore, did not play her junior season), 2022 Lila Skates Lila Skates DS/L West Linn | 2022 OR (a varsity returner and college lacrossa commit), and 2022 Kailey Dougherty (a newcomer from junior varsity). They will also have the option of 2024 Caroline Nielsen Caroline Nielsen 5'6" | DS/L West Linn | 2024 State OR , who was the starting libero for the junior varsity team last season. Lots of very solid options for the Lions!
The season opener for the Crusaders is Tuesday (9/7) against Tigard High School.
Follow along here.
Below is a list of some other athletes to keep your eyes out for, that are not a part of the high schools mentioned above, but are sure to dominate for their team:
2022 Leah Agost Leah Agost 6'2" | OH Clackamas | 2022 State OR , OH, Clackamas High School
2022 Taylor Brickey Taylor Brickey 5'11" | OH Summit | 2022 State OR , OH, Summit High School
2024 Maile Chan Maile Chan 5'3" | DS/L Mountainside | 2024 State #156 Nation OR , DS, Mountainside High School
2023 Madison Corpe Madison Corpe 5'10" | S McNary | 2023 State OR , S, McNary High School
2023 Kennedy Cheung Kennedy Cheung 5'2" | DS/L Westview | 2023 State OR , DS, Westview High School
2022 Kate Doorn Kate Doorn 5'10" | S Summit | 2022 State OR , S/RS, Summit High School (Committed: University of Idaho)
2022 Celia Espinoza Celia Espinoza 5'3" | DS/L Mountain View | 2022 State OR , DS, Mountainview High School
2023 Sophie Gregoire-Salagean Sophie Gregoire-Salagean 6'2" | OH Newberg | 2023 State #49 Nation OR , OH, Newbery High School (Committed: University of Oregon)
2022 Laci Jespersen Laci Jespersen 5'2" | DS/L West Salem | 2022 State OR , DS, West Salem High School
2023 Sarah Jones Sarah Jones 5'2" | DS/L Sprague | 2023 State OR , DS, Sprague High School
2024 Elisabeth Levick Elisabeth Levick 6'1" | S Glencoe | 2024 State OR , S/OH, Glencoe High School
2023 Kalista Lukovich Kalista Lukovich 6'0" | OH Nelson | 2023 State OR , OH, Nelson High School
2023 Shannon MacCallum Shannon MacCallum 5'10" | OH Summit | 2023 State OR , OH, Summit High School