Multiple Whitman County teams represented in state rankings

As Christmas concludes and the days of winter break for schools across Whitman County come to a close, several teams will start back up on the court or on the wrestling mat.

For some teams in the county, as the season starts back up, so will the expectations. Several teams are currently represented in several different rankings from the Associated Press, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and Washingtonwrestlingreport.net.

On the wrestling side of things, Tekoa-Rosalia’s Alexis Taylor is currently ranked the eighth-best 145-lb. wrestler in the small-school girls category, according to the Washington Wrestling Report website. Taylor has posted a 9-3 record this season, with her only loss coming to third-ranked Anna Hume in the Dec. 22 Tri-County Classic in Spokane Valley.

Taylor last year was named as an alternate for the regional wrestling tournament.

For girls basketball, two Whitman County teams occupy the top spot in the 1B and 2B school classifications, respectively.

According to WIAA’s RPI rankings, Colfax is currently the best 2B girls basketball team. The Bulldogs have an 8-0 record and have put up 70 points or more several times this season.

Colfax last year finished second in the state tournament.

For the 1B classification, Clark Vining and his Colton Wildcats are ranked as the best team with a 5-0 record this season.

Colton last year finished fifth in the state tournament.

Also joining Colton in the top three is Oakesdale, which comes in third in the WIAA RPI rankings with a 7-1 record.

Oakesdale did not make the state tournament last year.

Colfax also ranks first in 2B in the Associated Press media poll, Colton ranks second in the 1B category and Oakesdale comes in third according to the Associated Press, as well.

Boys basketball also is receiving its share of notoriety from both the AP and WIAA.

Colfax boys basketball joined their peers in the AP top 10 for boys basketball, coming in at seventh with a 6-1 record. Colfax last season finished fourth in the state tournament. WIAA ranks the Bulldogs ninth in their RPI rankings.

For the 1B Whitman County teams, Oakesdale barely missed the top 10 in both rankings, coming in at 11th in the WIAA’s RPI rankings and receiving votes, but barely missing out on the top 10 in the Dec. 21 AP media poll with a 6-2 record.

The Nighthawk boys did not make the state tournament last season.

The next highest-ranked 1B boys basketball team in Whitman County is the Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves, who rank 21st according to the WIAA with a 5-2 record and have received votes earlier in the season for the AP media poll. Tekoa-Rosalia also didn’t make the state tournament the previous year.

The on-court and on-mat success of the aforementioned teams is not the only recognition that Whitman County is seeing, either.

Garfield-Palouse is currently fourth on the 1B leaderboard for the WIAA scholastic cup, which accounts for the athletic and academic achievements of schools for the entire school year. Oakesdale is currently in eighth place.

Oakesdale’s volleyball team accounted for most of its points from the athletic side, winning the state tournament on the heels of an undefeated season, and Garfield-Palouse’s athletic points can be pointed to its cross country team, which saw every single member go to the state championships.

With more than halfway to go in the season, there are openings for other Whitman County schools to climb their way into the rankings, as well as other teams to slip, and the Scholastic Cup still has a whole spring season to account for, in which anything can happen.

But for now, Whitman County is showing that they can’t be underrated as the latter half of the winter sports season begins.