After district softball tournaments finished up Saturday afternoon, the WIAA seeding committees met up to put together the brackets for the upcoming state tournaments coming up this week across all classifications. Here are the Chronicle-area teams that qualified for state, and where and who they will play in the coming week.
2A: No. 2 W.F. West vs. No. 15 Sequim - Friday 10 a.m. at Carlon Park, Selah
The Bearcats earned yet another trip to state after an undefeated run at the District 4 tournament, earning dominant wins over Columbia River and Ridgefield before dispatching Tumwater for a district title.
W.F. West finished its season with losses to just 4A Olympia, Tumwater, and Aberdeen. Though the Bearcats earned a favorable No. 2 overall seed, they are on the same side of the bracket as all of their 2A Evergreen Conference counterparts, No. 6 Tumwater — who they have played four times this season already — and No. 14 Rochester.
2A: No. 14 Rochester vs. No. 3 Lynden - Friday 10 a.m. at Carlon Park, Selah
The Warriors punched their first ticket to state in over two decades after a dominant win over Aberdeen in the district third-place game Friday, and their reward will be a tough matchup out of the gate against the No. 3 overall seed, Lynden, on Friday.
Rochester finished third in a tough EvCo league, behind just No. 2 W.F. West and No. 6 Tumwater, and were seeded on the same side of the bracket as their league rivals. If the Warriors can manage to upset Lynden in round one, they would be staring down a potential rematch with Tumwater in the quarterfinals, a team they have played four times already this season.
2A: No. 6 Tumwater vs. No. 11 North Kitsap - Friday 10 a.m. at Carlon Park, Selah
After dropping a tight district final to No. 2 W.F. West, the Thunderbirds earned the No. 6 seed and will play No. 11 North Kitsap in the first round of the state playoffs Friday. The T-Birds lost just twice this season, both to the Bearcats, but were seeded behind multiple teams with worse records.
If Tumwater were to defeat North Kitsap in the first round, it would play either a team they have dispatched four times already this season in EvCo league rival Rochester or No. 3 Lynden.
2B: No. 11 Toledo vs. No. 6 Okanogan - Friday 10 a.m. at Gateway Sports Complex, Yakima
Taking the scenic route through the district tournament, Toledo earned its second straight state trip after battling through to finish fifth in 2B District 4 and defeating District 1 champ Coupeville in a crossover Saturday night. The Riverhawks reward is a matchup with No. 6 Okanogan in the first round, and if they get past the Bulldogs, a rematch with District 4 rival Pe Ell-Willapa Valley in the quarterfinals.
The Riverhawks first matchup is a loser-out contest, if they win, they are guaranteed at least two more games.
2B: No. 10 Rainier vs. No. 7 Liberty (Spangle) - Friday 10 a.m. at Gateway Sports Complex, Yakima
Finishing fourth in District 4, Rainier earned the No. 10 seed in the state tournament and will play Liberty in a loser-out contest on Friday in Yakima. The Mountaineers punched just their second-ever trip to the state tournament after a solid district run, and their first since 2001.
If the Mountaineers can get past the Lancers in the first round, they would play No. 2 Warden in the quarterfinals. A win in the first round means at least two more games of action.
2B: No. 3 Pe Ell-Willapa Valley vs. Toledo/Okanogan - Friday 2 p.m. at Gateway Sports Complex, Yakima
After falling just short in the district championship against Adna, a 14-13 slugfest, the Titans earned the No. 3 seed and a first round bye over in Yakima for the state tournament. PWV will play the winner of No. 11 Toledo and No. 6 Okanogan in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Friday.
Because of the setup, the Titans are guaranteed at least two games at the state tournament, and need just two wins to earn a trip to the state title game Saturday.
2B: No. 1 Adna vs. Kittitas/Forks - Friday 2 p.m. at Gateway Sports Complex, Yakima
Earning the top overall seed in the 2B tournament, the Adna softball team breezed through the district tournament before holding on to a lead against PWV in the district title game Saturday. The Pirates will match up against either No. 9 Kittitas/Thorp or No. 8 Forks in the quarterfinals Friday at 2 p.m.
Because of the setup, the Pirates are guaranteed at least two games at the state tournament, and need just two wins to earn a trip to the state title game Saturday.
