Here are the Top-25 moments from the 2025-26 athletic season

Now that we're at the end of the season, one of the best things one can do is reflect.

There were a lot of incredible moments over the fall, winter and spring seasons. From state championship game appearances to postseason droughts snapped and the wackiness of some seasons as a whole, there were very few boring moments.

This end-of-season list never gets easier, and sure there are probably some that were missed, but everyone can email the complaints once football season gets underway.

By the way, the date for the first football practice is Aug. 19. Start the countdown.

Here are the top-25 moments of the athletic season from September, 2025 to May, 2026. The countdown begins at No. 25.

No. 25: Centralia girls basketball returns to postseason

It had been four years since the Tigers were able to, at the minimum, taste the Class 2A District 4 tournament. The three seniors of Ayana Saucedo, Makenzie Erickson and Brooklyn Sprague were eighth graders when their program last made the postseason.

A stellar non-league slate and enough league victories put Centralia into the playoffs for the first time since 2022. It was far from easy, but compared to three years ago to the winter, there was a stark improvement.

Even though the Tigers bowed out in the pigtail round, they could make it more of a routine under head coach Austin Danielson.

No. 24: Beavers fight, claw their way to state girls soccer tournament

Co-head coach of Tenino Trevor Fetbrandt called the end of the season, "the conclusion of a chapter, but our book isn't done yet." And while a 6-3 state tournament defeat to Cashmere left a bitter taste, the rest of the season was not.

For the last handful of seasons, the Beavers have been so close, yet so far in terms of competing in the Class 1A Evergreen League. Montesano and Elma have been the standards and Tenino was looking to join the upper echelon.

The Beavers swept Elma and were a couple plays away from giving Montesano a game. With everyone expected back for the 2026 fall campaign, expectations at the blacktop could be sky high.

No. 23: Tenino football upsetting 1A power Cascade Christian

The gridpick board said it all when only our esteemed publisher Chad Taylor picked the Beavers to win their Class 1A Round of 24 state tournament game. He proved to be right.

Tenino waltzed into Sunset Stadium in Sumner and pulled off a three-touchdown stunner. Granted, Cascade Christian was reportedly without its best player, but in sports, the only thing that matters is the scoreboard at the final whistle.

Michael Lanning was a big-time contributor with two rushing touchdowns and a pick. Beavers head coach Darren Tinnerstet simply put afterwards, "We slayed the dragon."

No. 22: Tumwater boys basketball being only 2A program with a state trophy

Probably the first moment where the energy around the T-Birds program felt different was over Christmas break. They pieced together a second half rally to silence 2B Adna on the road. Then came Luke Overbay's buzzer-beating putback versus 3A Kelso just before the final buzzer.

Tumwater was a buzzsaw through EvCo play and gave R.A. Long one of its toughest tests in the Class 2A District 4 title game. The only time the T-Birds were outclassed was in the opening round against Pullman, a 35-point loss.

Whatever magic was bottled up in the non-league season, the Thunderbirds found it to beat Renton and Grandview by a combined three points to take home fourth place. And with mostly everyone back, who knows what the 2026-27 season has in store.

No. 21: Tumwater volleyball going on its own state tourney run

Sticking in South Thurston County and the lone team from the EvCo that gave the GSHL a run for its money this season. Under first year head coach Kennedy Croft, the T-Birds were perfect in the league and made the district title game with a stellar attack, paced by Tove Hugus and Paige Henderson.

Still, by the time Tumwater got to the SunDome, it was a hard-earned fifth place trophy coming back home. It barely survived a five-set thriller versus Archbishop Murphy, needing to win two sets by the score of 27-25.

An experienced bunch and new leader found a way to get the job done.

No. 20: Caleb Von Pressentin turning into a one-man wrecking crew

It was evident the gameplan for Napavine's football team was one job and one job only. Hand the ball to No. 4.

When Grady Wilson exited with a shoulder injury and Tigers head coach Josh Fay needed to re-work his offense, Von Pressentin stepped to the forefront. He finished with nearly 2,000 rushing yards and put the team on his back on several drives.

It allowed Napavine a chance in the playoffs and it got to the Class 2B state quarterfinals, but were unable to get back to Husky Stadium for the third straight season. Yet Von Pressentin, the C2BL West MVP, did nearly everything he could.

No. 19: CC men's basketball goes on a Cinderella run

That headline might warrant a text from head coach Joe Chirhart in disagreement, but there was some outside world magic that sprinkled all over the Trailblazers.

From the shots to beat Pierce to even forcing a game versus Highline to get into the NWAC tournament, to beating Umpqua in the Sweet Sixteen, it was quite the winter for Centralia College.

And it was a sophomore-laden team that went through the wringer a winter ago and came out better for it. Although the Elite Eight loss was one-sided, Chirhart got the program to a spot it hadn't been to in a while.

No. 18: All three Rainier girls cross country runners placing top-10 at state

There isn't a program like the Mountaineers in the area that routinely churns out state-placing runners in recent history. And all three ended up on the podium at the state meet in Pasco. Komaire Robles, Jazzy Shumate and Alexis Myers placed in the top-10 and were a primary reason why Rainier was in contention to defend its state team title.

Shumate is gone as one of the core leaders of the team, but Robles is now a two-time state medalist and Myers got the taste. Plus, head coach Rob Henry finds a way to get his girls to peak at the right time.

No. 17: Adna nearly making it an area head-to-head state football title game

Oh, what could have been. Week 1 featured Toledo versus Adna and the season could have ended with Toledo versus Adna. The Pirates just couldn't finish their end of the bargain versus Tri-Cities Prep in the semifinals.

Yet to even get to the point, with running back Beau Miller hampered and still playing nearly every down, and a junior-heavy roster, shows what a job head coach Aaron Cochran and his staff did in the fall. Now, the job of replacing two all-state tackles looms large - literally and figuratively - for 2026.

The message from Cochran will always be the same: "We have to keep getting better."

No. 16: Banner weekend for the 2As in Tacoma

Four total state champions, all in field events, is nothing to scoff at. It's just the stories associated with the quartet that make it onto this list.

First off, Centralia's Sam Volavola. Comes from Fiji as a sophomore and turns into one of the elite discus and shot put throwers in the state. He won the shot put state title, the first for the Tigers in over seven decades.

Next, Tumwater's Jaxon Budd. The senior is leading the long jump, scratches his next four attempts, then unleashes a state meet record leap of 24 feet, 2 inches on his final attempt and wins his first career state title.

Then, Tumwater's Cody Hayes. A freshman javelin thrower who stunned himself with a massive double digit PR at districts to win, did it again at state with another career-best throw to win his first career state title.

Finally, Tumwater's Owen Reamer. He returned to the high jump after a two-year hiatus and all he did was clear 6-5 and capture his first ever state title.

Just incredible stuff.

No. 15: Rochester vs. Montesano football, top-two game of the year

It was a game in 2024 that was in the rain and mud in Rochester and the Warriors came away with a victory, one that all but sealed a Class 1A Evergreen League title. The 2025 meeting was in Montesano and on the turf.

Rochester nearly did it again. The Bulldogs punched the ball out on a converted fourth down play, converted their own fourth downs and never gave possession back in threatening field position.

The Warriors season eventually ended in the Round of 24, but the game for the league title was a back-and-forth thriller that came down to the finest details.

No. 14: Centralia's boys soccer season was out of this world

The craziness that was the Tigers this spring was unlike anything this area has seen, at least since this version of The Chronicle's two-man sports staff came around.

It all started with a non-league game against Cascade Christian that featured most of the goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Then came the match versus Aberdeen, where the Tigers tallied three unanswered goals in 16 minutes to come away with the win.

The wild Chronicle Cup was one Centralia lost and it nearly blew a lead in the District 4 pigtail game before winning in PK's. And the cherry on top was Damian Corona's double-overtime penalty kick to eliminate arch rival Tumwater in the postseason.

Nuts, nuts and more nuts.

No. 13: Napavine versus Onalaska, top-one game of the year

The rivalry between the Loggers and Tigers is not a top-tier all-around sports rivalry in SW Washington, but it is on the gridiron. There's a serious energy surrounding this game and it was notable from the moment you walked in.

It's helmets clashing at the line of scrimmage nearly every play. It's the runs from Ethan Thayer and Caleb Von Pressentin that ignited an offense. Or the turnovers and missed fourth downs that swung momentum.

So, naturally, a passing play iced the game for Onalaska. Because only Mazen Saade would do something that diabolical, it just had to work, right?

Oh and they're playing again in 2026. Buckle up.

No. 12: Tumwater continues school trend of state tourney trophies

One for the fall, one for the winter and the T-Birds baseball program made it one for the spring. They turned their season around after back-to-back losses to Aberdeen and W.F. West to win the Evergreen Conference and District 4 titles.

Pitching was the primary reason why Tumwater got hot at the perfect time. The trio of Luke Overbay, Jimmy Womach and Braeden Konrad proved to be too much for much of its competition. The only exception was Bainbridge.

It was a thrilling state championship game that Tumwater lost, a 1-0 eight-inning heartbreaker. Head coach Lyle Overbay wanted to send his seniors out on a high note, but the end does include a trophy, something that eluded the program for the last two years.

No. 11: Adna's Olivia Chapman starting out strong

Want to go 4-for-4 in state wrestling championships? Got to win the first. And that's what the Pirates freshman at 190-pounds did at Mat Classic in Tacoma. It was a sport she did through her childhood, took it off and then returned in the winter.

Quite the decision. She ran through the bracket with three straight pins before needing a third period reversal in the finals to hold on.

Chapman now will get the honor of trying to defend her state title in 2027.

No. 10: Class 2B District 4 mayhem

It's never a dull postseason when the best of the C2BL and sometimes P2BL dish out some signature games. And a lot of it was Napavine versus Toledo for all the marbles.

In girls soccer, for the second straight season, it was a penalty shootout in the title game and Napavine came out on top. In boys basketball, an OT thriller in Chehalis gave the Riverhawks a second straight district title. And in softball, a rally by the Tigers and a walk-off home run from Toledo gave it another district trophy.

Add in Rainier close-sweeping Toutle Lake in volleyball, Napavine girls basketball winning its third trophy and Adna softball needing a winner-to-state game to even make it to Yakima.

What in the world will next season have to offer?

No. 9: Tumwater making it back to Husky Stadium, again

You see the schedule on the Tumwater football website. Very up-to-the-finest-detail in order to make sure the T-Birds are playing into November. And for the third straight season, into early December for the state title game.

What remains elusive is leaving Seattle with the top trophy, falling for the third consecutive time. Will the fourth time be the charm in 2026? Only time will tell.

Still, to climb the mountain time and time again, it does showcase how tough it is to win the final game and even get there in the first place.

No. 8: Napavine, Adna boys hoops putting on Purple Out for Coach Jenkin

One of the biggest stories of the winter wasn't even in SW Washington. It was in Colfax, where its boys basketball program was seeing its head coach Reece Jenkin battling cancer. So the Tigers and Pirates put on a Purple Out and raised a ton of money. Everyone in the stands and both teams were decked in purple from opening tip to final buzzer.

More on this piece in a bit, but just a great example of two teams that are bitter rivals coming together as one for a bigger cause.

No. 7: Onalaska's field event prowess at state

Hard to imagine that five guys were the reason why the Loggers left the Class 2B state track and field championships with a third place team trophy. When two of the five combine for 30 points, there is always a chance.

Senior Luke Barrick delivered one final show, resetting his own classification record in the pole vault with a clearance of 16 feet, 5 inches. And Ethan Thayer continued his domination in both the shot put and discus, winning both of them. Nolan Hornsby medaled in those two throwing events and Brodey Triana placed top-five in javelin.

Not too shabby, Loggers.

No. 6: W.F. West softball gave it their all until the very end

The Bearcats, primarily their two pitchers in Taylor and Tanner Tobin, were running on fumes and a desire to win a state title, on the final day of the Class 2A state tournament. It just wasn't enough to beat Mark Morris.

Yet there were some incredible moments. Taylor Tobin tossed two perfect games, Avery Osborn blossomed into a star at second base, Karlee Coleman continued her accession and the offense pushed across runs when they needed to.

And in Selah, the defense had its ups and downs, but no bigger high than Allie Smitherman's bullet to home plate to end the semifinal victory over Archbishop Murphy.

Only one senior departs for 2027. Can W.F. West get back to the title game?

No. 5: Hayden Kaut's heave in the 3rd/5th place game

Kaut just couldn't leave the state basketball tournament with one memorable buzzer-beater. While the one to win the state title game can't be topped, her half-court one-handed heave to force OT in the 3rd/5th place game was jaw-dropping. Or for Tigers head coach Shane Schutz, not jaw-dropping since his back was turned.

Napavine ended up winning that game over Davenport to leave Spokane with another trophy and end her hoops career with one final memory. She's bound for Montana in the fall and could very well be called upon to hit another game-winner.

Can't take away the clutch gene.

No. 4: Race Scalici continues W.F. West lineage with state wrestling title

The room of state champions keeps growing and Scalici's name is the newest one for the Bearcats, going 41-2 to be the final wrestler standing at 157-pounds. His run inside the Tacoma Dome featured a league title and a scare in the second round of Mat Classic.

Yet nothing was going to get in the way of his dreams, one he admitted he's been thinking about for three years. Scalici will head east to King University, an NCAA Division II program, to continue his wrestling career.

No. 3: Adna's improbable run to the state basketball championship game

No one thought the No. 9 seed in the Class 2B state tournament would be in the finals, let alone give Colfax its biggest test. The Pirates somehow, someway, made that all true in Spokane with a runner-up finish that left the winning side in more tears than the losing side.

That's because Colfax's head coach Reece Jenkin passed away a week before the state tournament commenced and it was an emotional scene as soon as the final whistle blew. Even Adna's Luke Salme was not upset, an odd feeling, but a necessary one.

It was Colfax's tournament and everyone knew it. Yet Adna was in the game from the beginning and never wilted under the bright lights.

No. 2: Toledo mirrors 1996 with state runner-up finish

There wasn't a team quite like the Riverhawks during the fall. How they won, the swagger that came with them, the dynamic athletes, it seemed like destiny they would be the state champions.

Destiny wasn't on Toledo's side. It lost to TCP in the title game at Husky Stadium. Although there were tears shed all-around, the Riverhawks slayed several dragons in the process in Napavine and Okanogan despite not playing great in stretches.

A decorated senior class left the gridiron with the runner-up trophy, a site that's become all too familiar for D4 teams in Seattle.

No. 1: Napavine baseball winning the only state title for the area

Came just in the nick of time, too. In all seriousness, what a run by the Tigers to win the whole thing after it looked bleak several times. Down 5-1 in the semis and to come back and win in extras, then beat Tri-Cities Prep on a Beckett Landram bases-clearing triple?

Cinema.

There was belief when practice started that this group could go all the way. Head coach Brian Demarest tempered it slightly, noting that potential can only get you so far. He emphasized all year that how Napavine practices will determine how they'll play.

Maybe a little coach-speak? Sure. Did it work? Well, Napavine brought home the big trophy. So it must have.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 11:22 AM.