Washington high schools will be reclassified on Jan. 4 and we could see some big changes that dramatically shift the high school sports landscape.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has released the preliminary numbers it uses for classifying schools. You can view the information here. However, these numbers are not final.

Fifty-nine schools are have elected to choose between wanting to compete in the classification their enrollment places them in or opting up to a larger classification. These schools must submit their decisions by Dec. 15. What these schools decide will greatly affect the “bubble” schools that have decided to compete in the classification they are placed in.

Here’s a list of South Sound schools on the “bubble.”

1A/2A bubble
Vashon
Hoquiam
Orting
Elma
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Just in time, the high school hoops season gets going this week with some impressive tournaments, non-conference contests and league games. Here are some of the big ones:

Tournaments

Girls: Carly Stowell Invitational at Kentlake
Mount Si vs. No. 1 Seattle Christian, 5 p.m. Monday
Kentlake vs. Puyallup, 7 p.m. Monday
(Losers play losers and winners play winners at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday)
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CLASS 4A
Semifinals
Ferris 46, Skyview 41– Final
No. 2 Skyline 31, No. 1 Bothell 26– Final

Final
Ferris (10-3) vs. No. 2 Skyline (11-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Tacoma Dome

CLASS 3A
Semifinals
No. 3 Liberty 17, No. 2 Lakes 14 — Final
No. 1 Bellevue 19, No. 4 Union 13 — Final
Final
No. 3 Liberty (12-1) vs. No. 1 Bellevue (11-2) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tacoma Dome

CLASS 2A
Semifinals
No. 5 Spokane West Valley 24, No. 1 Ellensburg 17 — Final
…

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No. 3 Liberty kicked a field goal with no time left to beat No. 2 Lakes 17-14 in the Class 3A state semifinals.

Co-MVP: Christina Boddie, Senior, South Kitsap; Kaitlin Pavlovich, Senior, Bellarmine

Coach of the Year: Julie Cain, South Kitsap

First Team
Goalkeeper
Megan O’Keefe Senior Stadium
Holly Sieler Senior South Kitsap
Forward
Kelsey Witker Sophomore Bellarmine
Stephaie Hamilton Sophomore Bellarmine
Josie Graybeal Senior Gig Harbor
Sammi Thompson Senior Olympia
Lexi Fezenbek Sophomore Olympia
Becca Schoales Frosh South Kitsap
Angela Celedon Sophomore Wilson
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CLASS 3A

No. 3 Liberty (11-1) vs. No. 2 Lakes (12-0), 1 p.m., Tacoma Dome
The lowdown: Two teams with two different routes to today’s semifinal. Lakes dominated opponents, not allowing a point in its three postseason games. Liberty on the other hand was staring at the possibility of its season ending in each of its three playoff games, including the last two where the Patriots had to overcome fourth-quarter deficits.
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Selecting The News Tribune’s All-Area football team is always difficult. There are so many worthy candidates for a limited number of spots. For instance, there were seven running backs in our coverage area that rushed for more than 1,700 yards and we’ve got three running back slots to fill.

For the record, eligible players come from the Narrows League, SPSL North, SPSL South, SPSL 3A, WCC, Nisqually League and Evergreen Conference.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ANTHONY MERAY, Bethel
Running Back/Defensive Back, 5-9, 185, Senior
Bio: When defenses faced Bethel, stopping Meray was priority No. 1. No team ever fully completed that task. Meray rushed for at least 126 yards in every game and topped 200 yards in four contests, finishing with 2,003 yards on 286 carries. Meray set the SPSL single-season record for all-purpose yards with 2,741 and finished with 29 total touchdowns.

COACH OF THE YEAR
RANDY DAVIS, Cascade Christian
Bio: When the season began, Davis, a Wilson High School graduate, had four starters back from the team that reached the Class 1A state finals in 2008. Cascade Christian didn’t miss a beat in 2009, rolling through the Nisqually League 1A/2B for its third consecutive league title. The Cougars toppled top-ranked Montesano in the quarterfinals to earn a return trip to the semifinals.

Click below for the full team.
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We completed our high school basketball previews on Wednesday with looks at the Nisqually League and Evergreen Conference. If you missed them or any others, click here to find our feature stories and league-by-league capsule previews of the Narrows’ Bay and Bridge division, SPSL North, SPSL South, SPSL 3A, Nisqually League and Evergreen Conference.

I’ve listed here The News Tribune’s preseason boys and girls Top 10 rankings for 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. I’ve put an asterisk next to the defending state champion in each classification for reference. Geeze, just noticed we have six defending state champions ranked No. 1, including all four boys teams. Any guesses on the odds of that happening?

BOYS
CLASS 4A
1. Federal Way*
2. Gonzaga Prep
3. Todd Beamer
4. Kentwood
5. Walla Walla
6. Ferris
7. Jackson
8. Garfield
9. Lincoln
10. Decatur
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