Herald Athletic Cup update: Lake Stevens maintains top spot

After an exceptional fall sports season, Lake Stevens High School maintained its lead atop the Herald Athletic Cup standings with another strong showing this winter.

Through the winter season, the Vikings are in first place in the area-wide competition with a total of 103.5 points.

Lake Stevens holds a nine-point lead over King’s, which is in second place with 94.5 points. Glacier Peak is third (74.5 points), followed by Arlington (70 points) and Jackson (55.5 points).

This is the second year of the Herald Athletic Cup, which rewards area schools for their overall athletic performance during the school year. Jackson won last year’s inaugural Herald Athletic Cup.

Schools receive points based on how their teams perform in their respective state competitions for Washington Interscholastic Activities Association-sanctioned sports.

Eight of Lake Stevens’ 11 fall or winter sports teams either advanced to their respective state tournaments or earned a top-16 state finish. (For the purposes of the Herald Athletic Cup, boys tennis is considered a spring sport because its state championships are held in May.)

During the fall season, the Vikings’ volleyball team advanced to the Class 4A state championship match and earned a program-best second-place state trophy.

The Lake Stevens football team reached the 4A state quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years and the girls soccer team advanced to the 4A state tournament for the third consecutive season. The Vikings also placed ninth at the 4A girls cross country state meet and 12th at the 4A girls swim and dive state championships.

In addition, the Lake Stevens boys tennis team qualified a doubles pair for May’s state tournament.

The Vikings then continued their success this winter, with three more teams either advancing to state or earning a top-16 state finish.

The perennial powerhouse Lake Stevens boys wrestling team placed sixth in the Class 4A team standings at the Mat Classic XXXII. The Vikings’ boys swim and dive team finished 10th at the 4A state meet. And their girls basketball team advanced to the 4A state regionals.

Despite all of Lake Stevens’ success, second-place King’s slightly narrowed the gap in the Herald Athletic Cup standings this winter with the accomplishments of its basketball teams.

The Knights’ boys basketball team beat Lynden Christian in overtime to claim the 1A state title for the third time in six seasons. The King’s girls basketball team advanced to the 1A state quarterfinals and finished tied for seventh place. The two teams combined for 39.5 points, which trimmed the gap with Lake Stevens from 13 points after the fall season to nine following the winter season.

Glacier Peak made the biggest jump in points this winter, surging from eighth to third place in the standings with a 49-point season. This winter, the Grizzlies earned a third-place state trophy in girls basketball, a fifth-place state trophy in boys basketball and a ninth-place state finish in boys swimming and diving.

Shorecrest also made a big jump, rising from 15th to seventh place in the standings with a 40-point season. Four of the Scots’ winter sports teams — girls basketball, boys wrestling, boys basketball and boys swimming and diving — either reached state or earned a top-16 state finish.

Schools are awarded 25 points for a state title and 20 points for a second-place state finish. From there, the scoring decreases by one point for every place — all the way down to six points for a 16th-place state finish.

In the case of a tie in state placing, teams receive the average number of points for however many teams were part of the tie. For example, if there is a three-way tie for sixth place, a team would receive 15 points — the average number of points for places six through eight.

The same concept applies to sports where not every state placing is determined. For example, if a soccer team loses in the state quarterfinals, that would be considered a four-way tie for fifth place.

Below is a scoring breakdown for the current top 10 schools in the Herald Athletic Cup standings, as well as a list of the other schools that have scored points.

The final standings will be released following the spring sports season, although the status of spring sports is uncertain at this point because of the new coronavirus outbreak.

1. LAKE STEVENS — 103.5 points

Volleyball: 2nd place — 20 points

Boys wrestling: 6th place — 16 points

Football: state quarterfinals — 15.5 points

Girls cross country: 9th place — 13 points

Boys swim & dive: 10th place — 12 points

Girls swim & dive: 12th place — 10 points

Girls soccer: state first round — 9.5 points

Girls basketball: state regionals — 7.5 points

2. KING’S — 94.5 points

Boys basketball: 1st place — 25 points

Volleyball: 2nd place — 20 points

Girls soccer: 3rd place — 19 points

Girls cross country: 6th place — 16 points

Girls basketball: T-7th place — 14.5 points

3. GLACIER PEAK — 74.5 points

Girls basketball: 3rd place — 19 points

Boys basketball: 5th place — 17 points

Girls cross country: 6th place — 16 points

Boys swim & dive: 9th place — 13 points

Girls soccer: state first round — 9.5 points

4. ARLINGTON — 70 points

Girls basketball: 3rd place — 19 points

Boys cross country: 4th place — 18 points

Girls cross country: 5th place — 17 points

Volleyball: 6th place — 16 points

5. JACKSON — 55.5 points

Boys cross country: 5th place — 17 points

Girls swim & dive: 5th place — 17 points

Boys swim & dive: 8th place — 14 points

Boys basketball: state regionals — 7.5 points

6. EDMONDS-WOODWAY — 53 points

Boys wrestling: 2nd place — 20 points

Girls cross country: 6th place — 16 points

Boys cross country: 12th place — 10 points

Boys swim & dive: 15th place — 7 points

7. SHORECREST — 51 points

Girls basketball: T-7th place — 14.5 points

Boys wrestling: 10th place — 12 points

Girls swim & dive: 11th place — 11 points

Boys basketball: state regionals — 7.5 points

Boys swim & dive: 16th place — 6 points

8. SOUTH WHIDBEY — 41.5 points

Boys cross country: 4th place — 18 points

Girls cross country: 8th place — 14 points

Girls soccer: state first round — 9.5 points

9. SNOHOMISH — 41 points

Girls swim & dive: 9th place — 13 points

Volleyball: T-9th place — 11.5 points

Girls soccer: lost in first round — 9.5 points

Boys cross country: 15th place — 7 points

10. KAMIAK — 38 points

Boys swim & dive: 5th place — 17 points

Girls swim & dive: 8th place — 14 points

Boys cross country: 15th place — 7 points

BEST OF THE REST

11. Marysville Pilchuck — 36 points

12. Marysville Getchell — 35 points

13. Stanwood — 30 points

14. Lakewood — 27 points

15. Darrington — 23 points

16. Shorewood — 22 points

17. Cascade — 18 points

18. Archbishop Murphy — 15.5 points

19. Granite Falls — 13 points

20. Mountlake Terrace — 11.5 points

21. Cedarcrest — 9.5 points

T-22. Meadowdale — 7.5 points

T-22. Grace Academy — 7.5 points

T-24. Lynnwood — 7 points

T-24. Sultan — 7 points