Power rankings: Who has the best shot at prep state titles?

High school sports’ busiest weekend of the year has arrived.

The Washington prep state championships for spring sports take place this weekend. State champions in baseball, softball, boys soccer, girls and boys track and field, and girls and boys tennis will be determined Thursday, Friday and Saturday at various locations around the state. And there are a number of local athletes and teams who have great chances of winning a state championship.

Here are my power rankings of locals who could win state titles (with the exception of girls and boys golf, as those tournaments happen earlier in the week and are already underway):

8) Class 3A softball

While there isn’t one particular local team that’s a big favorite, collectively the odds are favorable as five of the 20 teams are from Wesco. Take your pick between Snohomish (the defending state runner-up), Everett (the District 1 champion) and Stanwood (which had the largest run differential in Wesco). The seeds are not high as a consequence of beating up on one another in league play, as well as plenty of non-league games against a brutal Wesco 4A. But softball is probably the sport Snohomish County does best.

7) Mateo Ganje, Glacier Peak boys 100 and 200 meters

Ganje, a junior, heads into state with the top marks in the state among Class 4A athletes in both the 100 (10.63 seconds) and 200 (21.55), making huge jumps from last year when he didn’t qualify for state in an individual event. Ganje does face stiff competition, however, particularly from Skyline’s Cameron Weir, who won head-to-head in the 100 at the Class 4A District 1/2 Championships.

6) Edmonds-Woodway baseball

The Warriors may not be a juggernaut — they are the No. 7 seed in the Class 3A tournament, and they don’t have any wipeout pitchers or superstar hitters. But what Edmonds-Woodway does have is plenty of scrappiness, good karma from having won its first two state games in walk-off fashion, and the fact the Warriors only need to win two games to be champs, where softball teams need to win four or five.

5) Rylie Gettmann, Shorewood girls tennis

Gettmann, a junior, is undefeated this season, having cruised to the Class 3A District 1 singles championship without dropping a set. She placed fourth in singles at the Class 3A state tournament last year, and two of the three players who finished ahead of her were seniors.

4) David Brown, Lake Stevens boys 110-meter hurdles

Brown, a senior, has the state’s fastest time in the 110 hurdles this season (14.11 seconds), and among Class 4A athletes it’s the best time by more than three-tenths of a second. Brown has plenty of state experience, finishing third at state last year. And I love the fact that his nickname “Boogy” is included in his Athletic.net profile.

3) Jackson softball

What’s not to like about the Timberwolves? They are the defending Class 4A state champions. They have their big guns back from last year, including star pitcher Yanina Sherwood. And they have slugger Allie Thomsen at 100% after she missed most of last season injured. The big obstacle in Jackson’s way is Skyview, which is undefeated and beat Jackson 1-0 early in the season.

2) Ben Lee, Jackson boys tennis

It’s always difficult to get a good read on boys tennis, considering the season is in the fall and the state tournament is in the spring. But Lee, a junior, is the heavy Class 4A singles favorite on paper. He’s the defending champion, and last year he dropped a total of just nine games in four matches in romping to his title, which he won 6-0, 6-2 over Bellarmine Prep’s Vasanth Ramachandran.

1) Shukurani Ndayiragije, Everett boys high jump/triple jump/long jump

What elevates “Shuku” to the top spot is the fact he doesn’t have just one great shot at a state title, he has three. The senior is ranked No. 1 in the state among Class 3A jumpers in both the high jump (6 feet, 10 inches, which is four inches above the rest of the field) and triple jump (47-9 1/2) and ranks second in the long jump (22-11 1/2). Each event will be contested on a different day, too, meaning he’s sheltered from bad-day syndrome.