With the first practice approaching fast -- don't look, but it's less than three weeks away -- now is the right time to start looking ahead to the upcoming volleyball season. To get the discussion started, here are my early top five in each classification, made without consulting anyone except me. Tell me where I went wrong...

Class 4A
1. Natrona County: I wholly underestimated the Fillies at the beginning of last year, but even before they won the 4A state championship, they had earned my respect. And with basically the entire front line coming back from last year's championship team, they're the odds-on favorites to win this year.
2. Kelly Walsh: The Trojans were actually pretty young last year, and although KW lost some talent, plenty remains -- including last year's Gatorade player of the year, Emily Rochelle.
3. Gillette: The Camels only lost three seniors and are in reloading mode -- not rebuilding mode.
4. Sheridan: Sheridan lost a lot of talent to graduation, but it also returns just enough to stay competitive with the state's top teams.
5. Evanston: The returning Red Devils are quick and athletic, which should help them overcome the big losses they suffered to graduation rather quickly.
(How can I leave out... Star Valley? Lost only three seniors and have an unmatched tradition... D'oh!)

Class 3A
1. Rawlins: Three seniors are gone, including the Outlaws' only all-stater (Myriah Warren), but a solid group of underclass players are more than ready to take their place.
2. Douglas: My instincts tell me to vote the Bearcats high. They have a good group of returners and a strong senior class leading the way.
3. Jackson: Perhaps the state's best player (Kelly Burns) plays here. She's going to play at N.C. State in '09 -- and her presence alone should be enough to make Jackson one of 3A's favorites.
4. Wheatland: The back-to-back state champs were hurt pretty hard by graduation, but there's enough talent returning to make a run at a three-peat.
5. Kemmerer: My early underdogs. The Rangers made state last year for the first time in a loooooong time and return all but one player from that squad.
(How can I leave out... Worland? Yeah, the front line's gone, but basically everyone else is back... D'oh! )

Class 2A
1. Big Horn: Coach Daley has that program in perfect shape for another title run -- he's got athletic players who've bought into the team concept he preaches.
2. Mountain View: Last year's runners-up may be the most athletic 2A team in the state (and them's fightin' words for those Big Horn folks...).
3. Sundance: The Bulldogs have become contenders year in and year out, and even though they lost some talented players to graduation (including two-time all-stater Sidney Materi), they return enough to stay competitive.
4. Thermopolis: The Bobcats have a deep core of talented players and should make life tough again for all those schools up in the Northwest.
5. Wyoming Indian: Only one senior graduated and there is a solid senior class ready to make this season special.
(How can I leave out... Tongue River? Made a deep run at state last year and return a bunch of height... D'oh! )

Class 1A
1. Cokeville: The Panthers are consistent year in and year out, and they've got a load of players back who saw time on the floor last year.
2. Burlington: Burlington will miss a lot of seniors that graduated, but in 1A this year, that's the trend. And the Huskies bring back enough talented players to stay right in the thick of the race, including 2x all-stater Paige Neves.
3. Southeast: The Cyclones were also hurt hard by graduation, but a tough schedule plus depth should yield a talented team come October.
4. Farson: Don't overlook the Pronghorns. They lost only two seniors to graduation and all-stater Jewell Moss is surrounded by an enthusiastic -- if a little young -- team.
5. Hulett: The core of last year's championship team is gone, but the returning players know what it takes to win and will be a threat all season.
(How can I leave out... Arvada-Clearmont? Morgan Mines goes there. All they need is someone to get her the ball... D'oh! )

So there you go. Debate away.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com