By Kennedy Dowse & Steven Hamann

Located just 6 miles outside of Yakima, and only a 12 minute drive from the SunDome in Yakima, a school of just about 1,000 students plays host to a boys’ basketball team with a rich history. The Vikings of Selah have not had a losing season since the 2014-2015 season. This year Selah finished with a 19-2 regular season record while averaging 72.5 points per game, and a first place finish in the 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC). The Pepper family runs Selah basketball - with Jackson and Levi going on to play JuCo ball, and Noah playing Division II ball at Central Washington, but the most impressive Pepper, Elijah, went on to play in Division I, playing for the UC Davis Aggies. Not only that, but he is the Aggies all-time leading scorer and currently plays pro ball for the Perth Wildcats in Australia - the same team as 3-time NBA champion Luc Longley and 2nd overall NBA draft pick Alex Sarr played for. Basketball runs deep in Selah, and it’s a family affair. (They are not all brothers, for the record. Jackson and current junior star player Oliver are brothers, and their cousins are the brothers of Levi, Noah, and Elijah.)

The Viks’ two regular season losses came to 3A Mercer Island (a team that missed districts, weirdly enough), and a West Valley team that got a top 8 seed in the 4A state tournament and did not lose a league game. The Vikings and Rapids share one common opponent - the Spudders of Ridgefield who paid Yakima County a Christmastime visit and lost to the Vikings by 16 on the road. The Rapids played the Spuds thrice - once in Ridgefield, once in Hazel Dell and once in Kelso - winning those games by 11, 10, and 17 respectively. The metrics favor the Vikings in this one - but looking at the simpler numbers makes this game unsure. This is the penultimate chance for the Vikings to win a State championship, rallying behind a member of this generation of the Pepper family, which would be especially nice after finishing as state runners-up twice in the last decade, and making the semifinals on another occasion. The Vikings want victory, and Oliver Pepper is the star they rally behind. The youngest Pepper scored his thousandth varsity point just three games ago in a district tournament game against the Prosser Mustangs, and he looks to have many more across this time in Yakima and his time at home in Selah next year, fighting for collegiate aspirations. For now, however, his focus is on the 84 foot long court in the Heart of Central Washington.

Selah is home to 3 notable alumni, two of which are athletes. The first notable alumni that graduated from Selah High School is Craig Cupp. Cupp is a former professional football player (quarterback) in the NFL from 1990-1991 with the New York Giants, Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys, before moving on to the San Antonio Raiders and Montreal Machine, in the World League of American Football. He is also the father of Cooper Cupp (current wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams). The other professional athlete to graduate from Selah is Carter Young. Carter Young was drafted in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Young played two seasons in the O’s farm system, batting .249 and hitting 4 home runs. The third and final notable alumni from Selah High School is Garret Dillahunt, an actor that has starred in a variety of shows over his career including “Raising Hope” and “Fear the Walking Dead.”

Columbia River looks to fend off Selah in the Yakima Valley SunDome on Wednesday, March 4th, in the round of 12 of the Washington 2A State tournament. It’s win or go home for the Rapids and Vikings. We’ve just met the foe.