Playoff berths still up for grabs in boys tennis
The calendar is just turning to October and already boys tennis teams are looking forward to the beginning of their postseason.
Regular-season play concludes Thursday in both the Sunset and Sunrise Regions.
The top four teams in each league will begin playoff action Saturday, with the top two teams in each league earning a first-round home match.
With most teams having just one match remaining, there’s still some potential jockeying for position in three of the four leagues.
The only league that is set is the Northwest where Palo Verde (8-0) is the No. 1 seed, Centennial (7-1) the No. 2, Shadow Ridge (6-2) the No. 3 and Arbor View (5-3) the No. 4.
In the Southwest, Bonanza (6-0) has clinched the top seed with Bishop Gorman (5-1) having claimed the No. 2 seed.
Clark (4-2) plays at Sierra Vista (4-2) on Thursday. The winner of the match will be the No. 3 seed; the loser is the No. 4.
The Sunset Region first-round playoff matchups on Saturday will be: the Clark-Sierra Vista loser at Palo Verde; the Clark-Sierra Vista winner at Centennial; Shadow Ridge at Bishop Gorman; and Arbor View at Bonanza.
The Sunrise Region is a bit more complicated.
Let’s start with the less tricky Southeast League where Coronado (7-0) has clinched the No. 1 seed and Foothill (6-1) has locked up the No. 2 seed.
Silverado (5-2) visits Green Valley (5-2) on Thursday. The match winner will be the No. 3 seed, with the loser claiming the No. 4 seed.
The Northeast League is another story.
Eldorado (6-0) is home free as the No. 1 seed, but nothing else has been decided.
Canyon Springs (4-2) hosts Rancho (4-2) with the winner claiming the No. 2 seed.
Rancho is in the playoffs either way and would be the No. 3 seed if it loses. If Canyon Springs loses, the Pioneers will need at least a little help.
Las Vegas (3-3) and Valley (3-3) still are alive for postseason play. Even Chaparral (2-4) and Moapa Valley (2-4) could play a factor in placement.
Of those four, Valley is the team that controls its own destiny. The Vikings are in the postseason with a win.
Las Vegas can take away the threat of a potential three- or four-way tie for the final playoff spot if it beats winless Desert Pines, but a three-way tie for third place between Las Vegas, Valley and the Canyon Springs-Rancho loser is a very realistic possibility.
Under the latter scenario, if Rancho loses to Canyon Springs, Rancho and Valley would get in. If Canyon Springs loses, Valley and Las Vegas are in and Canyon Springs is out.
Playoff matchups are expected to be finalized by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association on Thursday night.