The day before the Chaparral boys basketball team concluded the regular season, coach Damin Lopez didn’t think his team had a prayer of qualifying for the state tournament.
But a well-known face from a local competitor told him differently.
Chaparral defeated Tolleson, 81-73, on Feb. 2, and Lopez went to dinner with his father, David, and brother, Eli, after the game. David Lopez is the former coach of St. Mary’s and is now assisting Eli at Mountain Ridge.
Damin originally thought a Jan. 24 loss to Desert Mountain ended his team’s postseason hopes, …

The moment of truth regarding the alleged power points error is getting closer.
As I said late last week, it looks like the Perry boys basketball team may get squeezed out of the state tournament because of the alleged flaw exposed by a local engineer.
The Pumas did not qualify for their section tournament, and currently sit No. 22 in the power points. Normally, it would leave Perry with a very good chance to qualify for state, but the alleged mistake now makes it more perilous.
Here’s why:
Desert Mountain (No. 24 overall), Chaparral …

There is a very interesting story on our website today in which a local engineer and power points guru exposes an alleged flaw in the power points system.
If his allegation is correct, then teams that play more power point games are inadvertently rewarded for simply playing the extra games. Wins magnify the problem more, but if the claim holds true, even losing the extra game is likely to benefit a team.
This is very important because it may alter the landscape of the boys and girls boys basketball tournaments.
There are several real-world examples …

It’s the final week of the regular season as all final matches take place Thursday night. With the new division/section alignment, 9 automatic qualifying spots for the state tournament (top 3 in each section based on power points) and seven other at-large bids based on PP, it’s going to be a wild finish with many schools playing 2-3 matches this week, and a lot of really good teams will be left out to dry.
(All records are power point matches only as of Monday afternoon):
Perry vs. Mesquite  (Monday); at Mountain Pointe …

Don’t look now, but the calendar is creeping toward February, which means not only do basketball and soccer postseason tournaments get underway — and the way divisions and sections shake out, competitively both those sports’ postseasons figure to be something special — but football vacancies will be filled.
Chaparral fired the first shot in promoting longtime offensive coordinator Dave Huffine, which surprised no one given his accumen, former coach Charlie Ragle’s endorsement (which, like it or not, resonated) and Huffine’s understanding of the beast that Chaparral’s program has become.
Other dominoes will …

Chaparral star forward Joe Boyd’s long-awaited return from a foot injury could be delayed, but for a different reason.
Boyd posted on Twitter this morning that he is puking and getting sick, which may keep him out of tonight’s game against Westwood.
Boyd has been out since injuring his foot in the second game of the season against Glendale Deer Valley. He had 23 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in the season opener against Cactus Shadows and is one of the top forwards in the East Valley.
The Firebirds are currently No. …

Similar to the boys side, the girls schedules are back in-full (and possibly overload) coming down the stretch with only three more weeks of regular season action left, and a lot of schools facing a lot of matches in not-a-lot of days.
(Records are power point matches only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Gilbert at Highland (Tuesday):  Gilbert-school matchups rarely disappoint, and the high-powered Hawks (5-1) and steady Tigers (4-1) shouldn’t either. Highland won 4-2 in the first meeting on Dec. 21. Given the remaining schedule, Gilbert might have the best chance …

With school in full-swing again, relentless schedules for the next few weeks while games get crammed in to fit and the power points race a jumbled mess, here are some boys soccer matches to see this week.
(Records are of power point matches only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Tempe Prep at Seton Catholic (Monday):  The Sentinels are riding high at 6-0 in PP matches and have a legitimate chance to run the table, but the Knights (5-2) have other ideas. Seton also has to travel to Horizon Honors (5-2) on Thursday, …

Not to be outdone there are some pretty good girl’s basketball matchups this week as power point play resumes in full swing.
(Records are power point games only as of Wednesday morning).
Mountain View at Red Mountain (Wednesday):  The Toros have been every bit as good as advertised so far, going 7-0 in power point games and good showings in a out-of-state tournament in California as well as the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Lions have won five consecutive power point games, and this will be its biggest test since a two-point …

Chaparral coach Charlie Ragle accepted an administrative role with Rich Rodriguez at the University of Arizona, which results in the most prominent coaching vacancy among East Valley football programs since John Wrenn left Hamilton in 2006. Glendale Mountain Ridge coach Steve Belles was chosen as his successor, and the Huskies haven’t missed a beat.
The Firebirds would love to find similar success in their post-Ragle world, and though Chaparral principal Gayle Holland said Tuesday the school won’t do anything in the hiring process until January, I think it makes sense for …