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 go-round of regular season games for girls basketball. Everything wraps up Friday night and Sectionals from each Division begin next Tuesday, with semifinals set for Thursday night and championship games on Friday night, Feb. 10  (Division IV girls are Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday).
The top eight teams in each Section advance to the Sectional Tournament, which is single elimination. If a team wins its first game in the Sectional Tournament it should advance to the state tournament.
(All games are 7 p.m.  and records are PP games only through Monday).
Pinnacle at St. …

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 …

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):
Notre Dame at Cactus Shadows (Monday); vs. …

The three-week crush is on everywhere to get one of those 24 playoff spots come February. Appetites were whetted by the terrific Chandler-St. Mary’s matchup last Friday night, but more good stuff is coming quickly.
(All games at 7 p.m.  Records are power point games only as of Monday, Jan. 9).
Xavier at Highland (Monday):  Talk about starting off the week with a bang, the Gators (6-2) and Hawks (6-1) could meet again after this, somewhere along the lines of a state quarterfinals matchup. If you like shooting, defense and fundamentals, this …

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 …

While everyone will (or already has) peek ahead to the upcoming holidays, this week features several power-point-influential soccer matches – boys and girls – before tournament ratchet up again between Christmas and New Year’s.
These are the last power-point matchups for a couple weeks until school resumes at most places in early January.
Obviously it’s too early to worry about power points and where a given school stands in the rankings since most power point games will get crammed into January before the state tournament begins at the very end of January. …

Granted we’re only in December, but the map-wielding journeys have gone in drastically different destinations for a couple former high school basketball teammates that were once supposed to rule the East Valley.
Matt Carlino and Nick Johnson were part of a three-headed monster at Highland. Matt’s father, Mark Carlino, a former Arizona State player who’d made assistant coaching stops at a few schools in the Valley, was hired, and with his influence and club ball ties, Johnson (whose mom lived in Ahwatukee) and others moved to Highland.
The Hawks were a No. …

One of the coolest parts of local-guy-gone-good Ryan Fitzpatrick bringing the Buffalo Bills back from a 21-3 halftime deficit against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, was that it offered a quick reminder to the average high school football player.
To recap last Sunday, Fitzpatrick carved the Raiders secondary (short and deep) for 35 second-half points, including the game-winning touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 with 14 seconds left in a 38-35 win. It was a 14-play, 80-yard drive, and the previously-woeful Bills’ biggest comeback since the unforgettable playoff game against Houston in 1993 …

This is the first time in Ryan Fitzpatrick’s seven-year NFL career that the former Highland quarterback was an opening day starter.
He was solid on Sunday, completing 17-of-25 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns in Buffalo’s rout of the Chiefs.
Fitzpatrick was a three-sport athlete at Highland and was the Fiesta Region MVP as a senior in 2000. He then went on to play at Harvard before getting drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2005.
Here’s an interesting profile on Fitzpatrick from ESPN’s Grantland.com, concentrating mainly on his Harvard background.
Be sure …