One week to go.
In exactly seven days (May 14 at 7:30 p.m.) the Division I (and Division II) softball state champions will be crowned at ASU’s Farrington Stadium (a fine place to hold a couple championship games). For two schools, the dream of playing inside a college stadium for 90 percent of softball players will be realized. For the fortunate few, it could be an appetizer for what they’ll be lucky enough to experience at the college level.
A few different paths will diverge to reach next Monday. One school only …

The heat is on.
Thermometers will creep up into the mid-90s on Saturday, and intensity should uptick as well as the quarterfinals (winner’s bracket) or elimination games begin Saturday morning (9 a.m. for Div. III and IV) and continue through mid-afternoon (Div. II at 11 a.m. and Div. I at 1 p.m.) at Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix.
It’s nothing new for Div. III and IV. Friday’s second-round matchups for the likes of Valley Christian (vs. Phoenix Country Day) and Tempe Prep (Pusch Ridge Christian) have been win-or-go-home from the start.  …

Before we take a look at the Division I softball state tournament matchups on Thursday  night – and there are a couple doozies – best of luck to Valley Christian, Scottsdale Christian and Tempe Prep as those schools begin the Division IV state tournament journey on Wednesday afternoon.
Unfortunately it’s single elimination format and the brackets don’t yield favorable matchups (especially in Friday’s possible second round), but nothing spells unpredictability like smaller-school state tournaments.  Good luck.
Farewell to Division II, as the three East Valley representatives Saguaro, Queen Creek and Notre Dame …

Round one is in the books, a Saturday filled with some drama, blowouts and a few surprises (congrats to Chandler and Desert Vista) sets up a few interesting matchups on Tuesday.
This is the last “elimination” round of the tournament, which means the winners on Tuesday advance to the final eight in Division I or Division II and will have a double-elimination format the rest of the way (until obviously the championship games).
All games at 4 p.m.:
Division I
No. 16 Perry at No. 1 Basha:  The Pumas have won 10 consecutive games …

This is it:  The last of the regular season matchups. All teams vying for playoff positions, “bubble teams” trying to get into the top-24, and jostling for one of those top 8 seeds (especially in Div. I and Div. II) have until Wednesday evening to determine whether summer vacation begins early.
The top 4 teams in each Section (based on power points) are automatic entrants, with the remaining 12 spots based solely on power points.
We’ll update the state tournament brackets as soon as they’re posted late this week.
Let’s get to it.
(All …

And then there were two. As in, two weeks of regular season action left before the softball state tournaments begin in earnest on April 28.
The playoff push begins now, because teams who wait until next week to try and make a move could easily be left on the lurch.
(All games are 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All records are power point games as of Monday morning):
Xavier at Basha (Tuesday):  The Gators took last week off for their (late) spring break, and are No. 1 in power points at 13-0. The …

The softball schedule is a little more muddled and unpredictable this week with a few tournaments going on (namely the Marcos de Niza-McClintock Spring Break tourney), but here’s a smattering of (mostly) power point games worth watching around the East Valley this week.
(All records are power point games as of Monday):
Tuesday
Gilbert vs. Desert Ridge (10 a.m. at Marcos de Niza H.S.):  Desert Ridge got off to a strong start in the Red Mountain tournament early this season, then lost to Red Mountain, but beat Mountain View in PP games. A …

Xavier’s softball team is hosting a spring tournament later this week.
It’s a five-team tournament (Xavier, Campo Verde, Peorial Centennial, Seton Catholic, Mountain Pointe) held at Rose Mofford Softball Complex (9833 N. 25th Ave., Phoenix).
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday March 8
1 p.m.:  Campo Verde vs. Centennial (Field 3);  Seton Catholic vs. Mountain Pointe (Field 4)
3 p.m.:  Centennial vs. Seton Catholic (Field 3); Xavier vs. Campo Verde (Field 4)
Friday March 9
1 p.m.:  Campo Verde vs. Mountain Pointe (Field 3);  Xavier vs. Centennial (Field 4)
3 p.m.:  Centennial vs. Mountain Pointe (Field 3); Xavier vs. Seton …

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 …