This weekend will be nothing short of Greenwave excitement as the postseason begins in the Northern Division I-A.
The baseball and softball teams travel to Dayton for the four-team, double-elimination regional tournament, while the track and field team journeys to Fernley for the regional meet. In Carson, the swimming team will be in action, while the boys golf team sends three qualifiers to the state tournament Monday and Tuesday in Truckee.
While only the softball team has won multiple state championships since the realignment in 2010-2011, capturing the programs’s fourth title this decade will not be easy.
Fallon’s 21-3 league record gave the Lady Wave the No. 2 seed, and they take on Lowry today, while top seed Fernley entertains No. 4 Elko. The winners square off later in the day while the losers will have little time to regroup and keep their season alive.
DI-A softball has centered on Fallon and Fernley since they rekindled their cross-valley rivalry five years ago. Both teams met in each of the last two state title games with Fernley winning in 2013 and Fallon last year. Expect nothing different this season as Fernley came back with two wins after Fallon opened the season series with a victory in March.
Only the top two teams advance to state and like the 2013 postseason proved, winning the regional doesn’t necessarily equate to winning the state championship.
Like Fernley is to Fallon in softball, Elko has been one of Fallon’s biggest rivals in baseball.
Both teams didn’t meet in last year’s tournament, but Elko has had the upper hand in the previous two postseasons. After Fallon won the three-game series in Elko on its way to the state title in 2011, the Indians ended the Greenwave’s season in the state tournament three years ago and then sent them into the loser’s bracket in 2013 in Winnemucca.
Fallon, though, won this season’s series against Elko and clinched the No. 1 seed last week against South Tahoe, the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Fallon takes on No. 4 Spring Creek this morning while Elko and South Tahoe battle afterwards.
In Fernley, the boys and girls track and field teams look to build on last week’s strong performance at Lowry. Elko has been strong on both sides all season but with the right breaks, Fallon should finish in the top three in the boys and girls divisions. Don’t count the Greenwave boys out from winning the regional, although Elko has been more consistent this year.
In the pool, the Lady Wave capped off the regular season with a sweep last weekend while the boys’ team couldn’t replicate. Nevertheless, this weekend’s a second chance for Fallon to make a big splash and qualify many for next week’s state meet in Carson.
Three golfers are in the mix for a state appearance in Truckee next week. Fallon concluded the regular season this week and only the top six golfers from non-qualifying teams advance to the state tournament.
Like every spring season, this year will challenge the previous as Fallon gears toward bringing home some state hardware.
How many will it be for 2015? One? Two? Or even four like in 2011?
Time will tell in 10 days.
Thomas Ranson can be contacted at lvnsports@yahoo.com.