Let the insanity begin.
Just two weeks remain in the regular season for fall sports so crunch time is now. Several programs from around Southern Arizona have already locked up trips to the postseason but many more are still trying to work their way in or fortify their positions.
Here’s a look at what to watch this week:
MONDAY
Football: Thanks to poor weather on Friday night, Tucson gets to have its own version of "Monday Night Football."
Empire hosts Douglas for a 5:30 p.m. Division IV, Section II showdown that was originally scheduled for Friday night, before lightning delays kept the game from getting off.
The host Ravens (3-4) are ranked 28th and essentially must win their final three games to have any shot at earning an at-large bid for the state playoffs.
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Douglas (1-6) has already been eliminated from qualifying for the postseason but could play spoiler by snapping its three-game skid with a win at Empire.
TUESDAY
Girls volleyball: Salpointe Catholic won its second invitational in as many weeks on Saturday. Now the top-ranked Lancers put their perfect record on the line in a huge road match at Ironwood Ridge.
Salpointe can improve to 14-0 in regular-season matches when it travels to play at seventh-ranked I-Ridge on Tuesday night. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Lancers rolled through five matches over the weekend to win the 12-team Lady Falcon Invitational hosted by Catalina Foothills.
I-Ridge enters Tuesday's clash having won four straight matches. Its only regular-season loss against a Tucson-area team this season came on Sept. 9 at Sahuaro.
THURSDAY
Girls golf: Amphitheater senior Jessica Williams gets her final tune-up for the state championships this week in a tri-meet against Marana and Sunnyside at Silverbell. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Williams, who finished 22nd at the girls Division II state meet as junior, holds the No. 3 ranking heading into the final week of the regular season. She trails Taylor Hughes and Kathryn Ottman of Sahuaro.
Thursday’s showdown lines up Williams against Marana’s Marisol Benavidez, who is ranked 13th and should also contend for the individual crown. The 36-hole Division II state championship is scheduled for Nov. 2-3 at Dell Urich.
FRIDAY
Football: A trip to the Division II state playoffs might be out of reach for Canyon del Oro but the Dorados can still shake things up with a win on Friday night.
CDO hosts Mountain View in its final home game this week, with a chance to snap a four-game skid against its nearby rival.
The Mountain Lions (6-2) entered last week’s game at San Tan Valley Poston Butte ranked 12th and will surely move up a couple spots after winning 35-19 for their second straight victory.
CDO (2-6) lost 44-6 at Queen Creek on Friday night but topped Poston Butte 34-28 the week before that.
The two north-side programs haven’t faced off since 2012, when Mountain View won 21-7 for their fourth straight victory in the series. CDO’s last win came at home in 2002.
SATURDAY
Swimming and diving: Several local teams will flock to Amphitheater on Saturday morning for the Mike Ward Invitational, hosted by Rincon/University.
The meet is exactly two weeks before the state championships, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa.
This is the second-to-last state qualifying meet in Tucson; Canyon del Oro hosts the Southern Arizona Regional Qualifier next week at Oro Valley Aquatic Center.
Saturday’s competition begins at 9:30 a.m. at Amphi. The diving portion of the meet will be held at the UA’s Hillenbrand Aquatic Center but the times have not been announced.
