It's that time of year again when the regular season gets more or less erased and each qualifying team takes its best shot at the regional title with the onset of the fall playoffs.
In football, Douglas has already sealed up the No. 2 seed in the Sierra League and will most likely play host to Reed in the first round of the regional playoffs next week.
This of course, would be a rematch of the season-opener, a game in which the Raiders ran all over the Tigers. The Douglas offense never really got going, and the Raiders were able to capitalize on early mistakes to the tune of 31 first-half points. Reed would have to get over the blowout mindset and Douglas would obviously have to avoid the penalties and mistakes (2 interceptions, 1 fumble and 12 penalties for 75 yards in the first meeting) for either team to have success.
One scenario would keep the Raiders away from Minden in round one. If Spanish Springs can knock Reed off in the regular season finale this week, the Cougars would be coming down here while Reed would face off against Reno in the first round.
The Tigers will be bracketed with either Galena or McQueen and North Valleys. Only one team from the Northern 4A goes to state this season, which means Douglas would have to win three times in the playoffs to make the trip to state.
In volleyball, Douglas can clinch the Sierra League title with a win at Reno Thursday. The Tigers will either face Galena or Fallon in the first round, both of which they've beaten previously this season.
Again, with only one state berth at stake, the Tigers would need three wins to make the trip. Of interest, Reno is Douglas' only loss to a Northern Nevada team this season and the Tigers have lost just once against Nevada teams (a 2-1 match against Durango during the opening weekend) in tournament play so far.
In boys' soccer, Douglas clinched the No. 2 seed and will take on High Desert No. 3 Elko in the first round at 2 p.m. Saturday at Damonte Ranch. The Tigers beat the Indians in Elko 2-1 during the opening weekend, but Elko has been much-improved since. It should be a good matchup.
A potential rematch with Wooster awaits in the second round. The teams split during the regular season.
A win in the second round would secure a trip to state for the Tigers, but getting there could be a tough road.
In girls' soccer, a variety of situations could crop up out of Tuesday night's match between South Tahoe and Douglas.
The Vikings have already claimed the league title, but a Tiger win could propel Douglas into second place, by virtue of having more wins than Carson.
A tie Tuesday night would give Carson the No. 2 seed by virtue of the Senators' win over Douglas earlier in the year, while Douglas would take the No. 3 seed.
If South Tahoe wins Tuesday night, Douglas would remain No. 3 and Carson would finish No. 2. Reno appears to have clinched the final playoff spot in the Sierra League.
The first round will be Friday at Damonte Ranch and Douglas will face either Spanish Springs or Elko, depending on Tuesday night's games. Both schools feature tricky squads that have posted some impressive wins this season, but Douglas has not seen either team yet in competition.
Douglas' cross country teams may stand the best shot to make some noise at the regionals this year. Senior Whitney Lindsey comes in as one of the strongest runners in the Northern 4A, and if she can win Thursday's regional championship at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno, she'd become Douglas' first-ever female individual champion.
She'll be pushed by teammate Taylor Biaggi, a junior who has also put together an impressive season, and if Douglas can stay strong through its middle runners, the Tigers may have a shot at their first team title since 1998.
Look for Derrick Jenkins on the boys' side to have a strong race, and again, if Douglas can group together with its middle runners, the Tigers may be looking at a state berth as a team.
The top four teams in both the boys' and girls' races advance to state.
Since the birth of our daughter seven weeks ago, I've discovered an entirely unfair late-night advertising scheme by Tylenol for its Tylenol PM product.
I know you've all seen them " The commercials start out with gratuitous shots of people sleeping soundly. Nothing wrong with that.
But after midnight, the frequency of the spots kick up to a literal blitz at one for every commercial break. During one break last Friday, it actually ran twice.
The message? These people are sleeping, and you are not.
For someone who is ill, I'm sure it makes perfect sense. For new parents, not so much.
I have to thank NBC, however, for subtly trumping Tylenol's sleep-inducing ability by continuing to televise Last Call with Carson Daly.
Based on the cumulative votes in the Sierra Nevada Sports Media poll, here are the top-ranked overall athletic programs based on football, boys' soccer, girls' soccer and volleyball so far this season.
1. Reno, 208 points
2. Douglas, 197 points
3. Truckee, 192 points
4. Reed, 172 points
5. McQueen, 159 points
If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional football honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like this week:
1. Zack Parker (Reed); 2. Brock Peterson (Douglas); 3. Jacob Anderson (Galena); 4. Styker Ngongseke (McQueen); 5. Chris Castellanos (North Valleys)
