Next 2 weeks are crucial in playoff push

The playoff atmosphere has arrived for the Greenwave.

The Fallon boys and girls tennis teams competed in the team regional tournament last week and now turn their focus to the singles and doubles tournament this weekend. The Lady Wave volleyball team finds itself in a must-win situation if it wants to compete in the regional tournament next week. The football team has already clinched one of the six playoff berths but is seeking that first-round bye.

The girls golf and cross country teams enter postseason later this month while the soccer teams have struggled this year in the win column; the Greenwave continues to improve, although the score may not always reflect it.

Fallon’s tennis teams have a strong chance to send multiple doubles teams to next week’s state tournament.

Seniors Myles Getto and Blake Malkovich are the second-best doubles team in the region, while teammates Thomas Jamieson and Alex Perazzo enter the regional tournament as the No. 5 team. Only the top three finishers advance to state.

For the girls, the unexpected and rapid success of senior Brynlee Shults and sophomore Brooklyn Whitaker give the Lady Wave its strongest contender. Shults is a first-year player while Whitaker is a sophomore but the duo garnered the No. 3 seed for the regional tournament. Junior singles player Jamie Bekiares has the best shot at state.

After having one of its best seasons since joining the 3A, the volleyball team has faced growing pains this year and sits two spots out from qualifying for the regional tournament, which will be played in Fallon next month. Fernley (9-3) has been one of the surprise teams and holds a 0.5-game lead for first. The top four teams each have three losses.

Fallon (4-8) is near elimination as the top six teams qualify for the playoffs. The Lady Wave sits in seventh place, 2.5 games behind South Tahoe (6-5) and needs to win the rest of its games to sneak into the tournament. The road will be tough, however. Three of the top four teams are still on the schedule.

The Greenwave football team (5-1) sits in a three-team tie for second place after Fernley defeated previously unbeaten Spring Creek. Fallon is in the playoffs but the top two teams earn a first-round bye. After the Greenwave faces Sparks tonight, all eyes will be on two games next week. Fallon travels to Spring Creek and Truckee visits Fernley. Truckee is tied for second but Fallon owns the tiebreaker after beating the Wolverines last month.

It’s possible that the top two seeds will be locked up after next week but first, Fallon has to take care of business against Sparks on Senior Night.

While Fallon hasn’t had the successful fall season it did last year, the Greenwave can do some damage on the tennis courts this weekend and get one step closer to that first-round bye on the football field.

Thomas Ranson can be contacted at lvnsports@yahoo.com.