With calendars moving to April this week, the temperature will only continue to rise while the games and matches begin to get even more meaningful.
Section play is in full swing for all sports and the spring postseason is just weeks away, starting with the singles and doubles tennis state tournaments that begin April 24.
Here’s a look at what to watch this week:
MONDAY
Baseball: Ironwood Ridge coach Dennis Toia will have his first of three attempts to clinch his 100th win this week when the Nighthawks host Pueblo for a 4 p.m. game.
The week will only get tougher from there as I-Ridge travels to Salpointe Catholic on Wednesday and then plays at Sunnyside on Friday night.
The Nighthawks (14-3) have won seven of their last eight games since a 6-4 loss at Sahuaro on March 10. Not only would a win Monday be a milestone for Toia, but it would also match the team’s total from last season when it finished 15-12 and missed the state tournament for the first time in Toia’s five years as coach.
TUESDAY
Boys tennis: Tenth-ranked Nogales can win its fifth straight match Tuesday when it faces Pueblo at 3:30 p.m.
The Apaches (5-2) have been perfect outside of losses to Salpointe Catholic and Catalina Foothills, the top two teams in Division II. Junior Alexis Ton and senior Alan Soto-Hopkins led the way last week as Nogales notched wins over Ironwood Ridge, Cholla and Canyon del Oro in a span of three days.
Although Pueblo is coming off back-to-back losses, the Warriors have one of the area’s best players in Roberto Cota, who reached the singles state quarterfinals last spring.
THURSDAY
Boys volleyball: Two east side teams will renew their rivalry this week – on the volleyball court – when Cienega hosts Sahuaro for a 6 p.m. showdown.
The visiting Cougars have won three straight regular-season matches, capped off by a five-set win against Canyon del Oro last week when Sahuaro senior Jack Doyle had 14 kills and two aces.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats have won five straight nontournament matches and earned a four-set win against previously-undefeated Marana last week behind 11 kills and two aces from senior Kadin Kramer.
FRIDAY
Softball: One year removed from a two-win season, Rincon/University is 14-4 and coming off a big win against Division III power Empire last week. Melissa Mange and the Rangers also took down two-time Division IV defending champion San Manuel in a tournament over the weekend.
Rincon faces one of its toughest tests of the season on Friday when it takes on Sahuaro at home in a 4:30 p.m. game. The Rangers opened section play with an 11-1 loss to Cienega on March 9 but have since gone 8-1.
Mange doubled twice last Wednesday as Rincon scored four runs in their final at-bat to rally for a 7-6 win at Empire.
