Several local prep teams have earned high seeds for 2017 post-season
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It seems as though the older I get, the faster high school sports seasons go.
For that matter, where is the time going in general?
We’re already in the middle of October and that means it’s time for post-season competition in volleyball and soccer.
There are a handful of local teams that I feel should have nice tournament runs.
The obvious one is the volleyball squad from Fairbanks High School.
The Lady Panthers won all 22 of their regular season matches and will now host Madison Plains on Tuesday during the opening round of the Division III tournament.
Fairbanks rolled through the Ohio Heritage Conference without a blemish, but not without some tense moments.
Both Greenon and Mechanicsburg took the Lady Panthers to five sets and West Jefferson went four games against them.
One of the more impressive victories came a few weeks ago when FHS beat Columbus School for Girls during the Panther Classic.
As the No. 2 seed, Fairbanks is assured of two home matches to open the tournament.
If they win on Tuesday, they could face No. 14 West Jefferson for the sectional championship on Saturday.
No. 8 Johnstown-Monroe is likely ahead for the Lady Panthers during the district semifinals on Oct. 26 at Buckeye Valley High School.
A win there would probably mean a showdown with No. 1 Utica two days later for the district championship.
Marysville’s boys soccer team has turned in one of its best seasons in a number of years.
The Monarchs have only one loss on their ledger and will take the No. 7 seed into the Division I tournament opener on Saturday.
MHS (10-1-5) will host either Watkins Memorial or Chillicothe at 7 p.m.
Defense has been a big part of Monarchs’ game plan as they have posted 10 shutouts this fall.
If seedings are any indication (and sometimes they are not), the Monarchs should advance to the district championship game on Oct. 28.
Fairbanks’ girls soccer squad has a 12-2-3 record after Saturday’s win against Greeneview.
The Lady Panthers are the third seed for the D-III tournament, which will open on Tuesday with a home contest against No. 12 Pleasant.
The brackets are aligned in such a way that FHS could face No. 2 Columbus Academy in the district semifinals.
Fairbanks avenged a 2016 season-ending loss to Worthington Christian with a victory a couple of weeks ago.
The Lady Panthers would, however, have to get past the Warriors once again in the sectional finals in order to reach the district level of play.
Jonathan Alder’s girls soccer team is seeded third in Division II.
The Lady Pioneers (13-1-1) shouldn’t have a problem tonight against No. 15 Columbus International.
No. 2 Big Walnut looms on the horizon in the district semifinals if both teams play to their seedings during the early rounds.
Jonathan Alder’s volleyball team withstood an early-season coaching change from Matt Craycraft to Kim Hayes.
Hayes, a former All-Ohio spiker for Fairbanks High School, guided the Lady Pioneers to an unbeaten mark in the Central Buckeye Conference.
JA (17-4) earned the fifth seed in the Division II tourney and should – if everything goes according to the seeds – battle No. 3 Granville in the district semifinals.