A share of first place in the 1A South Conference will be on the line when the Patagonia Lobos take on St. David at 5 p.m. today (Wednesday, Oct. 15) in St. David.
The two teams met three weeks ago in the Lobos gym, with the Lobos suffering a heartbreaking loss after being unable to close out the match after winning two of the first three sets. Scores were 25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 5-15.
Neither the St. David match nor Patagonia’s 3-1 victory over San Simon on Oct. 8 were classified as region matches, so the three teams are locked in a tight race for the 1A South regular-season title.
San Simon is 5-0 in region matches and 10-2 overall, Patagonia is 4-0 and 12-2, and St. David is 4-0 and 9-4. In the 1A state rankings, St. David is fourth, Patagonia sixth and San Simon 13th.
Patagonia has won five of six matches since losing to St. David, including a 3-0 victory at Valley Union on Tuesday night. The Lobos’ only other loss was to second-ranked North Phoenix Prep.
After tonight, the Lobos have three remaining regular-season matches: Monday, Oct. 20, at Lourdes Catholic; Tuesday, Oct. 22, vs. ASDB; and Friday, Oct. 24, vs. San Simon. The region playoff will follow, with the state tournament starting on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
If Patagonia finishes among the top eight schools in the 1A rankings, it will host a first-round playoff game.
