Things will be plenty busy this weekend as girls soccer, volleyball, football and cross country are in playoff mode.
Here’s a look at the schedule:

The 16-team West Central District volleyball tournament will be held at Kentwood High on Friday and Saturday. Four of the state’s top-10 ranked teams will be in competition. Those from the North competing will be Auburn Riverside, Kentwood, Auburn, Kentridge and Tahoma. Kentwood’s looking to advance to state for the sixth-straight year. Kentridge is hoping to move on for the first time since 2001. It’s going to be an uphill battle for both teams, especially in a stacked tournament. The opening round on Friday looks like this: Wilson vs. Auburn Riverside, noon; Bellarmine Prep vs. Puyallup, 1:45; Kentridge vs. Curtis, noon; Rogers vs. Gig Harbor, 1:45; Emerald Ridge vs. Olympia, noon; Central Kitsap vs. Kentwood, 1:45; Auburn vs. Stadium, noon; Tahoma vs. Graham-Kapowsin, 1:45.

In football, Kentwood (7-2) hosts Issaquah (6-3) in a state-qualifying game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at French Field. This is a rematch of last year’s state opener, which Issaquah won 31-28. In that game, Issy’s Grant Gellatly ran wild on the Conks, going for a career-high 321 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. Gellatly hasn’t run the ball much this season due to a tender hamstring.
“We’re really hoping he’s going to be a go,” Issy coach Chris Bennett told Issaquah Reporter writer Kevin Endejan. “I really think that in order for us to keep moving on deeper, we’re going to need him. Hopefully, for his sake, he can get it squared away.”
This should be a tremendous game. Issaquah’s three losses have come to No. 1 Bothell (36-14), No. 2 Skyline (42-0) and Mount Si (24-21).
I’ll take Kentwood by a touchdown, 28-21.

Also in football, No. 2 Skyline (7-2) will be hosting Kentridge (6-3) in a state-qualifying game at 7:30 on Friday. Talk about a tough draw. Skyline is coming off a 25-20 loss to No. 1 Bothell, a game that included several lead changes. Kentridge is coming off a 27-3 win over Kent-Meridian. Without question, this will be the biggest test of the season for the Kentridge defense, which has been fantastic. That said, the Chargers haven’t seen a quarterback like Jake Heaps or a wide receiver like Skyline’s Kasen Williams.
Can Kentridge pull off what would be the biggest playoff shocker of the week?
I’d love to see it, but I have a hard time believing Skyline won’t rebound from last week’s loss.
I’ll take the Spartans, 35-7.

Other SPSL North football teams gearing up for the postseason are Auburn and Federal Way.
Auburn (9-0) plays host to Kamiak at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It will be interesting to see how the Trojans react without star Chris Young in the lineup. For those who missed it, Young was suspended earlier this week for the remainder of the season. To find out more, log on to the Auburn Reporter (www.auburn-reporter.com).
Despite Young’s absence, I’m taking the Trojans, 35-14.
However, I don’t see Auburn making it past the state quarterfinals.

Federal Way travels to Skyview for a 7:30 p.m. game on Saturday. Federal Way, which finished fourth in the North this season, throttled Gig Harbor 35-21 on Tuesday in a pig-tail game. This team has got to be just gassed. That said, the Eagles have played as good as anybody in the second half and are worth keeping a close eye on.

In soccer, Kentwood and Kentlake both will be playing state-qualifying games on Saturday.
Kentlake (9-5-3) will play Tahoma (13-1-2) at 2 p.m. at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. The Bears were upset by Emerald Ridge on Wednesday night, 2-1, in a shootout. Have I mentioned yet how much I hate shootouts? Brutal. It’s just no way to end a game, any game, especially a playoff game. But that’s a rant I will save for another day. Kentlake lost to Tahoma 2-1 early in the year, then the two teams tied 1-1 on Oct. 10. This should be a great game. I suspect Tahoma’s tradition and playoff savvy will win out in this one. However, I have to say, it would be pretty cool to see the Falcons finally advance to state after a long dry spell.
Meanwhile, Kentwood (12-0-4) will travel to Bethel High on Saturday to play Gig Harbor at 3 p.m. in another state-qualifying game.

Finally this weekend we have the cross country state meet in Pasco. Kent-Meridian advanced its entire boys team for the first time since 2002. K-M’s Alexia Martin is the lone Royal female to advance. Has anyone been paying attention to Martin in recent weeks? She just keeps getting better and better and better. Only a sophomore, I’m excited to see what she’s able to accomplish in Pasco and in the future. Kentwood advanced a pair of runners to the meet: Danny Lunder and Kailey Ulland. Kentridge’s Alex Horton is the lone Charger making the trip.