Some fall sports teams are done for the year, but there are still many Waukesha area teams fighting for state championships.
And many of them were at it on Thursday night and will be once again over the weekend.
On the soccer scene, while the Waukesha West boys team (21-2-4) cruised in its opening two playoff games, they were pushed to the limit against fourth-seeded Sun Prairie in a sectional semifinal game Thursday night.
But after a 1-1 tie in regulation, the Wolverines defeated Prairie in a 4-2 shootout to continue their season.
Now, with a state berth on the line, West faces second-seeded Kettle Moraine in a sectional final at 4 p.m. Saturday. It will be a rematch from earlier in the earlier when West, the Classic 8 conference champions, outlasted the Lasers, 2-1, on Sept. 6. It was Kettle Moraine’s only conference loss of the year.
The Catholic Memorial boys soccer team, seeded second in its sectional, is also one win away from a state tournament appearance after it won in a high scoring affair, 5-3, over third-seeded East Troy.
The Crusaders now face fourth-seeded New Berlin West at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Vikings are coming off an upset over powerhouse and top-seeded Pewaukee in an overtime shootout.
The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Memorial is the defending Division 2 state champions and has appeared in four straight state final appearances.
On the girls volleyball front, Waukesha South, seeded No. 12, was swept by fifth-seeded Mukwonago in a regional semifinal match Thursday night to end its season. In the same sectional, Waukesha West, seeded sixth, crushed Waukesha North, 25-10, 25-13, 25-13 and will face third-seeded Arrowhead at 7 p.m. Saturday in the regional finals.
In Division 2, top-seeded Catholic Memorial – seeking its third straight state title – rolled to a three-game sweep over Racine St. Catherine’s to advance to the regional finals against second seed East Troy. The match is at 7 p.m. Saturday at home.
Memorial’s football team also has a big contest at third-seeded Pewaukee this weekend. The Crusaders (6-3), who advanced to the state title game last year, face the surging Pirates (7-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the first round of the WIAA Division 3 playoffs.
It’s a rematch from last year’s Level 1 game when Memorial, also unseeded, edged the Pirates, 14-13 on its way to Madison, where they were shutout by West De Pere, 35-0, in the championship game.
Waukesha West (9-0) begins its Division 1 state title defense at 7 p.m. Saturday against Janesville Parker (6-3). The Wolverines won last year’s title, 45-26, over Stevens Point.