Tom Elliott: Tom Elliott's Tips: Let the playoffs commence

Oct. 24—Everything gets serious in the prep sports world this week.

Playoffs mean your next loss is your last. Victories come with season-long goals being met. All that work that began in August — and often in June and earlier — come to fruition, good or bad.

The first rounds of the playoffs in volleyball and football commence this week. And many of the match-ups should be entertaining and intense.

There are loads of area volleyball and football games this week, mostly on Tuesday and Saturday for football and throughout the week for volleyball.

Section cross-country championships also take place, mostly on Thursday, with top teams and finishers headed to the state meet in Northfield.

And, there is conference championship swimming and diving as well.

Here's a look at some of the week's most interesting matchups:

* Section 3A-North volleyball, Central Minnesota Christian (8-18) at Dawson-Boyd (7-17) , 7 p.m. — The ninth-seeded Bluejays travel to Dawson to take on the eighth-seeded Blackjacks with the winner getting a shot at 3A-North No. 1 Minneota at 7 p.m. Friday. This one should be good if it's anything like the last time the teams met. Dawson-Boyd beat CMCS 3-2 on Oct. 11 in Prinsburg.

* Section 2AAAA football, Faribault (2-6) at Willmar (5-3), 7 p.m. — Third-seeded Willmar attempts to right the ship after two straight losses against a Faribault team that beat the Cardinals 35-28 last year in the playoffs, also at Hodapp Field. Willmar needs to slow the Falcons down. Faribault has lost four straight, last winning Sept. 23 at Red Wing, 23-14. The Cardinals have lost 48-7 at Becker and 48-42 in double overtime at Chisago Lakes. The winner plays Saturday at No. 2 Marshall (8-0).

* Section 2AAA football, Litchfield (3-5) at Rockford (4-4), 7 p.m. — The fifth-seeded Dragons take on the fourth-seeded Rockets, whose schedule hasn't been as tough as the Dragons. The winner plays at top-seeded Dassel-Cokato (7-1) on Saturday. Litch lost to the Chargers, 28-14 during the regular season.

* Section 8AA cross-country championship, 4:15 p.m. at Alexandria — Willmar's Sully Anez, who is ranked third in the state in Class AA, will be the boys' favorite and the Willmar girls will have a tough challenge in trying to secure one of the two team berths in a section that includes five ranked teams. They are No. 4 Alexandria, No. 6 Willamr, No. 7 Little Falls and No. 9 Rocori. the Cardinals' Lauren Eilers, ranked 11th in state, will contend for the individual title with Calia Chaney of Pequot Lakes, who is ranked fifth in AA.

* Section 3AA-North volleyball, Morris/Chokio-Alberta (11-9) at New London-Spicer (15-11), 7 p.m. — This will be a rematch for the seventh-seeded Tigers and second-seeded Wildcats. Morris/CA beat NLS 3-0 on Sept. 19. See who has improved the most since.

* Central Lakes Conference girls swimming and diving championships, 10 a.m. at Willmar — Alexandria is defending conference champion and Sartell was runner-up in 2021. The regular-season CLC standings were: No. 1 Sartell (8-0), No. 2 Brainerd (7-1) and No. 3 Alexandria (5-2). Willmar (2-6) hopes to improve on last year's seventh-place finish.