Sabino is in and Sahuaro is almost there. The state soccer playoffs start in two weeks and the picture is almost clear. Almost.

The Sabercats and Cougars played to a 0-0 tie Wednesday at Sahuaro and the outcome put Sabino at 8-2-1 on the year in the 3A Conference and Sahuaro moved to 4-1-1 in 4A action. The Sabercats have already secured a playoff spot based on their 3A South Region title but Sahuaro still needs one more match to qualify based on the rules of the 4A Conference.

Sabino is guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament at the very least unless the team can climb back into a top-eight ranking with two more difficult challenges ahead with a match at Pusch Ridge (8-2-1) slated for Friday and a home match against Walden Grove (5-1) set for next Tuesday.

Sahuaro is safely within the top 16 needed for the 4A playoffs but the team might open up with a road match in the first round with matches scheduled with Sahuarita (5-1) next Tuesday and Nogales (0-5) next Thursday. If the Cougars win out they might finish ranked in the top eight.

4A teams already in the playoffs based on region championships includes Seton Catholic (4A Desert Sky), Thunderbird (4A Skyline), Poston Butte (4A Black Canyon) and Walden Grove (4A Gila). Sabino is the only 3A team guaranteed a playoff spot at this point. Region standings in the 5A and 6A Conference have no bearing on the playoffs.

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