NOTE: This weekend sports preview primarily covers the area from north Scottsdale west through Phoenix, the southwest and northwest Valley, northwest Arizona, northern Arizona and northeast Arizona, including Native American communities.

By Don Ketchum

There isn’t much of a chance for Arizona’s high school athletes to relax this weekend. They will be plenty busy with various meets and tournaments.

Here’s a look at some of the events . . .

Girls’ volleyball

*Ash Fork will be hosting a tournament on Friday (Sept. 16) and Saturday (Sept. 17).

Participating teams are: Ash Fork, Bagdad, Beaver Dam, Camp Verde, Fredonia, Grand Canyon, Mayer, Heber Mogollon, Salome, Seligman and Williams.

*Goodyear Estrella Foothills will be hosting the Wolves Classic on Friday and Saturday.

Participating teams are: Avondale Agua Fria, Apache Junction, Phoenix Bourgade Catholic, Buckeye, Goodyear Desert Edge, Estrella Foothills, Fountain Hills, Avondale La Joya, Phoenix Northwest Christian, Parker, Sedona Red Rock, Tempe, Phoenix Trevor Browne, Phoenix Washington and Buckeye Youngker.

*The Page Volleyball Invitational will be held on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at Page High School.

Participating teams are: Chinle, Tuba City Greyhills, Kayenta Monument Valley, Pineview, Utah, Flagstaff Northland Prep, Pinon, Red Mesa and Tuba City.

*Twenty teams will be on hand for the 11^th annual Ceil Billings Volleyball Tournament at Phoenix Greenway. A round-robin schedule begins at 7:55 a.m., with a full-bracket schedule beginning in early afternoon, with the championship at approximately 5 p.m.

The teams are: Greenway, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Phoenix Country Day School, Phoenix Alhambra, Wickenburg, Gilbert Campo Verde, Phoenix Barry Goldwater, Queen Creek, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, Surprise Shadow Ridge, Phoenix Scottsdale Christian, Phoenix Cortez, Surprise Willow Canyon, Glendale Independence, Phoenix Moon Valley, Peoria Liberty, Glendale Apollo, Cottonwood Mingus and Phoenix Thunderbird.

*The Rattler Roundup at Phoenix North Canyon will be held Saturday. Play starts at 8 a.m. and runs until approximately 7 p.m.

Participating teams are: North Canyon, Phoenix Horizon Honors, Prescott, Gilbert Highland, Phoenix Shadow Mountain, Tolleson, Phoenix Paradise Valley, Phoenix St. Mary's at Buckeye Verrado.

Cross country

*One of the biggest meets for Valley boys and girls will be the Artichoke Invite on Saturday at Scottsdale Community College, Chaparral Road and Loop 101.

Varsity girls will run at 7:30 a.m., followed by varsity boys at 8, open boys at 8:30 and open girls at 9:15. Awards ceremony will be at approximately 10 a.m. the 5K race starts and ends on the track area that surrounds the football field.

Participating teams are: Apache Junction, Glendale Apollo, Anthem Boulder Creek, Phoenix Brophy Prep, Sierra Vista Buena, Glendale Cactus, Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, Casa Grande, Chandler, Scottsdale Chaparral, Coolidge, Glendale Copper Canyon, Tempe Corona del Sol, Mesa Desert Ridge, El Mirage Dysart, Goodyear Estrella Foothills, Chandler Hamilton, Mesa, Gilbert Mesquite, Glendale Mountain Ridge, Mesa Mountain View, Phoenix Paradise Valley, Phoenix Pinnacle, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Sedona Red Rock, Phoenix Sierra Linda, Phoenix St. Mary’s, Phoenix Sunnyslope, Tempe, Phoenix Trevor Browne, Surprise Valley Vista, Avondale Westview and Phoenix Camelback.

*Northern Arizona schools will breathe some crisp, cool air at the Four Corners Invitational at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff.

The course will be a 5K loop on a dirt trail. Open girls begin at 9 a.m., with open boys at 9:45, varsity girls at 10:30 and varsity boys at 11.

Girls’ golf

*Players will tee it up on Saturday at the Coyote Invitational, hosted by Peoria Centennial High, at Palm Valley Golf Course in Goodyear. Address is 2211 N. Litchfield Road. The event begins with a shotgun start at approximately 7:30 a.m.

Participating teams are: Anthem Boulder Creek, Glendale Cactus, Gilbert Campo Verde, Centennial, Mesa Desert Ridge, Glendale Ironwood, Kingman, Gilbert Mesquite, Glendale Raymond S. Kellis, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Peoria Sunrise Mountain and Gilbert Williams Field.

Boys’ fall soccer

*The Show Low Boys Invitational will be held Friday and Saturday at Show Low High and Frontier Fields.

First-day matches will begin at 11:30 a.m. and run until about 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s schedule begins at 9:30 a.m., with the championship match at approximately 4 p.m.

Participating teams are: Benson, Faith Lutheran of Las Vegas, Nev., Holbrook, Tucson Immaculate Heart, Payson, Phoenix Country Day School, Round Valley, Show Low, Snowflake, St. Johns and St. Michael.

Badminton

*The Chaparral Invitational will be held Saturday at Scottsdale Chaparral High. Action begins at 7:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 5 p.m.

Participating teams are: Chaparral, Tempe Corona del Sol, Glendale Deer Valley, Gilbert, Chandler Hamilton, Phoenix Horizon, Gilbert Mesquite, Phoenix Mountain Pointe, Mesa Mountain View, Phoenix North Canyon, Queen Creek, Scottsdale Saguaro, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, Phoenix Shadow Mountain and Mesa Westwood.