A look at the games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports from Oct. 16-Oct. 22, 2014:
• Class 5A cross country regionals take place Oct. 16 with 10 Aurora boys and girls teams spread among three meets bidding for individual and team spots in the Oct. 25 state cross country meet. Aurora Central, Eaglecrest and Smoky Hill take part in Region 1 at Margaret Carpenter Rec Center in Thornton (boys 4:45 p.m., girls 5:15 p.m.), while Cherokee Trail, Gateway, Grandview, Overland and Regis Jesuit head to Region 2 at Fehringer Ranch & Foothills Park (girls 3:30 p.m., boys 4:30 p.m.) and Hinkley and Rangeview run in Region 3 at Northwest Open Space in Northglenn (girls 2 p.m., boys 2:30 p.m.) Vista PEAK is slated for the 4A Region 3 race on Oct. 17 at Bear Valley Park (boys 3:45 p.m., girls 4:30 p.m.)
• The field hockey regular season ends Oct. 16 as teams finish their final bids to be part of the eight-team playoff field. Regis Jesuit is currently in position to be in that group, which is scheduled to open the postseason on Oct. 20.
• The Class 5A state softball tournament runs Oct. 17-18 at the Aurora Sports Park, as Aurora’s two qualifiers — Grandview and Eaglecrest — seek to rise above the other 14 teams in the field to grab a state title. The Raptors play Legend at 10 a.m. Oct. 17, while the Wolves take on Chaparral at 12:15 p.m., with winners playing again in 2:30 p.m. quarterfinals.
• Overland vs. Grandview at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Legacy Stadium kicks off Week 8 of the prep football season as the second-ranked Wolves look to pay back the Trailblazers for a loss from last season and remain undefeated. On Oct. 17, No. 6 Regis Jesuit plays host to No. 7 Mountain Vista at 7 p.m. in a Continental North Division showdown and Eaglecrest meets Cherokee Trail at 7 p.m. at Legacy Stadium in a game both teams need in the Centennial League standings.
• The boys soccer regular season concludes Oct. 17 with seedings for the 32-team Class 5A & 4A state tournaments due out two days later. The 4A playoffs begin on Oct. 22, followed by 5A with first round action on Oct. 23.
• The streaking Rangeview volleyball team plays host to Prairie View at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in a battle of teams that each started the EMAC season 6-0. The winner between the Raiders and ThunderHawks has the inside track to the league title with just one match left. Among other strong volleyball offerings, Regis Jesuit pays a 7 p.m. visit to Eaglecrest in a non-league meeting of ranked teams.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel