With the fall sports season winding down, a number of local athletes are gearing up to compete for state championships.

The Truckee girls’ cross-country team qualified for the state tournament by finishing in third place at Friday’s regionals in Sparks. Senior Sonny Strusinski led the Wolverines on the 5,000-meter course, finishing as the Class 3A Northern League runner-up with a time of 21 minutes, 53 seconds. Lowry senior Jovi Kuskie won the race with a time of 20:11. Truckee senior Petra Kidd was eighth with a time of 22:43. Sophomore Paige Willcox was 11th with a time of 23:06, and sophomore Tyne Beckwith was 28th with a time of 25:04.

The Lady Wolverines are set to compete against the best in the state on Saturday at Shadow Mountain Sports Complex in Sparks. The girls are scheduled to race at 1:40 p.m.

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INCLINE ENDS NORTH TAHOE XC REGIONAL STREAK

After sweeping the past seven regional boys and girls’ championships, the Lakers running dynasty was disrupted by Incline.

The Highlanders were the ones sweeping the team titles in Sparks last Friday with the girls winning by 10 points and the boys claiming the Class 2A Northern League title by six points. The Lakers boys and girls both finished in second place. Both schools qualified their entire teams into Saturday’s state championship race.

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Incline sophomore Kira Noble won the regional championship with a time of 22:29. North Tahoe sophomore Kaleena Steves was second with a time of 22:37, followed by sophomore teammate Reyna McAndrews in fourth place with a time of 23:43. North Tahoe senior Alex Twomey also cracked the top 10, finishing with a time of 26:46, while sophomore teammate Kaileigh Oglivy was 15th with a time of 27:53.

On the boys’ side, North Tahoe senior Jake Hacker led the Lakers with a time of 18:53 to finish in fifth place. Senior teammate Doug Howie was seventh with a time of 19:08. Sophomore Azure Sanchez (20:52) and freshman Asher Dambach ( 20:53) rounded out North Tahoe’s top-four runners, finishing 14th and 15th, respectively. Yerington senior Kutoven Stevens won the race with a time of 16:47.

The Class 2A boys’ state championship will get underway at 10:35 a.m. Saturday at Shadow Mountain Sports Complex in Sparks. The girls’ race will take place at 1 p.m.

TRUCKEE, NORTH TAHOE REACH REGIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNEYS

Following a perfect run through the Class 3A West League, the Truckee volleyball team will await the winner of today’s regional tournament’s opening round matchup between Dayton and South Tahoe.

The top-seeded Wolverines haven’t dropped a set in league play since Sept. 18, and have earned a first-round bye into the six-team tournament.

Truckee will play its quarterfinal matchup at 1:45 p.m. Saturday at Churchill County. The winner of the contest goes on to play for the regional title and also locks up a berth into the state tournament.

In Class 2A play, North Tahoe finished the year with an 8-6 league record, which earned the Lakers the fourth seed going into the tournament.

North Tahoe will take on No. 5 seed and tournament host Battle Mountain at 5 p.m. today. The Lakers defeated the Longhorns in both meetings this season.

LADY WOLVERINES LOOK FOR 5 IN A ROW, LAKERS SEEK 2A GLORY

The Truckee girls’ soccer team enters this weekend’s tournament at Lowry High School as the No. 1 seed out of the West League and come into the postseason as the four-time defending Class 3A state champions.

The girls will face the winner of Thursday’s matchup between Elko and Wooster at 2 p.m. today.

With no regional tournament in Class 2A, the North Tahoe girls will enter their state semifinal matchup today at home as the top-seeded team following an undefeated run through league play. During the season, only Whittell was able to net a goal in league play against North Tahoe.

The girls will face Sage Ridge at North Tahoe Regional Park today at 3 p.m. The Lakers topped Sage Ridge 4-0 earlier in the season.

The North Tahoe boys also enter the state tournament as the top seed, having gone 5-0 in league play.

The Lakers will play No. 4 seed Yerington in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. today at North Tahoe Regional Park. The Lakers topped the Lions in both games this season, winning by a combined score of 15-1.

The Class 2A state tournament will conclude Saturday at North Tahoe Regional Park. The boys’ game is set for 10 a.m., and the girls will play at noon.

Justin Scacco is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jscacco@sierrasun.com