TERRY COLUMN: Last chance to shine

Time is running out for local athletes to make their mark on the spring season.

While the weather in most parts of the state tries to hide the truth, summer is approaching fast, and for the four spring sports, there’s only a few days left in the regular season.

Call this a last call or the final tune up. Either way, for many of the area’s teams, there’s only one or two more chances to get things where they need to be before the state tournament.

Need to get your swing right?

On the diamond, the Kalispell teams are facing their final chances to get primed for the postseason in a crosstown doubleheader today.

Each is playing well, but entering the postseason on a loss, even worse to your closest rival, wouldn’t be the ideal way to start a loser-goes-home series.

Flathead is looking to maintain their recent run of success that has seen the Bravettes win six of their last 10 games.

Glacier is looking to refine its championship process after retooling its lineup in the first half of the season. The Wolfpack seems to be fine tuning the most important part of its game, its defense.

Senior pitcher Ali Williams is a key part of that, revving up her rise ball to the tune of nearly 12 strikeouts a game in the season’s second half, including two perfect games and a 20-strikeout outing on Tuesday.

The Northwestern A, and former member Libby, heads to Butte this weekend looking to maintain its recent run of dominance on the state softball scene.

The division has won the last nine Class A crowns and again has three of the strongest teams in the state, each with thoughts on making it an even decade.

On the tennis courts, time is almost up to fix that swing, with divisional rounds serving play this weekend in Class AA and B.

Polson, Whitefish and Columbia Falls each get a few more cracks at each other before taking their game to the rest of the state.

There’s little time left to find time on the track, too.

For the field of athletes that hasn’t already posted a qualifying mark, there’s only one meet left to reach that goal before the divisional meet.

Once that time comes, if they don’t race well in the last meet, the season ends before the state meet ever begins.

And that’s this weekend’s biggest goal. Make the season last as long as it can.

There’s only a few games left, and for all the work and time that went into this spring, it would be a shame to see the season end early.

One more swing, one more throw, one more break out of the blocks. If you can get it right this time, there could be a bigger chance in a few weeks.

Because whether or not the weather agrees, summer is coming. And once it’s here, there’s no more chances to try again.