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By Sonny Jones

One volleyball season ends and another begins. The sports world never slows.

The high school volleyball season ended Saturday with East Bladen’s heartbreaking loss to Washington in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.

Monday, the middle school volleyball season begins with matches in Bladenboro, Elizabethtown and West Columbus. Clarkton School of Discovery will play in matches at Bladenboro Middle. Tar Heel will play in matches at West Columbus Middle. Matches are scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays.

• Saturday couldn’t have gone better for the North Carolina football team. Without playing, the Tar Heels likely clinched the ACC’s Coastal Division title. UNC is 3-0 in the conference while the other six teams each have at least two losses. UNC has five regular season games remaining beginning Saturday night at home against Pittsburgh.

• Could the Tar Heels win the ACC championship game, finish 12-1 and still not be selected for the College Football Playoffs? Yes, it sure could, but that’s a ways down the road.

• Scary thought: High school basketball practice officially begins on Halloween (Oct. 31). Games can be played beginning Nov. 18.

• Looks like an Astros-Phillies World Series. Did you have that at the start of the postseason? Astros, perhaps, but not the Phillies. Match-up could be set by the end of today.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

MONDAY
• Boys’ soccer: Red Springs at East Bladen, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen at St. Pauls, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen JV at St. Pauls JV, 4:30 p.m.; Red Springs JV at East Bladen JV, 6:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: At Bladenboro, 4 p.m., Bladenboro vs. Clarkton School of Discovery, Clarkton School of Discovery vs. Nakina, Bladenboro vs. Tabor City; At West Columbus, 4 p.m., Tar Heel vs. West Columbus, Tar Heel vs. East Columbus; At Elizabethtown, 4 p.m.; Elizabethtown vs. Williams; Elizabethtown vs. Whiteville
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Quakes vs. Silverbacks, 6 p.m.; Cosmos vs. Lightning, 6 p.m.; Hornets vs. Dynamos, 7 p.m.; Sharks vs. Titans, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Girls Soccer at Bladen County Park: Rapids vs. Fusion, 6 p.m.; Burn vs. Arsenal, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Boys Soccer at Bladen County Park: Fury vs. RailHawks, 6 p.m.; Revolution vs. Thunder, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys Soccer at Bladen County Park: Spartans vs. DC United, 6 p.m.; Bolt vs. Fire, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY
• Football: Clarkton School of Discovery at Bladenboro, 6 p.m.
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Mutiny vs. Quakes, 6 p.m.; Grizzlies vs. Dynamos, 6 p.m.; Raptors vs. Lightning, 7 p.m.; Thundercats vs. Cosmos, 7 p.m.
• 8-10 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: RailHawks vs. Thunder, 6 p.m.; Fury vs. Galaxy, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: DC United vs. Spartans, 6 p.m.
• 11-14 Girls’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Spirit vs. Courage, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
• Boys’ soccer: East Bladen at St. Pauls, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen at Midway, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen JV at Midway JV, 4:30 p.m.; East Bladen JV at St. Pauls JV, 4:30 p.m.

THURSDAY
• JV football: East Bladen at St. Pauls, 6:30 p.m.; West Bladen at Midway, 6:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: At Clarkton School of Discovery, 4 p.m., Clarkton School of Discovery vs. Tabor City, Clarkton School of Discovery vs. Williams Township; At Tar Heel, 4 p.m., Tar Heel vs. Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown vs. Whiteville, Tar Heel vs. West Columbus
• At East Columbus, 4 p.m., Bladenboro vs. East Columbus; Bladenboro vs. Nakina
• 5-7 Soccer at Bladen County Park: Silverbacks vs. Sharks, 6 p.m.; Titans vs. Hornets, 6 p.m.; Dynamos vs. Mutiny, 7 p.m.; Quakes vs. Thundercats, 7 p.m.
• 11-14 Boys’ Soccer at Bladen County Park: Spartans vs. Bolt, 6 p.m.; Fire vs. DC United, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY
Football
• St. Pauls at East Bladen, 7 p.m.; Midway at West Bladen, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY’S PICK TO CLICK

Christopher Bell to win at Homestead-Miami and advance to the championship race. After being collected in the Bubba Wallace-Kyle Larson wreck, Bell deserves a break.

SATURDAY’S PICK: Gerrit Cole has been the stopper for the Yankees this postseason, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings against Cleveland. He’ll need a 7-inning, 2-run, 9-strikeout performance against Houston in Game 3 to keep the Yankees in the AL Championship Series. RESULTS: Cole was credited with 7 strikeouts and 5 runs (3 earned) in five innings pitched as New York was shut out by Houston 5-0.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

• 2008 — Carolina’s Brandon Sutter gives one of hockey’s most famous families another milestone, scoring his first NHL goal in a 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh. The 19-year-old Sutter, son of New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter, is the ninth member of the Sutter family to play in the NHL.

WHAT TO WATCH TODAY

• DP WORLD TOUR: Mallorca, 7 a.m., GOLF

• NFL: Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m., FOX

• NFL: Detroit at Dallas, 1 p.m., CBS

• MLS PLAYOFFS: New York City at Montreal, 1 p.m., ESPN

• FORMULA 1: United States Grand Prix, 1:30 p.m., ABC

• FIGURE SKATING: Grand Prix of Figure Skating, 2 p.m., E!

• MLB PLAYOFFS: San Diego at Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m., FS1

• NASCAR CUP: Dixie Vodka 400, 2:30 p.m., NBC

• PGA: CJ Cup, 2:30 p.m., GOLF

• NFL: Kansas City at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m., FOX

• NHL: Anaheim at Detroit, 5 p.m., ESPN