Roberto Astorga is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain Ridge High School for AZPreps365.com.

Mountain Ridge (9-2) will face off with its Desert Valley region rival Sandra Day O’Connor (3-7) on Tuesday.

The Mountain Lions roared on seven consecutive wins before their 1-8 loss to Sunnyslope on Sept. 27. The only player to win a set was senior captain Lilah Zafar, who has a 15-7 record this season. 

Currently, Mountain Ridge is in third place in their region and SDOC is fifth. 

This year, Division 1 badminton is very competitive as many schools including Mountain Ridge will reach double-digit wins. Mountain Ridge, Pinnacle, and Sunnyslope all have more than eight regional wins.

Mountain Ridge last year had a record of 7-7, qualifying for the state tournament. 

Their success this season comes from talented upperclass players' experience. In practice, players are also playing competitively, bringing out the best of each other with intense play.

First-year head coach Adam Korman is also a big reason for the team's success. Korman has experience with badminton after previously being an assistant coach. During practice, Korman can be seen motivating and participating in drills to help his players.

Korman spoke about the importance of winning the regional games and the few remaining in the regular season.

“You always want to beat the schools that are right around you. More importantly, it is important for us to finish the season strong,” said Korman. 

Zafar is currently ranked as the sixth best badminton player in Division 1. She spoke on how she felt going into the match against Sandra Day O’Connor. 

“I am confident because I know I train and work hard but anything is possible during these matches. Anybody can win. You have to play your best,” said Zafar.

Her partner in doubles competition is junior Shresta Narayanan (15-7), the team's best doubles partnership. 

“I am just there to win, no matter what school it is. It is just another game for me,” said Narayanan.

Mountain Ridge faces three division rivals for their last three games of the year. Already at 1-1 in their division, these last three games against SDOC, Boulder Creek, and Liberty are even more important as they are still in competition for the division title.

With a winning record guaranteed for this season, Mountain Ridge has likely already secured a spot in state competition. The last three remaining games will likely determine where they are seeded and who they will play with postseason's first round.