Casa Grande is the place to be Friday afternoon and evening for cross country fans while Tempe, Chandler and Phoenix are prime destinations for volleyball as two major invites take place in those respective sports.

The annual NIke Tourmament of Champions Volleyball Invite begins Friday (Oct. 2) with pool play at 12:30 and continues through early evening to roughly 8 p.m. at Court One in Tempe, Spiral Volleyball Center in Chandler the Kroc Center in Phoenix. Play resumes Saturday at Court One and Kroc Center only, starting at 11:30 a.m. with cross pool play that determines the final brackets (eight) of eight-teams each.  Sixty-four teams -- nearly an even split between Arizona and out of state teams -- are entered.

Arizona teams entered in the elite level (Platinum and Gold) are Hamilton, Xavier, Gilbert, Desert Vista, Corona del Sol, Basha, Horizon, Millennium, Mountain Pointe, Notre Dame Prep and Flagstaff. Competing a notch below or so are Coconino, Mesa High, Tempe Prep, Cactus Shadows, Chandler Prep, Thatcher, Desert Edge, Mesquite, Goldwater, Sandra Day O'Connor, Seton Catholic, Ironwood Ridge, Mountain Ridge, Pinnacle, Chandler High and Shadow Ridge.

Desert Twilight's 8th annual Invite is Friday (Oct. 2). It will be the second year for the meet in Casa Grande at Grande Sports World -- 12684 W. Gila Bend Highway in Casa Grande. The meet has massive participation from across Arizona and some schools outside of it. The state's top teams and runners from all divisions swarm to the meet. It's a chance to see just about all the top runners from the state with appearances from Desert Vista boys and girls and Xavier teams going full throttle. 

The meet schedule: 4 PM Boys Frosh Small School; 4:15 PM Girls Frosh Small School; 4:30 PM Boys Frosh Large School; 4:45 PM Girls Frosh Large School; 5 PM Jr..High Girls (1.5 miles); 5:15 PM Jr. High Boys (1.5 miles); 5:30 PM Boys Small Schools Open 1; 5:45 PM Boys Small Schools Open 2; 6 PM Girls Small Schools Open; 6:15 PM Boys Large School Open 1; 6:25 Pm Boys Large School Open 2; 6:35 PM Boys Large School Open 3 6:45 PM Girls Large School Open 1; 7 PM  Girls Large School Open 2; 7:15 PM Girls Small School Varsity; 7:30 PM Girls Large School Varsity; 7:40 PM Boys Small School Varsity; 7:55 PM Boys Large School Varsity; 8:05 PM Community Race; 8:25 PM Girls Championship; 8:40 PM Boys Championship; 9 PM Sole Sports Girls Sweepstakes; 9:25 PM Sole Sports Boys Sweepstakes.

The final two races house the top teams and top runners.It is a 5,000-meter course. Defending girls sweepstakes team champ is Desert Vista (2013 adn 2014) and defending boys sweepstakes champ is also Desert Vista.

Teams entered in the Girls Sweepstakes race are: Arcadia, Buena, Campo Verde, Catalina Foothills, Chandler, Chaparral, Cherokee Trail, Chinle, Corona del Sol, Deer Valley, Desert Mountain, Desert Vista, Ganado. Hamilton, Highland, Mountain Ridge, Mesa Mountain View, Queen Creek, Rio Rico, Rio Rancho, Skyline, Sunrise Mountain, Window Rock and Xavier. Boys Sweepstakes race participants are:  Arroyo Grande, Boulder Creek, Brophy, Buena, Campo Verde, Chinle, Cibola, Corona del Sol, Deer Valley, Desert Hills, Desert Mountain, Desert Vista, Durango, El Paso, Highland, Hopi, Mountain Ridge, Mesa Mountain View, North Canyon, Queen Creek, Rio Rancho, Rio Rico, Saguaro, Shadow Mountain and Tuba City.

Top girls runners to keep an eye on are: Rio Rico's Allie Schadler; Desert Vista's Baylee Jones, Amanda Davis and Haley Wolf; Xavier's Jane Miller and Sarah Carter; Arcadia's Megan Reniewicki; Ganado's Daangoiina Haven and Rio Rancho's Andi Almodovar. Top boys runners to follow are: El Paso Eastwood's Daniel Bernal and Matt Munoz; Saguaro's Tyler Beauchamp; Desert Vista's DJ Harris; Perry's Cade Burks; Mesa Mountain View's Eric Simoneau; Brophy's Luke Mason and Buena's Manuel Olivo-Quinones.