Everyone will try to dethrone Chinook

If there is an award for the most competitive district tournament in Class C volleyball, that title would almost always go to the District 6C East. And this week in Rudyard, the competitiveness will play at yet again.

The 2015 6C East tourney will run Thursday and Friday at North Star High School in Rudyard, with the top three teams advancing to next week's Northern C Divisional. And while three teams will advance on to Belt for the Northern C, the district championship is likely a three-team race, with one heavy favorite.

And that favorite is Chinook. The Beeters (14-0) are on an impressive 6C East win streak. They haven't lost a regular season match in over two seasons, and they've won two straight district titles. This season, Chinook only went to five sets once and four sets one other time, so there is no doubt, they've been dominant. Chinook has depth and firepower at all positions, so there's no question, the Beeters are a big favorite to leave Rudyard with the 6C East championship.

But, host North Star, as well as Chester/J-I will have something to say about that.

The Hawks (12-2) have been a strong squad all season long, and though they are young, they have shown they are capable of making a run this weekend. Led by star Allix Goldhahn, as well as a host of other talented players, C/J-I is certainly divisional bound this season, but would love to get one more crack at Chinook in the district championship match.

Of course, C/J-I will have to go through North Star (11-4) to get there. And that won't be easy considering the Knights are playing on their home floor, in front of their fans. But home-court advantage isn't the only thing the Knights have going for them - they're also really good. Sheridan O'Neil has had a huge season for the Knights, but overall, the Knights are strong at every position on the floor, and they have great depth, too. So, there's no reason to think that North Star doesn't have a great chance to play for the 6C East title this week.

After the big three in the 6C East, there are three young teams chasing the rest of the field. Big Sandy (4-9) and Box Elder (3-11) are both hoping to spring an upset or two this week, but both teams have little tournament experience. However, in the case of the Pioneers and Bears, they have both improved tremendously from last season, and they won't be an easy out for any team in the tournament.

As for how the tourney will unfold, Box Elder will face Big Sandy in the opening match Thursday morning, with the winner advancing to play Chinook in the first quarterfinal. The second quarterfinal is a showdown between the rival Hawks and Knights for a spot in the winner's bracket semifinal, which takes place Thursday night. The winner of that match will move on to the championship match, while the loser will have to fight back. The championship match is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, and if needed, a second match will take place 30 minutes after.

The 2015 District 6C East tourney starts at 10 a.m. Thursday and runs through Friday night in Rudyard. The top three teams will advance to next weekend's Northern C Divisional in Belt.