By Don Ketchum

There’s more to life than just football at Lakeside Blue Ridge.

The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams will begin defense of their state titles as the Class 1A-3A fall tournament starts on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 29-30) and resumes Nov. 5-6 with the semifinals and finals.

The first two rounds will be held at the Quail Run Complex in Mesa, with semifinals and finals for girls and boys at Campo Verde High in Gilbert.

The Blue Ridge girls will be aiming for their sixth fall title and fourth in a row. They will open against River Valley at 5 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 29).

“We’re going to go out and play the best we can, have fun and support our seniors,’’ said Blue Ridge coach Russ Evans, whose team has a 12-4 overall record.

The Yellowjackets had some consistency issues at first, “but we have gotten better every game,’’ Evans said.

The coach added that his team is not like some who prefer to “boom’’ the ball down the field.

“We keep the ball on the ground, try to use our tactical skill,’’ Evans said.

The team is led by four co-captains – Katy Gillespie, Madeline Higgins and twins Alex and Megan Rath. Another big factor in the success of the team has been the play of goalkeeper Michelle Lee.

“We’re looking forward to the tournament. It is going to be fun,’’ Evans said. “We have lost games when we should have won and won games when we should have lost. You never know – anything can happen.’’

The boys’ team, coached by Bryon Crain, has a first-round bye and will begin play on Saturday (Oct. 30) against the winner of Friday’s game between Flagstaff Northland Prep and Benson. Game time on Saturday is 2:30 p.m.

The boys' team has won five titles since the 2001-02 season.