Mountain Pointe has made it to the final four of the baseball season for the fourth time since 2008.

Standing in Mountain Pointe’s way in the next round of consolation on Thursday at Tempe Diablo Stadium is defending state champion Chaparral, which knocked the Pride out in the second round last season.

Whether or not the Pride advances to the consolation finals, where either No. 1 Desert Mountain or No. 2 Tucson will be waiting, it is pretty clear Mountain Pointe has become one of the state’s premier programs since Buck took over.

Mountain Pointe made the semifinals in 2008 as a 14th seed, finished as runner-up in 2010 as the sixth seed before winning it all in 2011 as the second seed.

This year’s team is the 14th seed and many believe this team arrived a year early with the junior and sophomore class being pretty special.

It will be hard to lose seniors like acrobatic third baseman Michael Weaver, staff ace Zach Cordova and the bloodlines of Brantley Bell.

With that said having the seven other underclassmen in the daily lineup, along with No. 2 starter Jorge Carrazco, grow and mature over the next season bodes well for this program to make another run.

The only question that remains is will it be as defending state champion?

Contact writer: (480)898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSkodaAFN.

The execution was perfect.

Chaparral laid down a sacrifice bunt with runners on first and second and the Desert Vista defense was prepared.

The Thunder pulled off a perfectly in sync wheel play – the shortstop covers third base while the third baseman fields the ball – and finished the double play by getting the runner at first.

“That’s the first time it every worked in a game I think,” shortstop Colby Woodmansee said.

It was a huge momentum lift, and the offense picked up on it when Nick Levy singled in a run in the top of the seventh.

A third playoff win seemed imminent, but it never came to fruition. The Chaparral offense did enough to put together a walk-off 3-2 win to stay alive and knock the Thunder out of the Division I state playoffs

The Thunder did everything right, per usual under coach Stan Luketich, but sometimes it just not enough.

"We definitely learned against Brophy and Sandra Day that games are not over until that last out,” Woodmansee said. “It was more frustrating than the Mountain Pointe loss. I guess you could say we had both games in the bag but didn’t finish it. ...

“It’s the best team I’ve ever been on.”

Contact writer: (480) 898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSkodaAFN.

Ahwatukee is a pretty tight community especially when sports involved.

Everyone seems to be intertwined one way or another.

It will happen again today when the Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe baseball teams meet in the third round of the Division I state playoffs at Phoenix Municipal at 4 p.m.

A good portion of both rosters got their start in the Ahwatukee Little League.

Some were named to the ALL all-star team and represented the district in the state tournament. The 2005 ALL team won state at the 9-10 age group that included Cole Tucker, Brantley Bell, Michael Weaver, Colby Woodmansee and Nick Coronado.

It means today's game will bring together a lot of families who spent a good portion of their summers watching and playing baseball, staying in hotels and eating plenty of meals together when these guys were just barely able to hit the cutoff man from the outfield wall.

From one parent's account, here are the players who played in the ALL. If someone is left off please contact me.

Desert Vista

AJ Valencia

Mike Popeck

Keenan Bartlett

Aron Modi

Colby Woodmansee

Diego Leal

Kyle Gunderson

Tyler Viza

Mountain Pointe

Kyle Dominy

Peyton Holm

Micheal Weaver

Logan Adam

Brantley Bell

Charlie Trevino

Arthur Trevino

Bryce Redaja

Cole Tucker

Nick Coronado

Contact writer: (480) 898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSkodaAFN.

I received a press release today on the Brothers in Arms Classic the Desert Vista football team is participating in the fall.

It is going be huge event as the Thunder travel to San Diego Labor Day weekend to play Mission Hills.

Here are some details:

There will be 46 teams from 14 states competing in the inaugural Under Armour Brothers In Arms Classic

which will take place August 20, 2013, through September 27, 2013, and be televised across various media outlets.

With support from sponsors, notably Under Armour, Inc. and Signing Day LLC, the Under Armour Brothers in Arms Classic is expected be the largest and most visible high school football event in the country.

The 23 matchups will showcase nationally ranked players, a national champion, seven defending state champions, and 44 playoff teams.

The games will be played to benefit the Brothers In Arms Foundation (www.biafoundation.org).

The Foundation was created to honor the legacies of fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, in coordination with their families.

The Foundation’s mission is to provide funding assistance to existing organizations where the need is significant with an emphasis on educational opportunities and financial assistance for service members, heroic community servants, and their families.

The genesis of the Foundation is the story of LT Brendan Looney, a US Navy SEAL and 2004 United States Naval Academy graduate, who was killed in southern Afghanistan when his Black Hawk helicopter crashed during combat operations in 2010.

While in high school and at the U.S. Naval Academy, LT Looney was an active member of the football and lacrosse teams. He recognized the value amateur athletics could play in the lives of young men and women and the unifying effect of amateur athletics among diverse groups of people.

In addition to the high level competition and national exposure your student athletes will experience through this annual event, all participants will enjoy a wide variety of teambuilding and cultural opportunities specific to the locale in which they are playing.

In San Diego, participants and their families can take part in our sponsored activities, which will include a collegiate football game and military tour, and enjoy many of the community’s amenities.

Teams that play at the University of Maryland can enjoy the college game and atmosphere; spend time at the monuments on the National Mall in nearby Washington, DC or travel to tour the United States Naval Academy in nearby Annapolis.

And in Louisiana, players can enjoy a fun and relaxing day on the shores of Lake Ponchartrain or take a short trip across one of the longest bridges in the United States, the Causeway, to spend an exciting day in New Orleans to take in all the music, culture, and history the city has to offer, including the World War II Museum.

Contact writer: (480) 898-7915 or JSkoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSkodaAFN.