Fall Tournament Prefectural Updates (Part 3)

Kyoto
It's all about rematches. Ryuukokudai Heian and Fukuchiyama Seibi will clash heads once again in the quarterfinals. With the poor performance of Heian in the Natsu Koshien, I'm sure Seibi will want to show that they're the better team.

And perhaps the winner will take the #1 seed. However, the other 2 Natsu Koshien Best 4 teams are here as well. The winner could face Tounan and Higashiyama sits on the other side of the bracket.

Nara
Nara is only in the round of 16. Tenri is not surprisingly there, and so is Chiben Gakuen. The prefectural runner-up Kooriyama is in as well.

Wakayama
Block play is nearing conclusion. The Best 4 from the Natsu Koshien qualifying (Chiben Wakayama, Minabe, Seirin and Kouyou) get a free pass to the prefectural tournament. With Chiben Wakayama dominating the scene here in Wakayama, it's hard to say who else will go on to the super-regionals.

Hyogo
Half of the Best 8 are set for Hyogo, and Kansei Gakuin without their P/C Ace Yamazaki is not on the list. Notable teams remaining include Touyoudai Himeji and Kakogawa Kita.

Osaka
Osaka has 4 main blocks with the winners facing off. The blocks are either in the semifinals or quarterfinals, and most major teams are still around. Osaka Touin is having no trouble in Block A. PL Gakuen and Riseisha seem to be in a collision course in Block C, and Konkou Osaka may have an easy road in Block D if they can get through Osaka Sangyoudai Fuzuoku.

Tottori
We're in the Best 4 here, and all seeded teams are here with the exception of Yonago Kita who lost to one of the more well known teams in Kurayoshi Kita. They'll face Yazu while their sister school Kurayoshi Higashi meets Tottori Ikuei.

Okayama
Regional play has concluded and we're down to the top 16 teams. These include teams such as Kanzei, Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku, and Kurashiki Kougyou.

Shimane
Unfortunately, Risshoudai Shounan without ace Sakita, was not able to get past their first game as they fell to Hirata 4-3.

The semifinalists include some familiar teams. Iwamichisuikan (formerly known as Gonokawa) faces Izumo Shougyou in one semi while Kaisei meets Hamada in the other.

Hiroshima
Hiroshima has entered the Best 8, but only one notable team still remains in 2007 runner-up Kouryou. Perhaps Onomichi on the other side of the bracket could given them a challenge, but they have to get to the finals first.

Yamaguchi
Regional play has yet to conclude, but the field is wide open. None of the perennial teams are still around! Instead teams such as Tokuyama, Houfu, Ube Koujyou, Saikyou, Shimonoseki Chuo Kougyou and Shimonoseki Shougyou have advanced to the prefectural brackets.

Kagawa
They're in the middle of their round of 16 games with several big-name schools still around. Natsu Koshien representative Sangawa is still there. Takamatsu Shougyou and Jinsei Gakuen are there too, but are playing each other in the quarterfinals.

Tokushima
Tokushima Kita has advanced into the Best 8 with a 3-2 win over Anan. But Naruto Kougyou looms on the horizon while Komatsushima is on the other side of the bracket.

Ehime
The prefectural participants are set, and the top contenders have to be Saijyou, Imabari Nishi, Saibi and Teikyou Dai-go.

Kochi
They're almost in the Best 8, but until they're upset the 3 bids could very well be taken. Those teams are Kochi, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijuku.

Fukuoka
The north/south regionals are still in the early stages, and with no team really establishing their dominance in recent years, Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku under Wakui-kantoku may emerge to fill in that void. They're still in the tournament right now, but as I said before... it's still early.

Saga
We're still in the opening rounds, and perhaps the only notable thing so far is that seeded Saga Kita lost in the 2nd round to Taku 7-1.

Nagasaki
We're still in regional play, but Seihou without Imamura struggled and lost to Sasebo Tousen 9-8 in the first game. Nagasaki Nichidai got past its first game, but we're still in the opening stages.

Oita
They're still going through the 2nd round here in Oita, but a good number of notable teams are still around such as Meihou, Oita, and Oita Uenogaoka. Hita Rinkou has yet to play, but their first opponent is Kunisaki.

Miyazaki and Kagoshima
These prefectures have yet to start their fall tournament.

Kumamoto
They're going into their 3rd round games right now, and with most teams playing only 1 game so far, there's really little to discern here. All Best 4 teams from the Natsu Koshien qualifiers are still around (Kumamoto Kougyou, Kyushu Gakuin, Hitsuyuukan, and Kumamoto Kokufu).

Okinawa
They're almost in the round of 16 right now. Kounan, under now 3rd year Shimabukuro has to be the front-runner, but at the same time if their offense doesn't improve they won't go far. Should they falter, Okinawa Suisan and Itoman will be glad to pick up the flag and continue on.

Well, I know it's a general review but I'll try to get the brackets up. I'm fortunate that they play primarily on the weekends since it's during the school year.