The leaves are falling, the temperatures are dropping and there’s a scent of postseason in the air.

We’re in the midst of perhaps the most anticipated week of the high school sports calendar.

Playoff action is in full throttle.

Soccer and volleyball coming down the stretch of district tournaments, cross-country runners are raring to go at the PIAA championships and the WPIAL football first round looms on Friday.

It’s the time of season every athlete looks forward to.

Good things have come in threes thus far in the Butler County area.

Three have already punched a ticket to their respective state tournaments in soccer and volleyball.

Seneca Valley is a WPIAL Class AAA finalist in girls soccer for the second consecutive season, while Freeport and Knoch volleyball have secured a PIAA title chance by advancing to the WPIAL semifinals.

That’s not all they have in common. All three are on the cusp of engaging a familiar foe with a lot on the line and whole lot to prove.

Awaiting Seneca Valley on Friday at Highmark Stadium is Peters Township, which edged the Raiders for the WPIAL crown a season ago by a 2-1 margin in double overtime.

There’s no doubt SV simply wants the title, but a little bit of vengeance wouldn’t hurt.

Freeport and Knoch will look to settle the score in the WPIAL semifinals on Thursday after splitting their meetings during the regular season.

Along with a spot in the WPIAL championship, there’s some serious bragging rights on the line.

The ever-impressive Karns City girls soccer team appears to be a solid bet to become the fourth area team to qualify for a state tournament.

The Gremlins are once again in the District 9 championship game and will enter as heavy favorites. If Karns City moves on, it is a team no one wants to face in the state playoffs.

Hitting the trail to Hershey this weekend are the Seneca Valley girls in Class AAA, the Mars girls in Class AA and the four-time defending District 10 champion Grove City boys in Class AA.

Several standout individual runners will join them in hopes of racing home with hardware.

Staying with the trend, three Butler County area football teams are preparing for a WPIAL postseason showdown.

The WPIAL football pairings meeting is the local equivalent to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection show.

Once the brackets are released, it’s only natural to pick them apart.

I’m taking No. 1 Sto-Rox beating No. 2 North Catholic for the Class A crown; No. 1 Aliquippa clipping No. 6 Beaver Falls in Class AA; No. 2 Thomas Jefferson toppling No. 1 West Allegheny in Class AAA; and No. 2 Central Catholic prevailing over No. 1 Upper St. Clair for the Quad-A championship.

For the sake of Seneca Valley, Mars and Summit — I hope I’m wrong.