Last Wednesday, Archbishop Carroll lost in the Catholic League semifinals. This Wednesday, Carroll has a District 12 seeding game. A week from Friday, Carroll opens the PIAA Class AAA tournament.

For those keeping score at home, that accounts for three games in 17 days for Yosef Yacob (pictured) & Co.. Since the opening week of their season, the Patriots (17-7) haven't gone more than four days between games. At one stretch, they played four games in six days.

"Maintaining our focus in a two-week span where we only have one game is asking a lot," Archbishop Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said over the weekend. "We’re in this rhythm where it’s two practices, game, one practice, game. Keeping guys sharp has become the challenge, as well as keeping them healthy."

So why the lapse in the schedule? Unfortunately, that's the way it is. But why? Well, there's one reason: End date.

To make a five-round state tournament end with a championship weekend in State College, the tournament has to open on a weekend -- thus following a Friday/Wednesday format for Class AAA and Saturday/Tuesday for Class AAAA. So even though most districts will have closed out their tournaments by this weekend or, at the latest, March 6, the PIAA waits to open its state tournaments March 9.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise for some teams, like those with players nursing injuries or others -- like the eighth seed from District One Class AAAA, which will open its state-tournament run on a three-game losing streak -- which may just need a break from the games.