The first week of May is coming to a close and it’s time for some of our area sports teams to pick up the pace.

Several teams I thought would have solid seasons have scuffled a bit and are hovering around the .500 mark or in some instances, are below it.

With only a couple of weeks left before the MHSAA postseason begins, these teams need to pull themselves together and start focusing on the playoffs.

Gone are the dreams of conference or division championships.

What is important now is to improve every day and begin focusing on the long-term, which is the post season.

What is interesting is it is all across the board.

There is no one particular sport or one particular school that is having issues.

I can’t really put my finger on one particular program these teams are having either.

It just seems like they have not yet been able to put it all together.

But all is not lost.

There is still plenty of time to right the ship so to speak and get prepared for the opening round of the postseason.

These teams have talent and if they work out whatever their problem is, they will be very dangerous when the district and regional tournaments begin at the end of this month.

Flying under the radar might not be a bad thing for these teams either. Some of them have had the target on their backs for a long time, so not coming in as one of the favorites could play into their hands.

But without hard work and dedication to get better each and every day, they will not be able to find the success they have been looking for this season.

In fact, a nice run in the post season will be the only thing that will make 2010 a success for some of them, because they had some pretty lofty expectations at the beginning of the year.

I look forward to the next couple of weeks as I watch to see if these teams are going to pull themselves out of their tailspin and get back to playing the way I am used to seeing them play.

Now if only the weather, which by the forecast isn’t good for getting a lot of games in over the next week or so, will hold we can get through the spring sports season with very little disruption.

That would be nice to see.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com