Silent Night and Auld Lang Syne are in the rear-view mirror.

Now it’s time for local high school student athletes to return to the hardwoods and wrestling mats as the bulk of the Winter Sports season gets underway this weekend. 

Leading off the return to action is a key Western 13C conference game between Hot Springs and St. Regis this Thursday (Jan 2) in St. Regis. 

Both boys’ and girls' teams will be in action with both teams off to good starts during the pre-Holiday break schedule. 

St. Regis’ boys are 4-0 going into the game, while Hot Springs is 3-2.  They are members this year of the Western 13C following the merger of the 14 and 13C conferences this past season. 

Three sets of games (boys' and girls' teams) are on tap this Friday, with Plains taking on Western 7B leader Troy in Plains.  The Plains, who lead the 7B, take on Troy, currently last in the league. 

Other games Friday include Seeley-Swan at Superior in a non-conference double-header.  The Bobcats boys are second in the Western 7B with a 3-1 record, while the Lady Bobcats are 1-2. 

Also Friday is a 13C conference encounter between Noxon and Alberton on the Panthers home court in Alberton.  Noxon enters the game with a 2-1 record. 

Saturday, Noxon hosts Troy in a matchup of two area teams who had a good pre-season start.  The Lady Devils from Noxon will play Troy as part of the double-dip. 

Hot Springs boys and girls will also venture out of conference when they hit the road Saturday for a pair of games against Western 6B leading Arlee, who are 3-0 on the young season.  The girls' teams will also be in action with 4-2 Hot Springs taking on the 1-2 Scarletts from Arlee. 

The other game on the schedule involving local teams is a road trip for the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks and Lady Hawks, who travel to Deer Lodge for a Saturday set against the Wardens and Lady Wardens.  The T Falls boys are 3-2, while the Deer Lodge boys are 4-0.  The Lady Hawks, 1-4, face the Deer Lodge girls in what will be their first game of the year. 

On the wrestling mats, the three schools from Sanders and Mineral Counties who have wrestling teams will return to action January 10-11 at the Cut Bank Invitational in Cut Bank. 

Several local wrestlers have recording individual championships at area invitational meets prior to the Holiday break, including six wrestlers from Plains who won weight class titles at the Arlee Christmas tourney, including 190-pounder David Chapman, who placed at last year’s state tournament, and Turner Milender from Superior, a fifth-place finisher as a freshman at last year’s state meet.