(Theresa Proudfit/The Daily News Photo) IRON MOUNTAIN’S FOSTER Wonders works the post against Kingsford’s Michael Meneguzzo as Flivvers’ Hunter Bilgreen and Mountaineers’ Tony Feira follow the play, in a game at Iron Mountain on Jan. 22, 2020.

High school hockey and boys and girls basketball will begin competition on Monday, while competitive cheer and wrestling can start Friday.

All area players, coaches and administrators seem ready and raring to get started.

“The kids are ready. We’re all ready to get started, so let’s play,” said West Iron athletic director Mike Berutti.

Both Wykons basketball teams will be in action on Monday, as the girls travel to Iron Mountain to take on the Mountaineers in a West PAC Conference game. The Wykon boys host West PAC opponent Negaunee.

The Mountaineer boys open their 2021 campaign by traveling West PAC opponent Calumet on Monday. Iron Mountain will host Norway in their home opener on Wednesday.

The Knights have their home and season opener Tuesday as they entertain Skyline Central Conference foe Carney-Nadeau. The Lady Knights also host Carney-Nadeau in their home and season opener, on Wednesday evening.

“The student athletes are ready to participate,” said Norway girls basketball coach and athletic director Joe Tinti. “These young men and women want to compete and it is evident that they enjoy having some sort of routine back along with things being a little closer to ‘normal’.”

Tinti said it will be interesting to see how teams will look getting thrown into competition with little to no contact practices.

“Early season games are a bit sloppy as is, but this year may be particularly so,” Tinti said. “I constantly remind my players and coaches that everyone is in the same boat.”

Kingsford’s co-op hockey team hits the ice Monday night at historic D Stadium in Houghton, before hosting Negaunee in the home opener at Mountain View Ice Arena on Tuesday night. Players from Norway and Iron Mountain also skate for the Flivvers.

Kingsford’s boys basketball team opens their season at home versus non-conference foe West Iron on Tuesday night. The Flivver girls host Marquette on Friday night in the debut of new varsity head coach Jon Lorenzoni.

As for North Central, their girls basketball team opens the season Monday as they travel to Skyline rival Carney-Nadeau. The Jets girls have a new head coach as well. Physical education teacher within the district Pete Schlenvogt takes over the helm of the girls program.

The North Central boys open their season at Menominee on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup.

At Forest Park, the Lady Trojans open their season by traveling to West Iron on Thursday night in a non-conference matchup. The Forest Park boys open their season Friday as they host Skyline Conference foe Superior Central.

North Dickinson athletic director Mike Roell has some pending updates in both of the Nordics’ team schedules, but Tinti did confirm his Lady Knights will host North Dickinson on Friday in Skyline Central action.

“It’s definitely been a very stressful time for everyone in our community with all the uncertainty that has come with Covid,” said ND girls head basketball coach Kirk Mattson. “I am definitely happy that our student athletes are going to be able to have some sort of basketball season. Since the end of our season last year, the girls have been working hard at working out individually, because of the Covid restrictions. With all things considered, they have all kept a great attitude and are ready to compete.”

Tinti probably speaks for all of the area ADs in some things he points out.

“It has been an unprecedented year to be an athletic director,” he said. “AD’s are always faced with last-minute changes, gym conflicts, official shortages. But remaking schedules numerous times during the same school year is something that is rare,” he said.

“Many people may not realize it, but schedules are typically made the year before. For example, next year’s basketball season is scheduled in the late fall the year before the current year basketball season takes place. Finding officials has been getting harder and harder each year and finding officials for rescheduled games can be near impossible. Many schools scheduled some Saturday games, and this was one way to ensure availability of officials,” he said.

Some schools, Norway included, are doing doubleheaders on Saturday where both the boys and girls varsity teams and both JV teams play.

“This takes two gyms but is an easy way to get a lot of basketball in and also reduce the number of needed officials as the crews often officiate both games,” Tinti noted.

Norway hosts Stephenson on Saturday for a doubleheader.

Details on allowing spectators at any of the sites were still being worked out.