Preparation for the winter high school sports season takes its first major step around the state Friday when the first day of official practices are conducted by Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association schools in basketball, wrestling and swimming and diving as well as indoor track and field.
Teams can begin scrimmaging opponents as early as Nov. 24 with game action set to begin Dec. 1.
Wrestling is the first to be completed.
Team dual meet wrestling has to be done on the district level by Feb. 3 to begin working toward the team tournament Feb. 8-10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
District individual tournaments conclude Feb. 24 before proceeding to regionals, then on to the state title, March 7-9, also in Hershey.
Swimming and diving district competition ends March 2 and the state meet is set for March 13-16 at Bucknell University.
Basketball concludes district play by March 2 and starts the start tournament March 8. The state championships are March 21-23 in Hershey.
Although it is the last to finish on the state level, basketball is the first to get underway for Greater Pittston schools.
The Wyoming Area boys will play in the Central Columbia Tip-Off Tournament Dec. 1-2.
Pittston Area is home with Delaware Valley for an afternoon girls game Dec. 2.
Wyoming Area hosts Riverside in a boys game Dec. 4.
Pittston Area opens its boys schedule at Nanticoke Dec. 6.
Wyoming Area is at Pittston Area in a girls game Dec. 7 the schools’ boys teams meet at Wyoming Area the afternoon of Feb. 4
Pittston Area will wait until Dec. 5 to open its wrestling season at home with a non-league match against Wallenpaupack.
Wyoming Area opens Dec. 9 in the Gary Woodruff Memorial Duals, an event at Wyalusing Valley that will also serve as Pittston Area’s third competition in five days.
The Warriors and Patriots meet at Wyoming Area Dec. 20.
Swimming teams go directly into Wyoming Valley Conference competition.
Wyoming Area’s opener is Dec. 12 at Hazleton Area.
Pittston Area opens the schedule the next day with a home meet against Nanticoke.
Wyoming Area visits Pittston Area Jan. 18.
