The basketballs will likely be bouncing, and the sound of skates on the ice could be heard all around the area on Monday.

The 2021 local high school winter sports preseason, as of this past week, will be allowed to get underway, with strict safety protocols in place.

And, in a month, the games are at least scheduled to begin.

Note, under the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association’s plus local athletic department/school district protocols there will be safety limitations, etc.

Teams will mainly have 10 days of practices, and then in most locales, there will be a stoppage during the holiday break, from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3.

Games will be allowed to be played in Divisions II (Hollis Brookline, Souhegan , Milford) , III (Campbell) and IV (Wilton-Lyndeborough) beginning Monday, Jan. 11. But in Division I, which involves Nashua North, South, Bishop Guertin, Alvirne and Merrimack, competiton won’t begin until Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16.

That Friday night the highlight will be the Nashua South boys at Bishop Guertin, and the Guertin girls at Nashua South.

Hockey games will be played on Saturday the 16th with a couple of all local matchups as Nashua North-Souhegan hosts Merrimack and then South-Pelham takes on Hollis Brookline-Derryfield (Warriors are home) in a doubleheader at Conway Arena.

There is also wrestling earlier in the day. Many Division I schools are playing hockey and wrestling once a week.

And remember, there will be fan limitations, with no visiting fans allowed.

That also applies to the North-South basketball and hockey matchups that will take place the following weekend, Jan. 22-23.

Both the North-Souhegan and South-Pelham hockey programs will open practice this week with new coaches, Bill Kotsifas for the Saber-Titans and Jordan Sarracco for the Kings.

There will be no scrimmages allowed during the preseason.

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