The silly season — otherwise known as holiday tournaments — is over.
January means more than just 31 different ways to say it's cold. It's time for teams to get serious, with conference play dominating schedules and the first state tournaments little more than a month away.
While there are always basketball and hockey games worth noting, the biggest event this week takes in the great outdoors on skinny skis.
The Mesabi East Nordic Ski Racing Invitational will be held Saturday at Giants Ridge Ski Area in Biwabik. For more than 20 years, the Mesabi East Invite has been the biggest high school Nordic ski racing meet in the country.
As of Monday, 64 teams had confirmed entrance in the meet, which limits the number of varsity and JV skiers to 1,300. The classic 5K race begins at 10 a.m., the freestyle 5K starts at 12:30 p.m.
A new entry on the local Nordic skiing scene won't match the Mesabi East Invitational in size, but Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis will host the Loppet Invite, a 16-team invitational held in a similar style to the MSHSL state meet.
Among those competing will be Bloomington Jefferson junior Zak Ketterson, the defending boys' state champion. Racing begins at 11 a.m.
Boys' basketball
Saturday: Timberwolves Shootout at Target Center. Four of the state's top teams take on out-of-state foes. Here is the schedule: Omaha (Neb.)Central vs. Apple Valley, 9:15 a.m.; North Scott (Iowa) vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, 11 a.m.; Morgan Park (Ill.) vs. DeLaSalle, 12:45 p.m.; Champlin Park vs. Rice Lake (Wis.), 2:30 p.m.
