This past week, the winter weather season started in full force.
This weekend, the winter sports season takes a similar approach with 13 of the county's 17 sports teams kicking off their 2010-2011 campaigns.
Basketball is the main course in this winter season sports meal with 10 teams taking to the court on both Friday and Saturday.
The 7th annual Warren County Tip-off Tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Warren Area High School. The format is similar to seasons past with Youngsville and Warren and Sheffield and Eisenhower matched up in the opening rounds.
The order of opening night games has changed slightly, however. The Lady Eagles and Lady Dragons will tip off at 4 p.m. with the Lady Wolverines and Lady Knights set to square off at 5:30 p.m. Boys action begins at 7 p.m. with Sheffield vs. Eisenhower followed by Youngsville vs. Warren in the 8:30 p.m. nightcap.
On Saturday, the girls consolation game is scheduled for 4 p.m. with the boys consolation game to follow at 5:30 p.m. The girls championship will tip off at 7 p.m. with the boys championship scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
The Dragons have dominated the boys bracket since the tournament's inception in 2004. Along the way, coach Jeff Berdine's team has compiled a perfect 12-0 record and has won all six championship trophies.
The girls bracket was added to the tournament in 2005 and both Eisenhower and Warren have claimed victory. The Knights won the first two titles in 2005 and 2006 before winning again last season. In between, Warren won the title in 2007 and 2008.
Warren, Eisenhower, Youngsville and Sheffield won't be the only teams competing in tournaments this weekend. Both the Tidioute Community Charter School girls and boys basketball teams will also be in action.
The Bulldogs' boys team will compete at the East Forest Tip-off Tournament. Also included in the field are the West Forest and Smethport. The Bulldogs open at 6 p.m. Friday with host East Forest. Saturday's consolation game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. with the championship to follow at 6 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Oil City for the Venango Catholic Tip-off Tournament. That tourney field also features Rocky Grove and West Forest. The Lady Bulldogs will battle host Venango Catholic in the opening round at 7:30 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the consolation game is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the championship game set for 7:30 p.m.
As an added bonus, three wrestling teams will start their seasons this weekend. The Youngsville wrestling team opens up Friday with competition at the Bison Brawl Tournament hosted by Fort LeBoeuf in Edinboro. On Saturday, Eisenhower hosts its own season opening tournament with a 9 a.m. start while the Sheffield grapplers compete at the Blairsville Bobbit Duals.
Results from previous Warren County Tip-off Tournaments are listed below:
2004 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening round: Eisenhower 42, Sheffield 29; Warren 53, Youngsville 37
Consolation: Sheffield 49, Youngsville 45
Championship: Warren 45, Eisenhower 29
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2005 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening Round: Sheffield 57, Youngsville 42; Warren 75, Eisenhower 35
Consolation: Eisenhower 37, Youngsville 35
Championship: Warren 60, Sheffield 28
Girls
Opening Round: Eisenhower 72, Sheffield 18; Warren 51, Youngsville 30
Consolation: Sheffield 45, Youngsville 40
Championship: Eisenhower 35, Warren 28
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2006 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening Round: Sheffield 40, Youngsville 32; Warren 53, Eisenhower 41
Consolation: Eisenhower 46, Youngsville 25
Championship: Warren 58, Sheffield 47
Girls
Opening Round: Eisenhower 58, Sheffield 25; Warren 68, Youngsville 20
Consolation: Sheffield 43, Youngsville 35
Championship: Eisenhower 51, Warren 34
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2007 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening Round: Eisenhower 63, Sheffield 39; Warren 66, Youngsville 41
Consolation: Sheffield 57, Youngsville 46
Championship: Warren 61, Eisenhower 23
Girls
Opening Round: Eisenhower 77, Sheffield 19; Warren 71, Youngsville 24
Consolation: Youngsville 40, Sheffield 31
Championship: Warren 54, Eisenhower 52
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2008 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening Round: Eisenhower 70, Sheffield 24; Warren 76, Youngsville 19
Consolation: Sheffield 52, Youngsville 48
Championship: Warren 26, Eisenhower 25
Girls
Opening Round: Warren 58, Youngsville 24; Eisenhower 43, Sheffield 38
Consolation: Sheffield 59, Youngsville 49
Championship: Warren 42, Eisenhower 37
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2009 Warren County Tip-off Tournament
Boys
Opening Round: Warren 63, Youngsville 41; Eisenhower 63, Sheffield 39
Consolation: Sheffield 64, Youngsville 52
Championship: Warren 42, Eisenhower 37
Girls
Opening Round: Warren 62, Youngsville 14; Eisenhower 55, Sheffield 9
Consolation: Sheffield 39, Youngsville 29
Championship: Eisenhower 49, Warren 23
Tournament points record (boys): Jordan Copley, Sheffield, 31, December 1, 2007
Tournament points record (girls): Elisha Jones, Eisenhower, 26, December 2, 2006