White Pine High School's wrestling team will kick off the season at the Ely Lions Club Wrestling Tournament at WPHS this weekend.

With a large roster that includes several first-year wrestlers, White Pine will be one of 16 schools represented.

No one seemed to know exactly how many years the long-term annual tournament has existed.

Guesses by several long-time members of the Lions Club are that the tournament has gone on for about 35 years.

Joe Thiel, a former WPHS principal and Lions Club member started the tournament.

“We can't even remember when we started,” said Lion and School Trustee Glenn Terry, who has been involved with the tournament since the 1970s. He is the announcer at the tournament.

“You see all these guys who are dads now who were wrestling when I was announcing the tournament,” Terry said.

Wrestling begins Friday at noon with a round-robin format. The winners who emerge from that event advance to the eight-man bracket on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

Participating are: Battle Mountain, Carlin, Elko (JV), Eureka, Incline, Independence, Laughlin, Lincoln, Pahranagat Valley, Round Mountain, Spring Creek (JV), Spring Mountain, Tonopah, Wells and West Wendover.

The Lions will host a hospitality room for coaches at the high school.