LOCKPORT — All the hype, all the anxiety, all the hard work and preparation ...

Local fall high school sports seasons get underway today and will continue for the next two-and-a-half months as student-athletes playing football, soccer, golf, volleyball, cross country and girls swimming and tennis vie for Section VI championships and the opportunity to advance as far as they can at states.

It starts out on the golf course this afternoon with the start of the Niagara-Orleans League golf season. Among the local schools competing at 4:30 p.m., Barker plays at Newfane, while Wilson competes at CSAT.

On Thursday, Newfane opens its girls soccer season at Maryvale in a non-league contest, while Wilson and Barker will compete in non-league girls volleyball matches at Niagara-Wheatfield and Lyndonville, respectively.

N-O links matches continue on Thursday with Albion at Barker, Newfane at Medina and Wilson at Akron.

The 2010 high school football season kicks off on Friday night with local schools Wilson and Royalton-Hartland competing. Head coach Bill Atlas’ Lakemen will host Grover Cleveland at 7 p.m. Friday at Walter J. Hutchison Field. Don Baker’s Rams will open at Gowanda at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, Lockport and local schools Barker, Newfane and Starpoint open their 2010 football slates.

In one of the biggest football games of the season, the Spartans will host the Lions at 2 p.m. Saturday at Shirley Tudor Stadium in Pendleton in the VI opener for both schools. The “rivalry series” between the two schools began in 2008 and is tied at a game apiece, heading to Saturday’s game. The Lions are coached by Greg Bronson and the Spartans by Al Cavagnaro.

Newfane also hosts its 2010 grid opener with a 2 p.m. Saturday contest against visiting Albion at the Newfane Middle School. The Panthers are coached by Alex Haney. At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Barker kicks off its football season with a Section V Class D contest at Elba. The Raiders are coached by Bill Bruning.

Lockport High School’s boys and girls varsity and junior varsity soccer teams will open their 2010 Niagara Frontier League seasons on Tuesday against Niagara-Wheatfield. Head coach Jeff Hulshoff’s Lions will host the Falcons at 4:30 p.m., while Mike Finnerty’s Lady Lions are at N-W. N-O girls soccer openers are also on tap Tuesday with Barker at Akron, Albion at Newfane, Wilson at Medina and Roy-Hart at CSAT.

The 2010 N-O field hockey season also gets underway Tuesday with defending-champion Barker hosting Wilson. Other field hockey openers pit Newfane at Kenmore West and Roy-Hart at Medina.

On Sept. 8, John Beatty’s LHS girls tennis team opens its NFL slate at Niagara-Wheatfield (4 p.m.), while Dave Gilson’s Lions golf team opens against visiting Niagara-Wheatfield at the Lockport Town & Country Club.

N-O boys soccer openers are also slated on Sept. 8 with Medina at Wilson at 4:30 p.m. and two 6:30 p.m. games “under the lights,” CSAT at Roy-Hart (at Roy-Hart Elementary) and Newfane at Albion.

Week 2 of the local high school fall sports season will feature the annual Lockport Soccer Tournament Sept. 9-11 at the LHS fields. Details of that tournament will be featured in next week’s US&J.

Also on Sept. 10, coach Dave Gilson’s LHS golf team opens against visiting Grand Island at the Lockport Town & Country Club (4 p.m.). head coach Chris Niver’s boys volleyball Lions will open at Lewiston-Porter at 4:30 p.m., coach Liz Pitts’ Lady Lions volleyball team opens by hosting Lew-Port at 5 p.m.; and coach Kristen Allen’s Lady Lions swim team opens at Niagara Falls (5 p.m.)

Local Week 2 high school football contests will feature two Friday night (Sept. 10) away games with Newfane at Tonawanda (7 p.m.) and Wilson at Gowanda (7:30 p.m.).  At 2 p.m. on Sept. 11, Lockport hosts defending Class AA state-champion North Tonawanda at Max D. Lederer Field in their 2010 home opener.

Other Sept. 11 grid games on tap are Pembroke at Barker (1:30 p.m.), Roy-Hart at Cleveland Hill (2 p.m.) and Starpoint at Niagara-Wheatfield (2 p.m.).

• Grid Openers

Local high school teams will open their 2010 varsity football seasons this weekend. The following games are on tap involving local schools:

Friday

• Class C: Grover Cleveland @ Wilson, 7 p.m.

• Class C: Roy-Hart at Gowanda, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

• Class D: Barker @ Elba, 1:30 p.m.

• Non-League: Lockport @ Starpoint, 2 p.m.

• Non-League: Albion @ Newfane, 2 p.m.