By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

With the winter’s first snowfall wiping out our entire slate, now seems like as good a time as any to punch a few keys on the keyboard and take a glance on what’s happening in the local high school sports scene.
It’s early, far too early to make predictions on how the season will pan out with only a few weeks in the books. Nonetheless, here’s a quick synopsis on how some of our top teams are faring so far.  
There’s still three months of hockey left in the season, but it appears that Mount St. Charles Academy is ready to defend its state title. After winning 26 straight crowns from 1977 to 2003, Mount ended a four-year drought last season by beating Bishop Hendricken to add another banner to its over-crowded wall at Adelard Arena.

In the first few weeks, the Mounties have demonstrated their high-powered offense and begin the winter campaign a perect 3-0. The season began with a 5-0 blanking of Division I rival La Salle in its league opener back on Dec. 5. Since that game, the Mounties have out-scored their next two rivals and D-IA opponents, Lincoln and Barrington, 24-2.
Mount might be slightly tested this weekend. Although their Friday game with Toll Gate was postponed due to the weather, the Mounties will take on Moses Brown on Saturday night. The Quakers are 3-1 to begin the season, including strong victories over Toll Gate and La Salle.
A very-talented and young Woonsocket High girls’ basketball squad came a game away from making it to the Division II championship last year, losing to cross-town rival Mount St. Charles in the final minute of an eventual 49-47 overtime loss in the semifinals. Star players Brooke Coderre, Lauren Masse and the rest of the Villa Novans are back on the court and look determined to make it to the Big Dance. During the off-season, the Novans held strong against an impressive list of teams that featured perennial Division I powers La Salle and Bay View to win it all in the Community College of Rhode Island Summer Basketball League.
After beating D-I opponent Lincoln, 69-54, in an Injury Fund tilt on Dec. 12, Woonsocket has manhandled its next two opponents this past week. The Villa Novans cruised past Rogers, 57-37, on Tuesday in its league opener and, two days later had no problem in disposing of West Warwick, another league team, with a 74-44 verdict.
The Mounties are also off to a good start, too. In their Injury Fund contest, they beat an always-tough Ponaganset squad, 60-42. On Tuesday, Mount won its league opener with ease, defeating Westerly, 49-35.
The Woonsocket boys’ basketball team comprised one of its best teams in school history last year, finishing the league season at 16-2 before eventually falling to Bishop Hendricken in the state tournament. Even though the Villa Novans lost most of their starters from that squad, they still have a talented squad this winter with players such as Nathan Geter, Semir Hasukic, Lee Vazquez, Wilfredo Olmeda and returning starter Antjuan Jones. 
Woonsocket has not started its league schedule yet; that begins on Dec. 30 when it welcomes St. Raphael Academy to Savaria Gymnasium. The Saints’ game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but it was moved to the later date due to the predicted snowstorm. The Novans had limited problems winning their lone non-leaguer - a 74-35 romp over Ponaganset on Dec.11.
Mount St. Charles, which over the years has consistently had a competitive squad under head coach Scott Colantonio, might be a contender this season. Led by all-division player Ryan Pangborn and the quick-thinking “Junior” Francois at point guard, the Mounties appeared to have all the tools in their Division III league-opening 76-73 victory over Central Falls on Tuesday.
The Cumberland boys’ and girls’ swim teams had no need to worry in their first two meets this season. Coming off a 4-6-1 record in Sullivan-North last year, the Clipper boys took all the suspense out of their meets this week with Lincoln and Mount St. Charles rather quickly with scores of 66-28 and 78-16, respectively. It was much the same for the girls’ squad, which comprised a 10-2-1 mark in the division last year. The Lady Clippers rolled past Lincoln, 80-14, and the Mounties, 76-18.
Some of the top swimmers for the CHS boys are Jon Wesley, Dan O’Brien and newcomer David Kryscio, a senior who is spending a year at the school, away from his homeland in East Germany. Brooke Smalley, Tori Kent and Meg Boebinger lead a solid girls’ squad.  Boebinger, an all-stater as a freshman last year, has been out of the lineup due to appendicitis surgery, but she’ll be back in the pool by the end of the year.
In wrestling, Cumberland (2-0 in Division I-A), Burrillville (3-0 in II-C) and Smithfield (1-0 in II-C) are all unbeaten so far this early season. The dual meet schedule for indoor track began on Thursday with the girls getting things started. The boys begin in early January.
Again, its still early, far too early to make predictions. So far, though, more than a handful of squads are off to a good start.