High School Football to Return First Week of October

Great news folks, we will in fact see high school football again this coming season!

It was touch and go there for a bit but the LHSAA's Eddie Bonine announced on Wednesday that the beginning of the season will be moved up a week from the initial starting date of October 8th. The season will now get underway the weekend of October 1-3rd and practice will begin in full Thursday for all teams.

The season will obviously be shortened due to the delayed start, therefore each team will play an eight-game regular-season schedule according to Andrew Clay of KATC.

The playoffs will stay the same as select schools will have 16 teams team brackets and the non-select school will have their custom 32 team brackets. The playoffs will begin November 26th-28th and the state championships will be held December 26th-28th in New Orleans. Additionally, there will not be any Jamboree games according to Clay on Twitter:

Now, where will the schedule begin, where will the teams pick things up? Clay says that teams will pick things up from week three of their original schedules.

LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine had this to say when discussing the decision to push the 2020 high school football season up a week.

"It's been busy and in an association and as an executive director in a career, you have defining moments and benchmarks. I truly believe what's transpired in the last five to 10 business days are benchmarks for the association, but I think it proves that we need some normality. For our student-athletes or coaches, our teachers and our families and parents, and communities which all of you live. I truly believe that sports is an important piece of that."

The COVID protocols will be as followed, no team will receive a forfeit loss due to the virus infecting their team and stadium capacity with fans will be up to the school's discretion based on the local school board.

The Executive Committee vote was a landslide at 22-1 in favor of allowing the start of contact sports in the LHSAA Competition's first stage. However, the local government has the final say and the LHSAA isn't able to overturn an order to halt contact sports at any time they see fit.