ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Football Season Shortened To Six Games

All Teams To Make Playoffs, If Governor Approves Plan

The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Friday, Aug. 7, that if high school football games are approved by Mike DeWine, Ohio governor, all teams will enter the playoffs beginning Oct. 9 and the state championship games will be played no later than November 21.

Schools may also keep their first six previously scheduled regular-season games.

The announcement was made following a recommendation from the governor’s office to shorten the season due to concerns that COVID-19 may spike in early winter.

The OHSAA Board of Directors, which assisted OHSAA staff to create the proposal and approved it by a 9-0 vote, considers it a win-win situation for all schools, since it won’t matter how many games each team has played leading up to the playoffs.

Instead of the computer ratings system determining which teams qualify for the playoffs, coaches in each region will conduct a tournament seed meeting the week of Sept. 28 to form the regional bracket, similar to the process in other OHSAA team sports.

All regular-season football contracts are now voidable by either school, especially in the event that conferences redo their league schedules to fit into the first six weeks.

In addition, the OHSAA will determine new playoff regions in September.

Schools that are eliminated from the playoffs may continue to schedule regular-season games up until Nov. 14.

Schools that have paused sports could still begin their season in September or early October and compete in the playoffs. Schools are not required to enter the playoffs if they would rather play regular season games up until Nov. 14.

Those schools that are able to start their seasons on time “will be able to do so,” said Jeff Cassella, president of the OHSAA Board of Directors and athletic administrator at Mentor High School.

“Those that are starting later can still have a season.

“Add in the option of all schools entering the playoffs and the possibility of schools still being able to play 10 regular-season contests, and this plan is helpful to virtually all of our schools.”

A decision on spectators at contact sports has not yet been made.

The OHSAA believes that, at a minimum, parents should be permitted to attend.