As a result of the severe damage in several areas of the State, the GHSA has decided to change the original football playoff schedule by adding a week to the regular season.
Currently, the last Friday of the regular season is November 1st. This will change to Friday, November 8th. The opening round of the State Playoffs, originally slated for November 8th, will be pushed back to Friday and Saturday, November 15th and 16th. Therefore, the bye week originally scheduled for November 29th will now be replaced by the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. The semi-finals and championship dates will NOT change.
The week of November 8th will be used for make-up games that could not be played during the regular season due to Hurricane Helene.
Schools that completed games without schedule interruptions and are advancing to the postseason will have an open week before the first round of the playoffs.
Below are the date changes
November 1: Original last Friday of the regular season
November 8: New last Friday of the regular season. Make-up games for hurricane-impacted schools.
November 15 and 16: Round 1 of Playoffs
November 22: Round 2
November 29: Quarter Finals
December 6: Semi-Finals
December 16-18: Finals at Mercedes Benz
*Schools affected by Hurricane Helene for 2 or more weeks may still have to double up and play a Thursday, Tuesday, and Saturday sequence. Regions will determine these scenarios with approval from the GHSA.
Associate Director of Football, Jay Russell, will communicate directly with athletic directors, coaches, and principals.
Other fall sports schedule changes will be released later this week.
