FHSAA: Football playoff games can be played Thursday-Saturday, not Monday
View the latest update on this story: FHSAA adds Monday as option for rescheduling high school football playoff games
In response to Tropical Storm Nicole, the FHSAA is allowing football teams to play anytime Thursday through Saturday but are not allowing teams to play on Monday at this time.
“We’ve sent each athletic director correspondence allowing them the opportunity to work with their visiting school to make plans that include playing games Thursday-Saturday, and if needed for the contest to be moved to another host school if necessary and agreed upon by both parties,” Ryan Harrison, the FHSAA’s public relations specialist, wrote in an email to the USA Today Florida Network.
“As of right now we have not given teams permission to move games to Monday only to move it up to Thursday or back to Saturday. We will be meeting again (Tuesday) however to discuss.”
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The latest tracking for Nicole has it potentially hitting the East Coast early Thursday morning as a hurricane or strong tropical storm.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 34 counties in the potential path of Nicole.
The FHSAA Class 1A and 2A state swimming meets, which were slated for Friday and Saturday in Stuart, have been postponed and will be shifted to next week to November 18-19. The same schedule will be maintained.
State volleyball still will be played this week in Polk County, but the schedule has shifted. All matches originally scheduled for Friday in Classes 1A, 3A and 6A will be moved to Sunday: 1A, Baker vs. Liberty County, 1 p.m.; 6A, Viera vs. New Smyrna Beach, 4 p.m.; 3A, Clearwater Central Catholic vs. Westminster Christian, 7 p.m.
Other changes included a format shift for high school golf -- Class 3A state at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills was decided in one round on Tuesday as opposed to Wednesday's second round.
The state football regional quarterfinals are scheduled to begin on Thursday.
A named storm has not made landfall in Florida in November since Tropical Storm Mitch in 1998. Harrison said he was uncertain if there’s ever been a weather situation like this during the football playoffs.
Harrison also said the FHSAA was not concerned about the storm’s track and school closures potentially giving one team more time to prepare than their opponent.
“At this time there is no concern of an unbalanced playing field,” Harrison said. “In Florida we frequently deal with lightning delays and thunderstorms during the weekdays that give some teams limited practice time. Ultimately, we will address each situation on a case by case basis.”
Numerous school districts along the east coast already have announced closures on Wednesday and Thursday (with no school Friday due to Veteran's Day).
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Nicole: FHSAA wants football playoff games Thursday-Saturday, not Monday
