UIL announces how COVID-19 will alter high school football season, other fall sports
The University Interscholastic League on Tuesday released a two-track plan to have sports resume in the fall even as the coronavirus pandemic is still surging through much of Texas.
Of the UIL’s six conferences, the top two (6A and 5A) would be delayed from starting their seasons as scheduled because, generally, those are the parts of the state where positive COVID-19 are still the highest. Practices would not be able to pick up again until Sept. 7, although some competition would be able to start that day. But football is another story. The earliest games could be played will be Sept. 24, and the delayed start would push the state championships in January.
Meanwhile, he four smallest conferences (4A, 3A, 2A and 1A) would be able to maintain the current schedules and have student athletes return to practice as soon as Aug. 3. All competition would be able to start in mid- to late August, and the state championships would remain unchanged.
“Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” said UIL executive director Dr. Charles Breithaupt in a press release. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.”
Tuesday’s announcement comes less than a week since the state’s top two private school leagues, Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools and Southwest Preparatory Conference, delayed the start of their fall seasons until after Labor Day.
However, those dates do not apply in areas that are seeing spikes in positive COVID-19 cases.
For the past month, the UIL has allowed school districts to make their own decision based on information from local public health officials. Schools in cities such as Dallas, Austin and El Paso had already delayed the season as well as the start of in-person classes until at least Sept. 8.
Those areas wouldn’t start practice until students returned to campus for in-person learning.
Tarrant County, along with the city of Arlington and city of Burleson, has issued a similar order on Tuesday. Students will start the 2020-21 school year as they finished the last one, online only.
In-person instruction is scheduled to return on Sept. 28, which would mean losing at least the first five games of the original football season schedule and possibly one or two more games to allow players to practice with full pads and for teams to play a scrimmage.
Fort Worth area 4A schools include Kennedale, Dunbar, Benbrook, Carter-Riverside, Eastern Hills, Western Hills, Diamond Hill-Jarvis, Castleberry and Lake Worth.
Over 40 other schools in Tarrant County and the city of Burleson are in 6A and 5A.
“These adjustments reflect the public health situation at this time and the varying numbers of COVID-19 cases across different geographic areas of the state. This plan provides a delay for schools in highly-populated metro areas, primarily conferences 5A-6A, given the challenges with COVID-19 those communities are facing, while providing schools in other areas, primarily 1A-4A, an opportunity to start seasons on schedule,” the UIL said.
While most of the 4A-1A schedule can still go as planned, one of the biggest new dates comes for 6A-5A football state championships. The UIL has pushed those games back to January 2021 with specific dates still to be determined.
There hasn’t been in-person classes and high school sporting events since mid-March.
The UIL suspended the boys basketball state tournament in San Antonio on March 12 and had hoped to finish the event, but eventually that tournament and the entire spring season was put on hold for a month before the UIL eventually canceled it.
Since June 8, high school teams have been allowed to return to campus for strength and conditioning, and skill workouts with the necessary restrictions, such as face coverings and social distancing, in place.
Summer workouts are scheduled to end July 31, but that date could change for different areas of the state. Per the Tarrant County order, workouts aren’t allowed indoors and may only be conducted remotely or outdoors while wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.
New Fall 2020 Dates
UIL
Football 1A-4A
August 3: Practice
August 27-29: Regular season
November 12-14: Playoffs
December 16-19: State championships
Football 5A-6A
September 7: Practice
September 24-26: Regular season
December 10-12: Playoffs
January 2021: State championships
Volleyball 1A-4A
August 3: Practice
August 10: Regular season
November 2-3: Playoffs
November 18-21: State championships
Volleyball 5A-6A
September 7: Practice
September 14: Regular season
November 23-24: Playoffs
December 11-2: State championships
Cross Country 1A-4A
August 17: Regular season
November 14: District certification deadline
December 5: State championships
Cross Country 5A-6A
September 7: Regular season
November 14: District certification deadline
December 5: State championships
Team Tennis 1A-4A
August 17: Regular season
October 24: District certification deadline
November 11-12 State championships
Team Tennis
September 7: Regular season
October 24: District certification deadline
November 11-12 State championships
TAPPS
Football
September 8: Start of fall practice
September: 14: First day of full pads
September 24-26: Scrimmage
October 1-3: Regular season
Volleyball
September 8: Start of fall practice
September 14: Scrimmage
September 21: Regular season
Field Hockey
Fall Soccer
September 8: Start of fall practice
September 21: Scrimmage
September 28: Regular season
Cross Country
Swimming
Team Tennis
Golf
September 8: Practice
September 14: Scrimmage
September 21: Tournament/Meets
SPC
Football
Boys Volleyball
Girls Volleyball
Cross Country
Field Hockey
September 8: Regular season
September 21: Conference games
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 11:16 AM.
