OHSAA Proposes Six Game Regular Season

A shortened regular season could threaten games between Harrison and EC and Taylor and Lawrenceburg.

(Columbus, Oh.) – The 2020 Ohio high school football season will be adjusted if games are approved by Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve a proposal for a six-game regular season last week.

Under the proposal, regular-season games would begin the week of August 24, which is the normal start to the regular season.

Schools may keep their first six previously scheduled games, but 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.

This could impact cross-state rivalries such as Harrison vs. East Central and Taylor vs. Lawrenceburg. 

All teams would be eligible to enter the OHSAA playoffs. Postseason games would begin on October 9 and the state championship games will be played no later than November 21. The OHSAA says new playoff regions will be determined in September.

Schools eliminated from the playoffs or that choose not to enter will have the option to play additional regular season games through Saturday, November 14. The maximum number of regular season games will be limited to 10.

“To both ensure we can offer students the opportunity to participate in education-based athletes but do so with their best interests in mind, we believe this modified plan offers a positive solution by addressing many of the concerns of our member schools,” said Jeff Cassella, president of the OHSAA Board of Directors and athletic administrator at Mentor High School. “Those that are able to start their seasons on time will be able to do so. 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.”

According to the OHSAA, the highest number of responses to one of the questions posed of superintendents, principals and athletic administrators in a recent OHSAA membership survey indicated that nearly 60 percent (890 of 1,498 respondents) favored either reducing the regular season and maintaining full OHSAA tournaments or maintaining the full regular season and maintaining full OHSAA tournaments

For more information, visit www.ohsaa.org.