IHSAA announces changes for 2020 football season

 BOONE (July 24) -- The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced changes to the 2020 prep football season on Friday, shortening regular season play to a maximum of seven games per team and expanding the postseason so that all teams qualify for the playoffs.
 The revised plan was approved by the IHSAA Board of Control, which will release further fall season and sport-specific guidance next week. Team schedules will be compiled and released when available.
 A Friday news release by the IHSAA stated: “To better prepare for the 2020 varsity football season, the IHSAA developed a revised schedule plan which allows for member school adjustments due to COVID-19. Football remains the only Iowa high school sport with regular season schedules and postseason qualifying managed by the IHSAA. The revised plan considers flexibility for school return concerns, geography, postseason qualifying, transportation, and possible COVID-19 cases as rationale for changing previously announced varsity football schedules.”
 The first practice date for the 2020 season remains Monday, August 10, and the first night of competition (Aug. 27-29) is also the same, along with the dates for the state semifinals (Nov. 12-14) and finals (Nov. 20-21) at the UNI-Dome.
 The regular season will now consist of between five and seven games per school, rather than the traditional nine-game season.
 All teams in all classes will qualify for the playoffs, which will begin on Friday, October 16 and consist of six rounds. This is intended to be a one-time measure for the postseason, according to the IHSAA, with playoff pairings based primarily on geography, quality and team availability.
 As for local teams, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton will now play a district-only 8-Player schedule consisting of seven games between Aug. 28 and Oct. 9 - each game moved up two weeks from the previously-released schedule in March.
 Harlan Community (Class 3A), IKM-Manning (Class A) and AHSTW (Class A) will now play a maximum of two non-district games - instead of the previously scheduled four - and will begin their five-game district schedules in Week 3 (Sept. 11) rather than Week 5 (Sept. 25).
 Weeks 1 and 2 will be considered “optional” playing dates for teams in 11-player football.
 The IHSAA also noted that teams that cannot play on a particular Friday due to COVID-19 cases will not be charged with a forfeit or loss; rather that game will be considered a “no contest” and will not be made up.