How each state is handling high school football season this fall across the country
A Herriman player wear a mask during a high school football against Davis on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, in Herriman, Utah. Utah is among the states going forward with high school football this fall despite concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that led other states and many college football conferences to postpone games in hopes of instead playing in the spring. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Here’s a breakdown about how each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, are handling the high school football season, as updated on Sept. 3.
Where states are at with prep football — RED: No fall football; ORANGE: Part of state has started/part delayed; YELLOW: Entire state delayed; GREEN: Season has started or will start on schedule
ALABAMA: Season has started.
ALASKA: Most of the state has opened the season. But Anchorage schools, which represent about about 40 percent of the state’s total population, just started practice Sept. 4. First games are expected to begin Sept. 18.
ARIZONA: Scheduled to open season on Sept. 30.
ARKANSAS: Season has started.
CALIFORNIA: Delayed to 2021.
COLORADO: Delayed to 2021.
CONNECTICUT: Delayed to 2021.
DELAWARE: Delayed to 2021.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Delayed to 2021.
FLORIDA: Parts of the state, mostly smaller schools in rural areas, started on Sept. 4. Other parts of the state in more populated areas are starting on Sept. 18 or 25.
GEORGIA: About 70 percent of the state’s 425 teams started the season on Sept. 4. Another 70 schools have delayed or postponed the fall football season.
HAWAII: Delayed to 2021.
IDAHO: Most of the state has opened season. But several schools in the southern end of the state around Boise delayed start of the season until at least Sept. 11.
INDIANA: Season has started
IOWA: Season has started, but will be shortened to seven-game regular season.
KANSAS: State opened fall football season on Sept. 4, but offers an alternate season in the spring should conditions warrant play to halt this fall. Kansas City schools won’t play fall sports.
KENTUCKY: Most of the state will open season on Sept. 11, but some schools won’t begin play until Sept. 18.
LOUISIANA: Start of season delayed six weeks to Oct. 8.
MAINE: Start of season was delayed further from Sept. 25-26, but health officials sent out a recommendation last week to delay start further, potentially to spring.
MARYLAND: Delayed to 2021.
MASSACHUSETTS: Delayed to 2021
MICHIGAN: Fall football reinstated. Practices begin on Sept. 18.
MINNESOTA: Delayed to 2021.
MISSISSIPPI: Season has started.
MISSOURI: Season has started.
MONTANA: Season has started for small schools. Most large schools will open season Sept. 11.
NEBRASKA: Season has started.
NEVADA: Delayed to 2021.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Start of season delayed three weeks to Sept. 25.
NEW JERSEY: Start of season delayed four weeks to Oct. 1.
NEW MEXICO: Delayed to 2021.
NEW YORK: Start of the season delayed five weeks to Oct. 1. Move to spring still possible for some or all sections.
NORTH CAROLINA: Delayed to 2021.
NORTH DAKOTA: Season has started.
OHIO: Season has started, but state will play a condensed schedule that would start postseason on Oct. 9.
OKLAHOMA: Season has started.
OREGON: Delayed to 2021.
PENNSYLVANIA: State is widely divided. Some parts of the state will begin Sept. 11. Others parts will open Oct. 2. About 15 percent of the state has decided to delay to spring.
RHODE ISLAND: No fall football. Could be moved to 2021.
SOUTH CAROLINA: The start of the season has been delayed three weeks to Sept. 25, season abbreviated to seven games.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Season has started.
TENNESSEE: Season has started.
TEXAS: Season has started for state’s smaller schools. State’s two largest classifications will delay start of their seasons five weeks to Sept. 24.
UTAH: Season has started.
VERMONT: Opted to cancel fall tackle football season and replace it with 7-on-7 touch football,. Unclear if tackle football would be played in spring of 2021.
VIRGINIA: Delayed until 2021.
WASHINGTON: Delayed until 2021.
WEST VIRGINIA: Start of the season delayed one week to Sept. 3, although many schools are scrambling to fill holes in their schedules caused by Virginia’s decision to push season to 2021.
WISCONSIN: Delayed the start of the season three weeks to Sept. 23, and shortened season to seven weeks. Also provided an alternate seven-week football season in the spring, if games could not be played in fall.
WYOMING: Season has started.
