Sept. 14 update: How each state is handling high school football this fall
We’ve adjusted our map on the different stages of high school football across the country.
We’ve broken states up into three basic categories: Green (26 states), Yellow (6 states) and Red (18 states, plus the District of Columbia).
Green indicates that the high school football season has started in some section of that state. Deep green (17 states) indicates most, if not all, of the state has begun playing, although some states (Ohio, Kansas, Iowa) have abbreviated or altered their seasons from normal). Medium green states (five states) are playing football in most of the state, but a significant chunk of the state still has not started. And light green (four states) are states where football is widely divided in play — either rural/small schools vs. large schools, or private vs. public.
Yellow states indicate that football has not started, but there is still a plan for fall prep football.
And red states mean there will be no fall tackle football. Vermont will replace tackle football with 7-on-7 touch this fall. Rhode Island won’t play tackle football, with no plan for a season in the spring. The remainder have a plan to play football in 2021.
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. 14. We will update this every week.
ALABAMA: Season has started.
ALASKA: Season has started, with Anchorage teams opening play Sept. 11.
ARIZONA: Scheduled to open season on Sept. 30.
ARKANSAS: Season has started.
CALIFORNIA: Delayed to 2021.
COLORADO: Delayed to 2021 (Gov. Jared Polis gave green light to football Tuesday (9/8), but later that day CHSAA board voted to keep football in spring.)
CONNECTICUT: 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 state opened season by Aug. 31. Several others started Sept. 11. Two Boise-area districts should open season Sept. 18.
ILLINOIS: Delayed to 2021
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 state opened season on Sept. 11, but some schools will open Sept. 18.
LOUISIANA: Start of season delayed six weeks to Oct. 8.
MAINE: Delayed to 2021.
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, but schools in and around St. Louis have not yet started.
MONTANA: Season started Aug. 31 for small schools. Larger schools opened 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: Delayed to 2021.
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 widely divided. Parts of the state opened season on Sept. 11. Other parts will open on Oct. 2. About 15 percent of the state has decided to delay until spring.
RHODE ISLAND: No fall football. Could be moved to 2021.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Private schools opened season on Sept. 11. Rest of state will open Sept. 25 and have 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,. Teams will play twice a week between Sept. 25 and Oct. 24.
VIRGINIA: Delayed until 2021.
WASHINGTON: Delayed until 2021.
WEST VIRGINIA: Season started Sept. 4. However, COVID restrictions in seven counties forced the cancellation of 28 games this coming week.
WISCONSIN: Start of season delayed three weeks to Sept. 25. However, one-third of the state’s teams have opted not to play in the fall and will play next spring.
WYOMING: Season has started.
