The Kentucky High School Athletic Association is moving back the 2020 high school football playoffs by a week. The KHSAA has notified its schools that the playoffs won’t begin until November 19, instead of Friday.
According to a news release on the KHSAA website, the state’s governing body is delaying the postseason in “an effort to provide schools and school systems time to review their situations and work with their health departments to determine the best course of action.”
“It goes without saying that we are in the midst of issues within our state and the current status of the pandemic. I have stated all along that decisions made by our office, at any point in time, would be done so in the best interest of student-athletes. While it may be a calculated strategic decision that in time, we feel was not the best path, we have to make decisions based on today’s information because tomorrow is so unknown,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “This decision isn’t just about the few ongoing quarantines, it’s about 82 counties Friday being defined as “red” including the vast majority of the east. It’s about giving our schools time to deal with the issues around athletics which are not identical to the issues around the school day and as such, may need separate local discussions.
“One of the deciding factors in this situation is determining what course of action to take given today’s information, that we feel gives our students the best chance to have a postseason experience. We have been calculated and strategic throughout this process and will continue to do so during these extremely challenging times, with the students’ health and ability to participate both being at the forefront of our minds.”
Currently, the state’s No. 1 team, Trinity, is in the middle of a two-week quarantine due to COVID-19 cases at the school. The Shamrocks, who are currently ranked No. 19 in the High School Football America 100 national high school football rankings powered by BlackMP Living Water, are expected to return to the practice field today (November 12).
