The football season that once seemed like it would never begin reaches a dramatic conclusion this Friday as 311 teams are set to take part in the final series games of the 2020 regular season. Week 12 features 136 region games and decisive contests in 24 regions where region championships are on the line.
Over the course of the season, at least 182 "COVID-19 wins" were awarded in instances where one team could not play a scheduled game due to the virus and the remaining team was not able to schedule a different opponent. TSSAA staff members logged nearly 750 schedule changes since July 30. All changes to the schedules were monitored to track the games canceled, added or rescheduled over the previous three months.
Following Friday night's action, the TSSAA state office staff will assemble the 2020 playoff brackets and publish those on TSSAAsports.com when completed. The playoff brackets for Division II Class AAA will be set the following week after the DII-AAA schools finish their regional schedule on Oct. 6.
Schools are continuing to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and mandates and TSSAA believes that every adult and every participant must do their part and follow the guidelines set forth by the association and conduct themselves safely and thoughtfully so that the schools can provide as many opportunities as possible for the student-athletes this fall.
School administrators and coaches are aware of the guidelines and requirements, but the general public can educate themselves on what is being asked of everyone attending and participating in high school games this season by visiting the Return to Play page at TSSAA.org.
Spectators should be prepared to wear masks and have their temperatures checked at the entry gates. Those that are or have recently experienced COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter the stadium. Because stadium seating capacities will be limited to allow for physical distancing, check your school's website or social media accounts for information on ticket availability. It is the host school's discretion to honor passes, or offer any public ticket sales at all, because of capacity restrictions.
The full scoreboard, standings and brackets can be found at https://tssaasports.com/sports/football/.
Playoff Tickets
Tickets for the 2020 TSSAA playoff series will be sold exclusively online via GoFan. Schools will have the opportunity to offer priority tickets to player parents beginning Monday prior to the remaining tickets becoming available to the general public on Tuesday at Noon central time. Ticket sales will be limited to the number of spectators the host school has informed TSSAA they are able to accommodate with COVID-19 distancing measures in place. Both the host and the visitor will have equal opportunity to purchase tickets.
Watching Online
This week, nearly 50 contests are scheduled to be broadcast by schools across the state on the NFHS Network. Your subscription to the NFHS Network sends money back to the schools and helps to cover the costs of offering the service.
The girls' state soccer tournament championship games will be streamed live on the NFHS Network. The Division II games will be on Sunday, November 1 and the Division I games will be on Monday, November 2. Go to NFHSnetwork.com to find your school's postseason games.
Watching the games are easy, whether it's on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Download the NFHS Network app from Google Play or the iTunes App Store and take the live coverage with you wherever you go.
Varsity Football
Alcoa at Dobyns Bennett (Thu)
Sullivan Central at Elizabethton (Thu)
Lipscomb Academy at BGA (Fri)
McMinn Co. at Bradley Central (Fri)
Silverdale at Chattanooga Christian (Fri)
Antioch at Clarksville Northeast (Fri)
FRA at CPA (Fri)
Columbia Academy at Fayette Academy (Fri)
Trousdale Co. at Jackson Co. (Fri)
Dyer Co. at Kenwood (Fri)
CAK at Knoxville Webb (Fri)
Westview at Milan (Fri)
Mt. Pleasant at Moore Co. (Fri)
Briarcrest at MUS (Fri)
Marshall Co. at Nolensville (Fri)
Harding Academy at Northpoint Christian (Fri)
St. Benedict at Pope John Paul (Fri)
Pigeon Forge at Scott (Fri)
Bledsoe Co. at Tellico Plains (Fri)
Millington at Tipton-Rosemark (Fri)
Clarksville at West Creek (Fri)
Stratford at Whites Creek (Fri)
Station Camp at Wilson Central (Fri)
COVID-19 Standings
TSSAA has updated the scoreboard, schedules and standings to show a win for schools whose Week 10 or 11 opponent canceled due to COVID-19. The team that was forced to cancel is, by Board action, to consider the game a "no-contest." Contests where both teams were unable to play due to COVID-19 are considered "no-contests" and have been removed from the schedules. The schools listed below were awarded a Week 10 or 11 win:
Week 10
Brighton High School
Cherokee High School
Collierville High School
Columbia Academy (region win only, game replaced)
Cookeville High School
Copper Basin High School
Covington High School
Fayette-Ware Comprehensive High School
Gibson Co. High School
Green Hill High School
Greenfield High School
Houston High School (region win only, game replaced)
Lausanne Collegiate School (region win only, game replaced)
Oakdale High School
Page High School (region win only, game replaced)
Pope John Paul II High School
University School of Jackson
Walker Valley High School
West High School (region win only, game replaced)
Week 11
Arlington High School
Brighton High School
Coalfield High School
Fayette-Ware Comprehensive High School
Houston High School
McGavock High School
Munford High School
Oak Ridge High School
Ripley High School
Siegel High School (region win only, game replaced)
Smyrna High School
Sullivan South High School
University School of Jackson
Upperman High School
