The NC High School Athletic Association has adjusted its fall sports playoff calendar as a result of game and event cancellations caused by Hurricane Florence and its immediate aftermath.
The most significant of the changes announced Monday, involves the extension of the football season by a week. The regular season, which was originally scheduled to end on Nov. 2, will now be played on Friday, Nov. 9 with playoff seeding set for the following day.
State championship games originally planned for the weekend of Dec. 8 at various sites around the state will now be played on Dec. 14-15.
The boys soccer season has been extended by two days, from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30 with the first round of the playoffs starting on Nov. 3 while in volleyball, teams in areas affected by the hurricane will be allowed to exceed the normal weekly limitation and play a maximum of five matches per week.
There are no significant changes in girls golf, cross country and girls tennis. The NCHSAA did not lift its restriction on Sunday practices.
“The complexity of adjusting dates for playoff rounds and state championships in fall sports are difficult even in the best of times; however, we must do everything in our power to do what is best for the students who participate in our programs across the state,” NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said in a statement. “Minimizing risk of injury while providing a wholesome athletic environment that supports and enriches the educational experience for our student-athletes must always be paramount in our decision making.”
