Possible hurricane forcing changes with this week’s Charlotte-area HS football schedule

Another stormy weekend, another change in the high school football schedule.

With potential Hurricane Helene forecast to affect much of the Southeast later this week, the high school schedule is getting a do-over, with many of Friday’s games being moved to different days.

Of the six weekends so far this high school football season, three have been marked by bad weather on Friday nights.

Forecasters say Helene will still be a tropical storm as it moves into northeast Georgia on Thursday night, and that means potentially big impacts for parts of the Carolinas.

Athletic officials are walking a meteorological tightrope.

Earlier forecasts called for the worst conditions Friday evening and night. Now the heavy rain and strong winds are predicted for Thursday night and Friday morning. But more changes in the forecast are possible, meteorologists say.

As of late afternoon Tuesday, more than a dozen games involving area teams have been rescheduled.

Two of those are now scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. Wednesday — Harding at North Mecklenburg, and Covenant Day at Charlotte Latin.

Mecklenburg games now scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday are Butler-Providence, SouthLake Christian-Trinity Christian, Corvian Community-Christ the King, Palisades-Myers Park, and Providence Day-North Raleigh Christian.

Other games have been rescheduled for Saturday and Monday.

In all, about 75 games in the Carolinas had been rescheduled, as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Justin Lane, of the National Weather Service’s office in Greenville-Spartanburg, said the worst conditions are expected from Charlotte westward.

“Total rainfall amounts are expected to range from 4 to 7 inches across much of the area west of around I-77,” Lane said.

He also said wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph are possible in parts of the western Carolinas.

Changes announced so far:

Moved to 7 p.m. Wednesday

Harding at North Mecklenburg

Covenant Day at Charlotte Latin

Moved to 7 p.m. Thursday

Butler at Providence

Corvian Community at Christ the King

Palisades at Myers Park

Providence Day at North Raleigh Christian

SouthLake Christian at Trinity Christian

East Lincoln at Statesville

Jay M. Robinson at Jesse Carson

Northwest Cabarrus at East Rowan

Kings Mountain at North Gaston

Parkwood at Eastern Randolph

Winston-Salem Prep at Pine Lake Prep

Moved to 2 p.m. Saturday

St. Stephens at North Iredell

Moved to 7 p.m. Monday

North Lincoln at Hickory

As of midday Tuesday, several South Carolina games have been rescheduled, but none of those were in the York-Lancaster counties area.

Soccer affected: The threat of severe weather Thursday and Friday also is having an impact on the boys’ high school soccer schedule. The big match between Myers Park (7-0-1) and Ardrey Kell (8-1-3) has been moved to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ardrey Kell. It previously had been set for Thursday.

Volleyball affected: Officials at Pine Lake Prep said the volleyball team’s Senior Night festivities have been moved to Thursday, with the varsity match set for 5:30 p.m.