SC locks in new fall sports schedule plan because of Helene; football playoffs extended

South Carolina’s high school football season will be one week longer because of the effects of Hurricane Helene.

The S.C. High School League’s executive committee voted 9-4 Tuesday to extend the regular season one week. As part of the plan, the state football playoffs won’t be shortened or affected. Another plan to reduce the playoffs from five weeks to four weeks was voted down Tuesday.

In addition to football changes:

• One week was added to the boys and girls volleyball seasons and the full playoffs remained intact. The middle school volleyball season was extended to Oct. 28.

• A motion passed 13-1 to keep competitive cheer’s schedule the same, with postseason qualifying events changed from two to one.

• The dates for cross-country championships remained the same, but runners have to compete in just one race (not two) before state qualifiers.

• Girls golf and swimming championships remained the same, but swimmers will have three extra days to submit qualifying times.

• Girls tennis will have one week added to the season and the full playoffs stay the same.

More about SC football plan

Each athletic region will determine how they will proceed with makeup games and determine which games won’t be made up. Regions will also have to figure out a formula for selecting its playoff teams amid the changes.

“Regions have to be creative as far as who makes playoffs if one game is missed. But this gives an opportunity to make up one week of football,” committee member Coby Brandyburg said during the meeting.

The football regular season will now end on Nov. 8 and the playoffs start on Nov. 15.

The SCHSL football championships were scheduled to be held on Dec. 5-7 at South Carolina State. They will now be Dec. 12-14. There is some concern that S.C. State could have a staffing issue with hosting if the college’s football team is in the Celebration Bowl that weekend. But SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said he spoke with SC State officials on Tuesday afternoon and they assured him that university could fully staff the event.

With pushing back of the state championships, the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl all-star game will now be played a week later, at Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Stadium (Noon). It will be on the same day as the NC-SC Shrine Bowl in Spartanburg, which will kick off at 1 p.m.

Mr. Football still will be announced at halftime of the Touchstone Energy Bowl.

“This adjustment ensures that all of our student-athletes will have the opportunity to experience both a championship event and the honor of participating in an All-Star game,” SC Athletic Coaches Association president Scott Earley said.

Hurricane Helene, which hit portions of the Midlands and the entire Upstate and into North Carolina on Oct. 4 and 5, has forced the postponement or cancellations of fall sports games or matches, including 66 football games.

Tuesday’s decision doesn’t guarantee that affected schools will be able to play all their missed games, but it adds some flexibility for makeups.

This is the fourth time since 2015 a fall sports season in South Carolina has been altered because of weather. In 2015, the season was altered because of flooding. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew forced the season to be pushed back two weeks, with state championships held in mid-December on the same day as the Shrine Bowl. The high school football season in 2018 was pushed back a week because of Hurricane Florence.

The S.C. Athletic Coaches Association was hoping to get a two-week pause to the fall sports season but Earley said he was pleased with the executive committee’s ruling.

Three different options were proposed during Tuesday’s meeting for football. The first proposal that was voted on was to extend the football regular season but eliminate a round of the playoffs. That would have kept the championships on the originally planned date. That proposal was voted against, 11-3.

Those who voted against the proposal thought it would penalize teams and athletes.

“Around 80 teams are eliminated from the playoffs if you get rid of one round of playoffs,” committee member Andy Rogers said. “That would be an abrupt change.”

A third option of extending the regular season two weeks while eliminating one round of the playoffs was discussed but not voted on.

South Carolina isn’t the only state making changes to its high school sports schedule. Georgia High School Association announced last week it is adding a week to regular season for makeup games and pushing the start of playoffs back a week. The GHSA make-up date is Nov. 8 and playoffs begin Nov. 15-16.

North Carolina’s high school sports association is expected to announce a decision Wednesday about its own schedules.