STEVENS POINT, Wis.— Wisconsin high school football teams can adjust playoff schedules this weekend to avoid conflicts with the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series games.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is allowing schools to move Friday games to earlier start times or reschedule them for Saturday, as long as both teams agree.
“Schools in mutual agreement have flexibility in scheduling that’s defined in our season regulations, especially for level one and two football games,” WIAA Assistant Director Jake Beschta tells WTMJ. “So schools can mutually agree to change their start time on Friday or schedule their game for Saturday with a start time sometime between 1 and 7pm so there are multiple things that go into that decision.”
The process begins with the schools athletic directors. Once both schools agree to a change, they notify the WIAA, which reviews the arrangements before the updated schedule is made public.
The WIAA also has rules for teams traveling long distances. Schools located 120 miles or more apart are generally scheduled to play Saturday unless both teams agree to play Friday.
“With the playoff qualification systems that was supported by our coaches association and membership two years ago, geographical representation looks a little bit different compared to, like, maybe the traditional model with creating sectionals within other sports,” Bestcha explained. “So there are cases where, depending on where the higher seeds are located based on that final PQs standing at the end of the season, it’s created some really fun and unique matchups that typically maybe wouldn’t have happened in earlier levels. It does at times have teams traveling. There may be different areas of the state that they haven’t traveled to in the past.”
The scheduling flexibility comes as the Brewers compete in the World Series, giving players, coaches and fans an opportunity to follow the team while high school football playoffs are underway.
Another scheduling conflict could arise next week if the World Series reaches Game 6 and 7. Beschta said the same flexibility is available for the next round of the playoffs.
“11 player, second level is next weekend. Eight player football would be their level three or sectional final weekend next weekend. But that same language is in place to have those same conversations,” Beschta siad. “Let’s go brewers in four. Let’s celebrate a World Series title and move on!”
Milwaukee City Conference’s Pulaski, Reagan & Hamilton, along with Marquette, Muskego, Catholic Memorial, Brookfield Academy, New Berlin West & Eisenhower and Greendale are among some schools moving their games to earlier kickoff times Friday..
Fans can check the WIAA’s official football playoff brackets online for updated game times as schools finalize their schedules.
