5 things to know about 2020 Memphis-area high school football season

High school football in Tennessee is set to begin Aug. 20. It will look different with new safety guidelines in place and some teams sitting out until their school districts say it is safe to play. Here are five things to know as we head into Week 1. 

Private and suburban teams set to begin on time

Since Gov. Bill Lee signed executive order No. 55, which allowed TSSAA schools to begin contact sports, it is up to local school districts and individual private schools when they start the season. Some municipal school districts, including Arlington, Collierville, Germantown and Millington, are allowing teams to play starting Week 1. Some private schools, such as Christian Brothers, Briarcrest and FACS, also are set to open the season on time. Others, such as MUS and Lausanne, have chosen to start in September.

Shelby County Schools teams can begin in Week 5 at the earliest

Shelby County Schools said it will wait until after Labor Day to continue discussions about the season. As it stands now, teams are not allowed to have contact in practice and would need 10 days of practice in pads before playing games, according to TSSAA rules. That means Shelby County Schools teams will be out until at least Week 5. 

Some teams will miss region games

With some regions starting late, the ones with fewer teams will get to play all their region games. Take 8-6A, which has four teams. Those teams will be able to play all three region games at the end of the season. But other regions, such as 8-1A, which has nine teams, will miss some region games because of the shortened season. 

What happens if a game is missed because of COVID-19?

If a team has to miss a game because of quarantine, it will be counted as no contest. For the non-quarantining team, it counts as a win only for determining playoff seeding. If it happens in the playoffs, it will be a forfeit instead of no contest.

New safety guidelines

All fans except for children younger than 2 must wear a mask, and schools must comply with state or local limits on crowd sizes. Concession stands are allowed but discouraged. Bands either have to face away from the crowd or limit their performance to just halftime. There won't be any scrimmages or jamborees.