AUSTIN, Texas — Texas high school football is back, y'all.
Well, kind of.
High schools in the 1A through 4A divisions were able to start the first day of practice on Aug. 3 for the 2020 season, according to the latest COVID-19 guidelines released by the University Interscholastic League (UIL).
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5A and 6A teams, on the other hand, will have to wait until the Sept. 7, according to the UIL's guidelines.
KVUE visited a few schools in the area that started practice on Aug. 3, including Giddings High School and Lampasas High School.
The schools in the 1A through 4A divisions will be able to start football games on Aug. 27, and 5A through 6A schools can host football games starting Sept. 24.
In the Austin area, there are a handful of schools caught in a local health authority loophole, however.
Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott ordered all school districts and private schools in the county to delay reopening on-campus instruction, which in turn included not allowing extracurricular sports or activities to take place until school systems reopen for on-campus instruction. Due to this order, high school sports and extracurricular activities in the Austin-Travis County area are delayed until at least Sept. 8.
City ordinances supersede the UIL's ruling, so some schools have to follow dates provided in local orders, even though those schools would be allowed to start at an earlier date under the UIL's guidance. For more information on those schools, you can read about them this KVUE report from late July.
State championship games for the 2020 season are scheduled for Dec. 16 through Dec. 19 for 1A to 4A schools and in January 2021 for 5A and 6A schools.
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