By Scott Farley
Executive Director, MHSFCA
As we enter the final week of the crazy 2020 football season in Michigan, I want to share some important information with you. I hope it will help you plan for the next few weeks of playoffs, award nominations and other issues.
PLAYOFF OPT OUT DATE
If your school plans to opt out of the 2020 football playoffs for any reason, you must inform the MHSAA in writing by noon on Friday, October 23rd.
FOUR-GAME REQUIREMENT WAIVER
The original MHSAA “Return to Play” plan had a four-game requirement to participate in the 2020 football playoffs. Be aware that there is an MHSAA approved waiver process in place for schools that have been unable to play four games, but have had a viable team all season. Three such waivers have already been granted.
NO PLAYOFF SELECTION SHOW
Because there will be no mystery in this year’s playoff pairings, there will be no televised selection show this year. You should be able to figure playoff pairings based on the playoff points for the schools in your playoff district. MHSAA staff will meet Sunday morning to finalize pairings, which will be released Sunday afternoon.
SEMIFINALS AND FINALS SITES
Be aware that no decision has been made regarding neutral sites for semifinals and finals. This is due to significant apprehension for schools to volunteer their facilities to outside communities and potential Covid exposure. So, it is possible that home sites will be used for semifinal and final games this season.
ALL-REGION TEAMS
Selection meetings (virtual or in-person) will be held during the first two weeks of playoffs to select MHSFCA AllRegion teams. These All-Region teams will then be used to select MHSFCA All State and Dream Teams. For 2020 only, we will be using MHSAA playoff district/regions, not the MHSFCA regions. You will be hearing from an MHSFCA regional director soon with information on these meetings.
ACADEMIC ALL STATE TEAMS
You will be receiving information soon on 2020 Academic All-State nominations. This procedure will be altered, due to extreme variations in how schools handled grading at the end of the 2019-20 school year.
AWARD NOMINATIONS
November 15 will remain the deadline for MHSFCA awards (Steve Spicer Award, Fran Herrington Award, etc.). Nomination information will be coming soon. Regional Coach of the Year Awards will be awarded based on MHSAA playoff regions for 2020, not MHSFCA regions.
2021 MHSFCA WINNERS’ CIRCLE CLINIC
The 2021 MHSFCA Winners’ Circle Clinic will be held VIRTUALLY January 14-16, due to Covid restrictions on large gatherings. We have a great clinic plan that will include individual and staff registrations, speakers from around the country, flexible viewing options and, as always, your MHSFCA membership will be included with your clinic registration. Be on the lookout for registration information and clinic details.
Scott Farley
MHSFCA Executive Director
517-285-7556
jhighfootball@gmail.com
