Our New Covid World & The KY High School Football Playoffs

[Purple88]

Sounds like a Great New Soap Opera!  And it kinda is...

 

It just seems to me like the further we get into this Covid World/Season, with all the moving parts of fielding a season and opponent from week to week, the more of a rubic's cube it becomes.  And with the 2 week mandatory quarantine applied, you are stuck if it finds your group!

There isn't just the players and coaches focus here.  As our friend @ColonelMike reported there is a shortage of referees.

That "may" only influence the regular season, as when the playoffs come around there are less games I think, but early on, not by alot.

So I was wondering how the playoffs will play out.  So you get to a playoff week and one team can't play due to Covid.  Do they have to forfeit and the other team moves on?  I am assuming yes, but never heard anyone speak about this.

What if that happens in a championship game?  Things we really have never had to consider before.

What are your thoughts to this complex situation?

[Tigerpride94]

The way I understand it, is that if can’t play in playoffs then you are out and other team moves on. Maybe once down to Championship and covid arises then might be able to reschedule somehow since only two teams.

[Purple88]

6 minutes ago, Tigerpride94 said:

The way I understand it, is that if can’t play in playoffs then you are out and other team moves on. Maybe once down to Championship and covid arises then might be able to reschedule somehow since only two teams.

Thanks 94!  I figured that would be the way it would go but had not heard anything.  I would hate to be the player(s) that came up positive to make your team forfeit!

The 5A Championship game is slated for Sunday December 13; IF if were to be postponed by Covid, for example, the earliest it could be rescheduled would be after Christmas on Sunday the 27th.  That would be something!

[Tigerpride94]

14 minutes ago, Purple88 said:

Thanks 94!  I figured that would be the way it would go but had not heard anything.  I would hate to be the player(s) that came up positive to make your team forfeit!

The 5A Championship game is slated for Sunday December 13; IF if were to be postponed by Covid, for example, the earliest it could be rescheduled would be after Christmas on Sunday the 27th.  That would be something!

I think that some will just not get tested so don’t have a positive case. If sick will just stay at home.

[gchs_uk9]

1 hour ago, Tigerpride94 said:

I think that some will just not get tested so don’t have a positive case. If sick will just stay at home.

True. But contact tracing (sick relative, someone at church, etc.) can put folks out as well.

[DanvilleFan]

2 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

I think that some will just not get tested so don’t have a positive case. If sick will just stay at home.

Yikes.  I'd hope this doesn't happen as I can see major liability coming from that or an uproar if it came out later that a team should have had some quarantined players and chose to cover it up by doing this.

I do think COVID is going to create some problems in the playoffs, so I'm just prepared for it.

[Tigerpride94]

7 minutes ago, DanvilleFan said:

Yikes.  I'd hope this doesn't happen as I can see major liability coming from that or an uproar if it came out later that a team should have had some quarantined players and chose to cover it up by doing this.

I do think COVID is going to create some problems in the playoffs, so I'm just prepared for it.

I don’t think it would happen at coach level but definitely could see it at parent level.

[Tkinslow]

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a lot of the mis matched first round games are cancelled but I really think you will see at least one maybe two really good teams end their seasons by forfeit in the playoffs also say what you want I very seriously doubt if anyone gets tested the last couple weeks of the playoffs. You can’t test positive if you don’t take a test.

[Roundsteak]

This is the year they should have eliminated the first round of playoffs. Those 1 vs 4 games don’t need to be played since most are mismatches with running clocks. Put a bye week somewhere in the playoffs in case COVID comes into play. But it’s impossible to know when that will happen. 

[EastSideJunkie]

So question I have is do we know matchups after first two rounds yet (which are districts)?

If I recall, last year wasn't 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6, 7 v 8 or was it?

I know RPI kicks somewhere. How do we get to the who plays in the third round?

[Tigerpride94]

5 hours ago, EastSideJunkie said:

So question I have is do we know matchups after first two rounds yet (which are districts)?

If I recall, last year wasn't 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6, 7 v 8 or was it?

I know RPI kicks somewhere. How do we get to the who plays in the third round?

The third round is seeded using RPI. 1st two rounds are district opponents.

[Skeeterback]

Example of what is happening to Desales. They are on a 2 week quarantine so that means they will have played just 1 district game all year. There is a shot that they could be the 5th seeded team in district and miss the playoffs. How messed up would that be that the #1 team in class misses the playoff because 1 kid on the team tested positive

[Tigerpride94]

4 minutes ago, Skeeterback said:

Example of what is happening to Desales. They are on a 2 week quarantine so that means they will have played just 1 district game all year. There is a shot that they could be the 5th seeded team in district and miss the playoffs. How messed up would that be that the #1 team in class misses the playoff because 1 kid on the team tested positive

District will be seeded by RPI if have covid cancellations so DeSales should be good to get into playoffs.

[Tigerpride94]

How wild would this be. Team get knocked out of championship by covid but team they beat in semifinals plays for championship.

 

[gchs_uk9]

I suspect in that situation, the choice will more like be whoever Team A is playing in the next round will get a bye.