Minnesota high school football, volleyball OK'd for fall seasons

After an August decision to postpone those sports until the spring, the 20-member Minnesota State High School league board on Monday, Sept. 21, OK’d fall games.

For eligible schools and districts, both seasons will start Sept. 28, with an 11-week season for volleyball, and a 10-week season for football, with no less than six regular season games.

There may be a two-week regional playoff season for football, but doubts linger for a state tournament. The board may take up that discussion in October.

League officials in August decided to push volleyball and football into the spring season due to COVID-19.

Although medical experts said their cautions about close-contact activities remain because of the disease, officials said early indications in other high school activities aren’t showing noticeably greater risk of transmission.

Others stressed that some football fields might be unusable in the spring.

“What we don’t know is what is our potential for weather in March,” Bob Madison, an assistant league director, told the board Monday. “We have data, but we’re starting with snow on the ground and frozen fields in most cases.”