Mississippi high school sports officially have a schedule

The Mississippi High School Activities Association in July to begin the process of scheduling fall 2020 sporting events. Per the vote, practices for high school football can begin on Aug. 17 and games can begin on Sept. 4. Volleyball, cross country and swimming can begin practicing on Aug. 10 and start events on Aug. 17. This announcement delays the start of the season by two weeks but still allows for events to happen for most of the fall. The delay, of course, comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused widespread shutdowns and rescheduling for business and sports leagues across the country. The coronavirus pandemic ended the MHSAA spring athletics schedule early on top of the limitations it put upon public schools for general educational purposes. For football, Classes 1A, 5A and 6A will play 10-game seasons and 2A, A and 4A will play nine-game seasons. Football teams can host a scrimmage between two teams on Aug. 28 but will not be permitted to host a jamboree in that first week before the regular season begins. The playoffs are not being rescheduled. Teams in 2A, A and 4A will begin their playoffs on Nov. 6 and teams in 1A, 5A and 6A will begin the postseason on Nov. 1. The North State and South State championships are still scheduled for Nov. 27 for all classifications and the state championship games will be held on Dec. 4 and 5. Postseason schedules for volleyball, cross country and swimming remain on dates as scheduled as well. Meets or events that are being lost because of the two-week delay can be rescheduled if both schools can agree on an appropriate date. Check out the MHSAA webpage here.