Class 3A football teams that have or will qualify for the state playoffs by this Friday may have to wait a week before their first round playoff games, depending on their final seeding in their conferences. As of today, according to a memo from the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) obtained by Resident Press, the “3A playoffs will be delayed a week.”
The full text of the memo that pertains to Class 3A is as follows:
“As of right now, 7 teams that did not qualify will be placed on the bracket or in a play-in game. The two opt-in teams with the worst records will be placed on the bracket vs 1-seeds from 3A-2 and 3A-5. The next five opt-in teams will be paired by random draw with five of the five seeds. The five seeds to be pulled off the bracket will be selected by random draw. Attempts will be made to avoid conference rematches. Opt-in teams will be the visiting team and travel distance could be significant or minimal due to the random draw.”
Superintendents still have until Saturday morning to declare their schools’ intent to opt-in or out of the playoffs. But apparently the AAA’s memo indicates that there are enough schools that have committed to play so far that has caused the higher seeded teams in 3A to have to wait a week to play their first playoff games.
And in a seemingly appropriate development in the year 2020 of high school football, the play-in games will take place on Friday the 13th. How appropriate.
Resident Press will have more on this development this weekend after the final brackets are published.
