UIL tweaks schedule for finals
Changes could affect how Thorndale, Thrall plan, practice and play.
For the most part, the change in plans for the 2017 UIL football championships at AT&T Stadium will have minimal impact on high school teams in the Austin area.
The coaches and players at Thorndale and Thrall, though, will surely take notice.
The dozen championship games for 2017, which include two sixman contests, will follow a different schedule this fall. Instead of playing the six-man finals on Wednesday followed by a series of 10 11-man finals spread across Thursday, Friday and Saturday, UIL officials have opted for four tripleheaders, beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 20, and concluding on Saturday, Dec. 23.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine first reported about the schedule shift on Tuesday.
In the biggest change, the Class 2A, Division I final will move from Thursday to Wednesday, joining the two six-man finals on that day.
The shift means that the teams at Thorndale and Thrall — both 2A, Division I schools — likely will have to switch their game and practice schedules if both qualify for the postseason again as they did in 2016.
“This is a huge deal,” said Thorndale coach Scott Hawkins. “A normal preparation week begins on the Saturday after the previous game. That’s followed by more preparation on Sunday and three days of practice to prepare for the next game.”
In 2017, Class 2A teams that reach the state semifinals will be forced to play those games on a Friday. That will enable them to comply with the UIL’s five-day rule, which requires that high school football