Championships games unlikely to be played at Empower Field at Mile High.

Nothing about this fall’s high school football season has been normal.

It appears that theme may continue all the way to the very end, with all signs pointing to the Class 4A and 5A title games not being played at Empower Field at Mile High this December.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way: Attendance for Broncos’ home games is currently capped at 5,700 fans ( 7.49% capacity) by health authorities, which is roughly half of the 11,500 the event typically draws each year.

That’s a large gap for the presenter, the Colorado Sports Hall of

Fame, to account for financially, especially since current guidelines require those 5,700 fans to be spread out across all four levels of the Broncos’ home stadium.

And it’s one of the many reasons Tom Lawrence, the man in charge of the non- profit, says he’s “99 percent sure” the games won’t be played at the stadium that has called them home since 2005.

“In a normal year, with a ticket price of 15 dollars, we need 9,000 paid attendants just to break even to cover all of our costs — the costs we pay the Broncos, the costs we pay CHSAA and everybody else who is connected,” Lawrence said.

Last year, 12,789 attended the 5A ( Cherry Creek vs. Columbine) and 4A ( Pine Creek vs. Broomfield) title games, but those spectators were limited to the lower bowl. If fans were required to spread out across all four levels, that would necessitate more staff to service a smaller crowd.

“There’s no way we could do that,” Lawrence said. “At this point, I don’t know what CHSAA is going to do to host those championship games.”

Colorado High School Activities Association assistant commissioner Adam Bright, who oversees football, acknowledged the event “may have to be moved somewhere else,” if those parameters are still in place when the games are scheduled Dec. 5.

Bright said there’s been some discussion about other possible venues should the games need to be moved. He declined to disclose which sites have been discussed, but he said local health ordinances would play a major role in the selection.

“We’ve got a couple of different things going,” Bright said. “I’ve got Plan A through Plan M, N and O right now. … I have a backup plan for the backup plan.”

The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame has hosted the 5A and 4A state title games at Empower Field for 15 years. Prior to that, championship games had been played at home sites across Colorado.

Lawrence said his organization, which donates all profits made off the games back to youth sports groups across Colorado, has made money in all but two years it has hosted the games. He estimated those proceeds have accounted for half of the Hall of Fame’s $ 2 million in donations during the past 15 years.

The organization’s nine- year contract with the Broncos to present the event at Empower Field expires in 2022, but there is hope that contract will be renewed when the time comes.

“We would love to continue the relationship for years to come,” Lawrence said, “and I know the Broncos would love to do the same.”