Georgia high school football teams may have spring games against each other beginning in 2017, the GHSA’s executive committee approved Monday in Macon.
Football spring practice in Georgia is still limited 10 days. The spring games can be played on the 10th day.
‘’It adds a lot to the motivation of kids wanting be participate in football, and it’s going to make the off-season from January to May a lot better,’’ Norcross coach Keith Maloof said. “It’s going to give kids something to look forward to.’’
Thomson coach Rob Ridings is another of several coaches who have advocated recently for spring football games. He noted the practical financial incentives. ‘’It would also help produce some spring revenue for our budgets,’’ Ridings said.
Maloof said the spring games won’t purely be about winning. It would be about evaluation opportunities for both players and coaches.
‘’The whole key to spring is getting a lot of kids in to evaluate them,’’ Maloof said. “A spring game helps coaches assess players better than playing against yourself, where it's a little watered down. It’s not going to be all about winning the scrimmage. It’s about evaluating the talent you have and seeing how they perform against another team.’’
Schools still have the option of bypassing spring practice and having two preseason games against other teams in August. Those that have a spring game may also have one fall preseason game.
Some schools, usually smaller ones, do not have spring practice because of the number of student-athletes who are participating in spring sports such as baseball and track and field.
Here are other measures passed by the GHSA’s executive committee:
-Slow-pitch softball is back. By a 34-24 roll call vote, softball was reinstated as a varsity-only state-championship sport beginning in the spring of 2017 with one classification broken into four designated areas. Girls will be allowed to play fast pitch (fall) and slow pitch (spring). Slow pitch was discontinued as a GHSA state-championship sport after the 2008 season because of low participation.
-The quarterfinal round of state basketball tournament will return to high school gyms of highest seeds. For the past two seasons, the quarterfinals were held in neutral-court college arenas. With the expansion to seven classifications and eight state finals (16 overall counting girl and boys finals), the GHSA office recommended a return to high school gyms, where they were held in 2013 and 2014, to ease the logistical challenges of staging them. Prior to 2012, when there were only five boys and five girls champions and brackets, all quarterfinals were played at neutral sites.
-Soccer, wrestling and volleyball turned down proposals to blend teams from two smaller classes to make for fewer state championships. Instead, all will have seven championships (up from six this academic year). Those sports will be run with four areas per class (instead of eight regions per class), which will result in fewer state-playoff teams, but more state champions.
-Fastpitch softball will continue to bring a final-eight teams in each class to Columbus instead of a proposed final-four setup that the GHSA office asked for. That failed by a 33-24 roll-call vote.
-There is a new fee structure for the state swim meet. It will cost schools a flat fee of $9 per entrant in state meet. Part of this will go for more officials and a new timing device at Georgia Tech so that both ends of the pool can be used at one time. That will speed up qualifying sessions.
-The state golf tournaments will be two-day, 36-hole events beginning in 2017. They are 18-hole events currently.
-GHSA schools may play GISA and GICAA member schools provided that there is a written cross-play contract and that the GISA and GICAA schools comply with all GHSA safety rules and requirements. Inter-association competition will not count toward GHSA post-season qualification nor GHSA power ratings.
-Football teams will be limited to attending no more than three summer camps that entail contact, and they may not total more than eight days. That is effective this summer.
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