The possible heat-related deaths of two high school football players in August aren’t likely to spark a later start to the football season, a top state official said Wednesday.

Ralph Swearngin, executive director of the Georgia High School Association, told the State Board of Education that a one- or two-week delay might be considered if there were evidence it could help.

But that wouldn’t mean more than a 1- to 2-degree break in temperature, Swearngin said.

And it could mean that schools would be playing fewer games and bringing in less revenue, he said.

His statement came in response to a state board member’s question about a possible change in the football season’s start date.

High school football players from Locust Grove and Fitzgerald died. Previously, there had not been any heat-related deaths of high school football players in Georgia in five years.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez