Important Dates for the 2021 High School Football Season in Every State

The 2021 high school football season is almost upon us.

As of July 6, 49 of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have approved football schedules for the 2021 season.

Hawaii is the only state waiting for the green light for 2021. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association has approved a schedule that will allow fall camps to open on July 19, the earliest in the nation. However, the state’s governing body is waiting for the Department of Education and Department of Health to approve the 2021-22 school year sports calendar. State officials are hoping for that approval to in the coming week.

Eight NFL stadiums will be hosting high school football championship games in 2021.

• Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, serves as the home to all six Indiana state championship games. Those state title games will be played over Thanksgiving weekend.
• That same weekend, Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, hosts 16 Michigan high school football teams for eight 11-man championship games.
• The Minnesota Vikings will be hosting the Minnesota high school football state semifinals and the championship games at U.S. Bank Stadium. The state semifinals will be played the weekend before Thanksgiving.
• Massachusetts' high school championships will be played in Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, on December 3-4. 
• The Colorado Class 5A, 4A, and 3A championship games will be played at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos. Those championship games will be played December 4.
• MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, will host several championship games in early December.
• After a year away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association returns to the home of the New Orleans Saints for the 2021 championship games. The LHSAA title games will be played December 11-13.
• The 2021 high school football season will close-out at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. All twelve of the University Interscholastic League’s championship games will be played there over a four-day period from December 15-18.

Below is a comprehensive state-by-state list of key dates for high school football, including when fall camps open, when the regular season starts, when the playoffs begin, and when state champions are crowned.

Alabama

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 19
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 1-3 at Protective Life Stadium in Birmingham

Alaska

• First official practice - July 28
• Regular season begins - August 13
• Playoffs begin - October 9
• State Championships - Division II & III on October 16; Division I on October 22 in Anchorage

Arizona

• First official practice - 1A on July 26; 3A-2A on August 2; 6A-4A on August 9
• Regular season begins - 1A on August 18; 3A-2A on August 25; 6A-4A on September 1
• Playoffs begin - 1A on October 22; 3A-2A on November 5; 6A-4A on November 19; Open Division November 26
• State Championships - 1A on November 6; 3A-2A on December 4; Open Division, 5A, 4A on December 10-11

Arkansas

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - November 12
• State Championships - 7A, 6A on December 4; 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A on December 10-11

California

• First official practice - 11-man & 8-Man August 2, if they play Week 0 games; or August 9 for teams with first game during Week 1
• Regular season begins - 11-man Week 0 is August 20; 11-man Week 1 is August 27; 8-man Week 0 is August 27; 8-man Week 1 is September 3
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - 11-man on December 10-11; 8-man on November 26-27

Colorado

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - 5A, 4A, 2A, 1A, 8-man, 6-man on November 6; 3A on November 13
• State Championships - 2A, 1A, 8-man, 6-man on November 27; the 5A, 4A, 3A will be played on December 4 at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos

Connecticut

• First official practice - OTAs August 12-14; first contact August 21
• Regular season begins - September 9
• Playoffs begin - November 30
• State Championships - December 11

Delaware

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 10
• Playoffs begin - November 20
• State Championships - December 3-4

Florida

• First official practice - August 24
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - November 6
• State Championships - December 16-19 at Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee

Georgia

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - November 12-13
• State Championships - December 9-11 at Georgia State Stadium in Atlanta

Hawaii

• First official practice - July 19
• Regular season begins - August 6
• Playoffs begin - November 19
• State Championships - November 26-27 at site to be determined

Schedule needs to be approved by Department of Education and Department of Health.

Idaho

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - October 29
• State Championships - November 19-20

Illinois

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - November 26-27 at Northern Illinois in Dekalb

Indiana

• First official practice - August 5
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A on October 22; 6A on October 29
• State Championships - November 26-27 at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts

Iowa

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - October 22
• State Championships - November 18-19

Kansas

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - October 29
• State Championships - November 27

Kentucky

• First official practice - July 10
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 3-5 at the University of Kentucky in Lexington

Louisiana

• First official practice - August 2 for teams didn't hold spring practice; August 9 for teams that held spring ball
• Regular season begins - September 2-4
• Playoffs begin - November 11-13
• State Championships - December 11-13 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints

Maine

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - 8-man October 22-23; Class B & C October 29-30; Class A and D November 5-6
• State Championships - 8-man November 12-13; Class A, B, C, D on November 19-20

Maryland

• First official practice - August 11
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 2-4

Massachusetts

• First official practice - August 20
• Regular season begins - September 10-11
• Playoffs begin - November 5-6
• State Championships - December 3-4 at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots

Michigan

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - October 29
• State Championships - November 26-27 at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions

Minnesota

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 2
• Playoffs begin - November 11
• State Championships - November 26-27 at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings

Mississippi

• First official practice - July 26 for Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS); August 9 for Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA)
• Regular season begins - August 20 for MAIS ;August 27 for MHSAA
• Playoffs begin - Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A for MAIS on October 29; MAIS Class 6A on November 5; Class 4A, 3A, 2A for MHSAA on November 5; Class 6A, 5A, 1A for MHSAA on November 12
• State Championships - November 18-20 for MAIS ; December 3-4 MHSAA

Missouri

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - Class 6 and 8-Man on November 27; Classes 1-5 on December 3-4

Montana

• First official practice - August 13
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - November 22-23

Nebraska

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - D1 and D2 on October 21; all other classifications on October 29
• State Championships - November 22-23 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln

Nevada

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 19
• Playoffs begin - October 28-30
• State Championships - November 19-20

New Hampshire

• First official practice - August 13
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - November 12-13

New Jersey

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - Public Regional Championships on November 26-27; Non-Public Finals on December 4-5.

MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, is the host site for several championship games. Those games are determined in November.

New Mexico

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - 6-man on October 22-23; 8-man on October 29-30; 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A on November 5-6
• State Championships - 6-man on November 6; 8-man on November 13; 2A on November 20; 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A on November 27

New York

• First official practice - August 16 for NY State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) & NYC Catholic Football League; August 23 for Long Island schools
• Regular season begins - September 3 for NYSPHSAA, Long Island Schools & NYC Catholic Football League
• Playoffs begin - November 5-6 for Long Island schools; November 6 for NYC Catholic Football League
• State Championships - November 20 for NYC Catholic League; November 26-28 for NYSPHSAA

North Carolina

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 11

North Dakota

• First official practice - Class B on August 5; Class A on August 9
• Regular season begins - Class B on August 20; Class A on August 23
• Playoffs begin - 9-man on October 16; 11-man on October 29
• State Championships - November 12

Ohio

• First official practice - August 1
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - December 2-5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton

Oklahoma

• First official practice - August 9
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - November 12
• State Championships - 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, C on December 3-4; 2A, A, B on December 10-11

Oregon

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 2
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A on November 27, 6A on December 4

Pennsylvania

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 3, but teams are allowed to open on August 27
• Playoffs begin - November 12
• State Championships - December 9-11 at HersheyPark Stadium in Hershey

Rhode Island

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - December 3
• State Championships - December 10-11

South Carolina

• First official practice - July 30
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - November 12-13
• State Championships - December 2-4

South Dakota

• First official practice - August 5
• Regular season begins - 11B and 9-man on August 20; all other classifications on August 27
• Playoffs begin - 9-man on October 21; 11-man on October 28
• State Championships - November 11-13 at DakotaDome in Vermillion

Tennessee

• First official practice - July 26
• Regular season begins - August 20
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 2-4 at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Texas

• First official practice - University Interscholastic League (UIL) - August 2 for 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, plus 6A and 5A schools with no spring ball; August 9 for 6A and 5A schools that participated in spring ball
• Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 26 for UIL and TAPPS
• Playoffs begin - November 11-13 for UIL and TAPPS
• State Championships - TAPPS on December 2-4; December 15-18 for UIL at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys

Utah

• First official practice - July 26
• Regular season begins - August 19
• Playoffs begin - October 22-23
• State Championships - 4A on November 12; 3A, 2A, 1A on November 13; 6A, 5A on November 19

Vermont

• First official practice - August 16
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - October 29-30
• State Championships - November 12-13

Virginia

• First official practice - July 30
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - November 12
• State Championships - December 12

Washington

• First official practice - August 18
• Regular season begins - September 3
• Playoffs begin - November 5
• State Championships - December 3-4

Washington, D.C.

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 27
• Playoffs begin - DCIAA on November 10
• State Championships - DCIAA Championship on November 17; Gravy Bowl on November 20; Turkey Bowl on November 25

West Virginia

• First official practice - August 2
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - November 12-13
• State Championships - December 3-4

Wisconsin

• First official practice - 11-man on August 3; 8-man on August 10
• Regular season begins - 11-man on August 19; 8-man on August 26
• Playoffs begin - October 22
• State Championships - 11-man on November 18-19; 8-man on November 13

Wyoming

• First official practice - 4A on August 9; 3A, 2A, 1A on August 16
• Regular season begins - August 26
• Playoffs begin - October 29
• State Championships - November 12-13 at University of Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium in Laramie

Content courtesy of High School Football America.