Due to inclement weather throughout the Valley area for much of Friday night, many end-of-regular season football games and their Senior Night ceremonies were affected. Due to excellent planning and the use of contingency plans, almost all teams were able to play their games and properly honor their seniors.

Moving a game up in the week is allowable by AIA rules, especially due to weather concerns, and those games would have been approved if any formal appeal would have been made. It is a goal of the AIA to make sure all games have the opportunity to be played and its student-athletes appropriately honored.

“Schools contacted AIA staff members early last week to discuss campus management and the probability of moving events around to safely play varsity football games,” said AIA executive director Dr. Jim Dean. “Association staff worked tirelessly with administrators and coaches throughout the state in the days leading up to, and including through delayed start times on Friday night, to ensure the maximum amount of participation by member schools.”

End-of-regular season processes are clearly communicated to the member schools and their conference leadership on an annual basis. It begins in the spring and continues into the next school year. It has been a consistent and well-known practice that has been accepted by the membership over a number of years.

Without a deadline in place to stop end-of-the-season competition, possibilities may arise where games could be delayed for days if persistent weather affects the playing availabilities of fields. This could have consequences in preparing for the following weekend’s playoff games.

This process is administered across all conferences for equitable end-of-the-season results. Teams in the 1A Conference had a successful conclusion to their regular season and are now in the semifinal round. Weather issues caused the cancellation of several 2A Conference region crossover games on Oct. 22-23, but those schools adjusted and were able to enter their first-round playoffs without issue.

According to AIA Bylaw, “The AIA seeks to supplement the overall aims and objectives of secondary schools by organizing, developing, directing and regulating athletics and activities by…working with the member schools to create and administer uniform eligibility rules governing participation in interscholastic contests.”

To single out, delay or give extra preferential treatment to a select few would go against this tenet of the association.

“Last week highlighted the successful implementation of school contingency plans to play games and honor students during those contests. We congratulate schools on a great regular season of football and wish teams qualifying for the postseason the best of luck in the upcoming weeks,” Dr. Dean added.

Senior nights were held across the state and many implemented secondary protocols, including using a gym or another large building on campus for their ceremonies. The AIA will work with Desert Mountain and Chaparral High Schools to coordinate Senior Night activities during their first playoff games of the postseason