High school football: 2021 season start, end dates for all 50 states

By Mitch Stephens Aug 10, 2021, 8:40am

Season days away after a year filled with COVID-19 delays, cancellations.

The 2021 high school football season is days away. Following the hyphenated 2020-21 season, challenged and altered largely by COVID-19, the upcoming fall campaign mostly looks much like it did before the pandemic. Alaska and Utah are scheduled to kick things off Aug. 13.

However, Hawaii, which was also scheduled to start Friday, pushed back the start of its sports seasons to Sept. 24 in order to allow athletes and coaches to get vaccinated following an uptick in COVID cases in the islands.

The following week, 16 more states plan to kick off the season, including California, Nevada, New Mexico and North Carolina which all postponed 2020 football seasons until the spring to combat COVID-19.

The fourth Friday in August, 16 other states, including Florida and Texas, are scheduled to begin seasons while the remaining 15 states kick off in September.



North Carolina and Rhode Island will have quick turnarounds as each concluded spring seasons in May. North Carolina football games begin Aug. 20 and Rhode Island Sept. 3 according to schedules uploaded onto MaxPreps.

The following is an ongoing updated list of start and end dates for each state. First game dates represent the majority of teams in the state. Please send updates/corrections via e-mail to mstephens@maxpreps.com or by Twitter @MitchMashMax. 

Alabama
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: Aug. 20
Start of playoffs: Nov. 5 | Title games: Dec. 1-3

Alaska
First practice: July 28 | First game: Aug. 13
Playoffs: Oct. 9 | Title games: Oct. 16-22

Arizona
First practice: July 26/2/9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 22 | Title games: TBD

Arkansas
First practice: Aug. 4 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

California
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 5 (sections), Dec. 3-4 (regionals) | Title games: Dec. 10-11



Colorado
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 26-27
Playoffs: Nov. 6/13 | Title games: Nov. 27/Dec. 4

Connecticut
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 10
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

Delaware
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: TBD
Playoffs: TBD |Title games: TBD

District of Columbia
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

Florida
First practice: Aug. 7 (contact) | First game: Aug. 26-28
Playoffs: Nov. 12 | Title games: TBD

Georgia
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 12 | Title games: Dec. 9-11
Lee County hopes to back to another 6A Georgia state title game after playing Buford in last season's finale.
Lee County hopes to back to another 6A Georgia state title game after playing Buford in last season's finale.
File photo by Cecil Copeland
Hawaii
First practice: July 19 | First game: pushed back to Sept. 24
Playoffs: Nov. 12-13 | Title games: Nov. 26-27



Idaho
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: Nov. 19-20

Illinois
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 29 | Title games: Nov. 26-27

Indiana
First practice: Aug. 5 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Oct. 22 | Title games: Nov. 26-27

Iowa
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 29 | Title games: TBD

Kansas
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: Nov. 5 | Title games: Nov. 27

Kentucky
First practice: Aug. 1 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 5 | Title games: Dec. 3-4



Louisiana
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: Sept. 2-3
Playoffs: Nov. 11 | Title games: Dec. 9-10

Maine
First practice: Aug. 20 | First game: Sept. 3-4
Playoffs: Oct. 29-30 | Title games: Nov. 19-20

Maryland
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

Massachusetts
First practice: Aug. 26 | First game: Sept. 10
Playoffs: Nov. 6 | Title games: Dec. 3-4

Michigan
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 26
Playoffs: Oct. 29 | Title games: Nov. 19-27

Minnesota
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 2
Playoffs: Nov. 11-13 | Title games: Nov. 26-27

Mississippi
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 5/12 | Title games: Dec. 3-4

Missouri
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 29-30 | Title games: Dec. 3-4



Montana
First practice: Aug. 13 | First game: Aug. 26
Playoffs: Oct. 29-30 | Title games: Nov. 19-20

Nebraska
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 29 | Title games: Nov. 19-23

Nevada
First practice: Aug. 7 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Oct. 28-30 | Title games: Nov. 19-20

New Hampshire
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: Nov. 5-6 | Title games: TBD

New Jersey
First practice: Aug. 6 | First game: Aug. 20-21
Playoffs: Nov. 5-6 | Title games: Nov. 26-27, Dec. 3-5

New Mexico
First practice: Aug. 6 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 5-6 | Title games: Nov. 20, 27

New York
First practice: Aug. 23 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: Dec. 3-5

North Carolina
First practice: Aug. 2 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

North Dakota
First practice: Aug. 5 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Oct. 16/23 | Title games: Nov. 12

Ohio
First practice: Aug. 1 | First game: Aug. 19-20
Playoffs: Oct. 29-30 | Title games: Dec. 2-5

Oklahoma
First practice: Aug. 5 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Nov. 12 | Title games: TBD



Oregon
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: Nov. 5-6 | Title games: Nov. 27/Dec. 4

Pennsylvania
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Nov. 19 | Title games: Dec. 9-11

Rhode Island
First practice: Aug. 23 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

South Carolina
First practice: July 30 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Nov. 12-13 | Title games: Dec. 3-4

South Dakota
First practice: Aug. 5-6 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Oct. 21 | Title games: Nov. 11-13

Tennessee
First practice: July 26 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Nov. 5 | Title games: Dec. 2-4

Texas*
First practice: Aug. 7 | First game: Aug. 26-28
Playoffs: Nov. 11-13 | Title games: Dec. 15-18

Utah*
First practice: July 26 | First game: Aug. 13
Playoffs: Oct. 22-23 | Title games: Nov. 12-13

Vermont
First practice: Aug. 16 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

Virginia
First practice: Aug. 9 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD



Washington
First practice: Aug. 18 | First game: Sept. 3
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: Dec. 3-4

West Virginia
First practice: Aug. 6 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: TBD | Title games: TBD

Wisconsin
First practice: Aug. 3 | First game: Aug. 20
Playoffs: Oct. 22-23 | Title games: Nov. 18-19

Wyoming
First practice: Aug. 12 | First game: Aug. 27
Playoffs: Oct. 29-30 | Title games: Nov. 12-13
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