There will be postseason football in Vermont this fall. Well, sort of.
The Vermont Principals Association’s football committee approved a plan Tuesday that allows high school teams to opt into a playoff bracket against the other teams they’ve played in their regional schedules, Bob Johnson, the VPA’s associate executive director, confirmed.
When the season’s football guide was released in August, it was also announced that no playoff football would be played, so the focus would be kept on the athletes.
The postseason won’t be a VPA-sanctioned event, however, and no state champion will be crowned. Trophies won’t be handed out, either.
“There will be some sort of regional tournament,” Johnson said in a Tuesday phone interview. “It’s not going to be like the big event we do at Rutland High School every year. There won’t be a state champion.”
For Hartford, Windsor and Woodstock, the news means they will be paired with Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Springfield. It’s still unknown if all six of teams will join the abbreviated postseason — that decision will come after the regular season wraps up next week.
Home teams would host and pairings would be random, with regular-season records a non-factor. The tournament is expected to start the final week of October.
Johnson also said that the VPA expects to hear more from the state on the prospects of winter sports in the beginning of November.
“I’m hopeful,” Johnson said. “I think there’s going to be some modifications we’ll have to make, just like the fall. They came out last week, (Education) Secretary (Dan) French announced, that it was going to be very, very difficult to do wrestling or indoor track. I understand why.
“The other sports I think we’ll be able to play. I just don’t know how many games, what the format is and when we can start.”
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.