High School Football is on the horizon in Kansas as most school districts start the 2025-26 school year next week. As the season approaches, there may be some things that athletes, coaches, parents, families, and fans should be on the lookout for in 2025.
KSHSAA sanctioned practices officially begins Monday, Aug. 18. Schools participating in jamboree scrimmages can only hold them on Aug. 29 or 30. Official competition begins the following week as the earliest possible date of competition is Wednesday, Sep. 3, but the majority of schools will begin their season on Friday., Sep. 5.
Below are important topics to keep an eye on:
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
The NFHS each year looks towards three aspects of the game that officials should pay a little extra attention to. The points of emphasis for the 2025 season regard players’ equipment, unsportsmanlike conduct, and defenseless players.
Illegally and Improperly Worn Player Equipment:
The NFHS is looking to enforce improperly or illegally worn equipment a bit further. The NFHS noticed a lack of enforcement with illegal or unsafe equipment at the college level and is looking to have players, coaches, and officials properly enforce the rules to reduce the risk of injury.
Illegal worn equipment includes, but is not limited to, jewelry, tinted visors, non-compliant eye shade, bands worn in improper places, and uncovered back pads. Improperly worn equipment includes pants not covering the knees, mouthguards not being worn when the play starts, or shoulder pads not properly covered by the jersey.
Normally, a violation results in officials stopping play to make sure players wear the equipment safely when play starts. Multiple offenses could result in penalties, including a delay-of-game penalty if the offense persists or an unsportsmanlike conduct foul if the violation is chronic or if a coach shows a lack of interest in supporting the rules.
Sportsmanship:
While most people, if not everybody, agrees that sportsmanship should be compatible with high school sports, the NFHS is putting some extra emphasis on the upcoming season.
One point the NFHS is trying to push is that game officials should try to not be overly technical in applying the rules. They understand that high school football is played with extreme emotion by talented teenagers. They ask for officials to allow for “brief, spontaneous, and emotional reactions” at the end of a play, however should penalize for acts that are “prolonged, choreographed, and directed at an opponent.”
A memo was given to schools in Kansas during the 2024 season that officials are emphasizing unsportsmanlike conduct penalties without warning if players perform celebrations that demonstrate violence or weaponry, such as brandishing/firing an invisible gun, throat slashes, etc. This came after the college level and the NFL saw an upwards spike in such acts and began penalizing them more often. This emphasis will continue into the 2025 season as well.
Defenseless Player / Targeting:
The NFHS defines a defenseless player as someone who, “because of physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury.” For example, a receiver catching a pass will focus on catching the football rather than bracing for impact from a defender, giving the receiver a disadvantage and subjecting them to severe injury. While it can be difficult to avoid contacting a defenseless player, the NFHS is trying to emphasize safe and legal contact with a defenseless player.
A targeting penalty is not uncommon to see at the NCAA or NFL level. Targeting is defined as forceful contact to a defenseless player in the head or neck area, or using the crown of the helmet to make forcible contact. When targeting is called, the penalty results in a 15-yard penalty and the ejection of the offending player for the remainder of the game (at the college level, if the ejection happens in the second half of a game, they are not allowed to play in the first half of the next game).
While targeting calls are rarely, if ever, called at the high school level, penalties of illegal contact or unnecessary roughness can be called, resulting in 15-yard penalties. The NFHS is asking officials to demonstrate a broad awareness of what contact is necessary to be considered legal and what can be considered excessive or flagrant. When in doubt, officials are asked to penalize for illegal personal contact and should be supported in doing so.
KEY RULE CHANGES
During the offseason, the NFHS put together some rule changes that are effective starting in 2025 as well as others that will begin in the near future.
There were a couple of clarifications regarding fumbles for all levels. Previously, if an offensive team fumbled the ball which then moved forwards before going out of bounds, the spot of the ball would be where it went out of bounds, giving an unfair advantage to the fumbling team. Now if a forward fumble goes out of bounds, the ball will return to the spot of the fumble. The exception is if the ball goes into the end zone, which results in a turnover and a touchback to the defensive team, which remains unchanged.
There was also a revision for 6-Player football, where the rules committee made a clarification to permit the advancement of a fumbled snap. The team clarified that if there is a change of possession from the snap receiver to another player on offense, the ball can be advanced beyond the line of scrimmage.
Additionally, electronic equipment has been approved to permit still images without audio to assist with relaying plays form the sideline to players. CLICK HERE to view the full rule changes.
DISTRICTS
The KSHSAA changed the state tournament format for 3A, 2A, and 1A regarding seeding criteria based on results of their district games and overall record. CLICK HERE to view the district assignments for the 2025 season.
The format, which began in 2024, saw the district champions seeded 1-4, runners-up 5-8, 3rd place at 9-12, and 4th place at 9-16. Much like 4A, 5A, and 6A, there are two brackets seeded 1-16 based on their region, but 4-6A is not divided into districts and their seed is decided solely based on winning percentage.
There will be a scheduling meeting on Oct. 15 for the 2026 and 2027 district scheduling.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The revitalized format of having only three state championship sites for high school football in Kansas appeared to be a large hit. Prior to 2024, each class had its own state championship site and all played at the same time, with the exception of the two 8-Player divisions who played at the same site. The sites for the 2025 championships will be the same as they were the season prior. The title games will be Fri., Nov. 28 and Sat., Nov. 29.
State Schedule:
- Welch Stadium – Emporia State University:
- 5A – Fri., Nov. 28 at 2:00 p.m.
- 6A – Sat., Nov. 29 at 1:00 p.m.
- 4A – Sat., Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
- Gowans Stadium – Hutchinson Community College
- 1A – Fri., Nov. 28 at 1:00 p.m.
- 3A – Fri., Nov. 28 at 6:00 p.m.
- 2A – Sat., Nov. 29 at 12:00 p.m.
- Kiowa County High School – Greensburg
- 8-Player DI – Sat., Nov. 29 at 11:00 a.m.
- 6-Player – Sat., Nov. 29 at 3:00 p.m.
- 8-Player DII – Sat., Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Ad Astra Radio will broadcast high school football every week, bringing up to 11 games weekly to air on the radio and/or streamed online at adastraradio.com. Nine area high schools will have every game broadcast live, while also broadcasting 2-3 area games of the week. CLICK HEREÂ to view the schedules of the local schools.
