UIL must decide which bylaw to break

– Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com

Is it really safety first in Texas?

Icy conditions in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex caused six playoff games to be moved from Friday to Monday, and the winners of those contests need to know when the next game will be played.

Conflicting UIL bylaws could come into question as the state requires six days of rest between games unless both teams agree to play on the fifth day.

With games on Monday a full, five days of rest would schedule games on Sunday — but the state does not allow games to be played on Sunday without a waiver.

The first bylaw protects any of the teams that played and won on Monday — Aledo (Texas) High, Cedar Hill (Texas) High, Denton (Texas) Guyer, or DeSoto (Texas) High — to have its coach not give his consent and risk injury of his players by competing on just four days rest.

Dallas (Texas) Highland Park is also playing Wylie (Texas) High on Monday and would have to play Denton Guyer, both on four days rest.

The UIL is hoping that none elect to decline consent.

If one coach does opt to enact the rules, bylaw 1250(e)(4) reads:

The Constitution and Contest Rules states: Minimum Time Between Playoff Games. No team or student in any conference shall be permitted to take part in more than one playoff game within six calendar days, unless mutually agreeable to play within five calendar days.

UIL Media Coordinator Kate Hector told NationalHSFootball.com that as of this report no waivers to play on Sunday have been requested and none are expected to be granted.

“Right now the deadline to complete the next round of games is Saturday,” Hector said. “That will be the fifth day and our hopes are that the teams will all play by then.”

The current pairings would effect the four highest class semifinals as DeSoto is to play Allen (Texas) High in Class 5A Division I; Cedar Hill is scheduled to play Austin (Texas) Lake Travis in Class 5A Division II; Guyer will take on the winner of Highland Park and Wylie in Class 4A Division I, while Aledo is to take on Ennis (Texas) High in Class 4A Division II.

None of the winning coaches would comment on record if they were planning to request a waiver but at least one said he was considering it.

Teams would not be able to move the semifinal games to Monday as it would leave a greater problem the next week as the state finals are set to be played Saturday and could not be rescheduled.

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