Local High School Football Coaches Ready For a Thursday Game

February 14, 2022

Rick Nyman,

The TSSAA announced last week that they are moving several high school football games from Friday to Thursday next fall. They’re doing it to address a shortage of officials. We spoke with a trio of local coaches who are down with moving one game to Thursday.

According to Notre Dame coach Charles Fant, the decision to play Thursday games was actually brought up first by the coaches themselves.
Said Fant:”In our December meeting of the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Executive Board, Richard McWhorter came to us and explained to us the dire needs of officials. We all kind of talked about it, and we all were kind of saying well, if we play a Thursday game. First I said Thursday and Saturday, but the rest of the guys are like no, we can’t mess with Saturday. But Thursday at least we can get a higher quality game called.”
Fant says the idea is nothing new.
Arizona has been playing Thursday games to address their lack of officials too.
Said Cleveland head coach Marty Wheeler:”You know what you want is officials. Guys that are aware of what’s going on that are focused. Not fatigued, and I think have a full crew.”
McMinn Central coach Matt Moody doesn’t think gates will be affected on Thursday night’s either.
Said Moody:”I think there are ways around that. I know there has been a couple of different discussions lke changing game times to 7o’clock to 7:30. So I think that there are definitely ways that you can try to minimize that.”
And sometimes a Thursday game ain’t so bad.
Said Fant:”Our Thursday games are awesome. I love them because at that time we were the only. The only game in town, and you look up, and you saw a lot of different people’s letterman’s jackets around the stadium.”
Said Moody:”Here people love football, so if there’s football on Thursday, they are going to be there on Thursday.”
Said Wheeler:”My philosophy on playing on Thursday nights is it’s always great playing on Thursday nights when you win. Makes it a lot easier to get up and go to school the next day so.”