By Michael Letendre

The start of high school football officially commences on August 12 as student athletes are excited to get back to the 11 vs 11 grind after missing the 2020 scholastic season due to COVID-19.

OTAs (Organized Team practice Activities) commence from August 12-14 as the squads of the CIAC will go through teaching and training sessions without any kind of physical contact.

Keep in mind, teams have not played 11 vs 11 football since the 2019 campaign and the learning curve could be extreme to start the season for programs around the state.

The first contact practice in Connecticut takes place on August 21 with September 9 acting as opening day for several squads in Connecticut.

Games for tournament qualification count from September 9 to November 25 and after Thanksgiving, the postseason quickly commences.

The quarterfinal round takes place on November 30, the semifinals will be played on December 5 and championship Saturday falls on December 11 this year – the final day of the winter scholastic season in Connecticut.

This schedule will be followed unless the pandemic throws a wrench into things – a slight but extremely remote possibility at this point in mid-August.

Week 1

The public schools within the city limits open Central Connecticut Conference play on September 10 as both Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern are in action.

The Rams are on the road in Bloomfield – a program that has jumped up to Division II play – at 7 p.m. while the Lancers tangle with Edwin O. Smith at 6:30 p.m. from Alumni Field on the campus of Bristol Eastern.

It’s official

Plainville has finally posted its scheduled game against Central on the CAIC website.

The Rams travel to Plainville to square off against the Blue Devils – another squad who has moved up the ladder in terms of competition – on November 11 at 6:30 p.m. from the turf at Tinty’s Track and Field.