What was announced earlier this year – the addition of Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy to Class A football and the return of Jamesville-DeWitt – was confirmed by Thursday’s announcement of the Section III schedules for the 2020 season.
F-M, CBA and J-D all join long-time member East Syracuse Minoa in the Class A ranks, while Bishop Grimes remains firmly entrenched in eight-man football for its fourth season.
Among the many changes in Section III for the upcoming autumn was a longer regular season for large-school teams. Instead of seven games, Class AA, down to nine teams with the departures of F-M and CBA, will go with a nine-game schedule and just four teams will make the November playoffs.
The realigned Class A includes 10 teams in two divisions. J-D, who is back after a season in the Developmental division (now Independent League), is in the American division with ESM and CBA, plus Auburn and Indian River.
F-M, meanwhile, got put in the National division with Carthage, Central Square, Fulton and Whitesboro and will have just seven regular-season contests, the Hornets opening Sept. 11 against Auburn, the first of three straight home games with Central Square and Fulton to follow.
A week earlier, on Sept. 4, ESM opens at Waverly and CBA takes on Rome Free Academy. The Spartans and Brothers will have eight regular-season games, but J-D will stick with seven and start its season a week later at South Jefferson.
Due to the varying lengths of their respective seasons, Class A will continue to utilize an eight-team playoff format, with opening-round games Oct. 30, semifinals a week later and the finals on the second weekend in November under the new roof at the Carrier Dome.
As for Bishop Grimes, it will play eight regular-season games as part of a nine-team league in eight-man football. The Cobras begin Sept. 12 against visiting Cooperstown and will meet defending sectional champion Weedsport two weeks later, also taking on New York Mills, Adirondack, Elmira Notre Dame, Morrisville-Eaton, West Canada and Tupper Lake, from Section X.
