Syracuse, N.Y. -- Assuming the coronavirus doesn't make an unwelcomed return, we're all in for a little more high school football this fall.  According to football committee co-chair Bob Campese, Section III has unanimously approved a NYSPHSAA vote last week to allow schools to play an additional game every season, starting in 2020.

"Any time you can play extra football games, we're all for it," he said.  "The more kids can play, the better they're going to get."

While high schools down south in states like Florida and Texas have been playing 15 or more games in a season, teams in New York have been playing a maximum of 13, with most of the others limited to eight or nine.  So, Campese says, playing at least one additional game per season will help level the playing field for players in this state, and help improve the college prospects of those with the talent and ambition to move on.

"If we start playing more games, the kids will get more noticed, they'll get better at the sport, and that'll open up a lot of opportunities for those kids to play at the next level."

Another benefit to adding an extra game to the regular season schedule is that it will likely cut down on the number of cross-over games, which are games non-playoff teams regularly play to fill out the schedule at the end of the season.  Campese, who's coached at Henninger, East Syracuse Minoa, and now C-NS High School, says now teams will look to schedule non-league games at the beginning of the season, instead of playing in preseason scrimmages.

"Some people feel the cross-over game is a so-called "meaningless game".  This could encourage teams to schedule a game at the beginning of the year, and call it a non-league instead of a scrimmage, to make it a more meaningful game."

The first day of football practice is scheduled for August 24, with the first games kicking off Friday, September 4.  And Campese says everything is on schedule to start on time, at least until further notice.