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Football playoff regional seeding highlights changes as MHSAA fall sports begin

  A new format for early-round playoff seeding in 11-player football is among the most notable changes as more than 100,000 high school athletes from Michigan High School Athletic Association member high schools prepared for the first day of practices Monday, Aug. 10.

  All fall sports teams may begin practicing Monday. Girls golf and boys tennis teams in the Lower Peninsula and girls tennis teams in the Upper Peninsula may begin competition Aug. 14. Cross country, field hockey, boys soccer, girls volleyball and Lower Peninsula girls swimming and diving teams may begin competing Aug. 19, and the first varsity football games may be played Aug. 27.

  The 11-Player Football Playoffs will begin Oct. 30 and 31 with a new seeding system. Beginning this season, the playoff field in each of eight 11-player divisions will first be organized into eight-team Regionals. The eight teams in each Regional will then be seeded based on playoff-point average, with seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8 comprising one District and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 comprising the other. The winners of those Districts will play in the Regional Final.

  A golf change also relates to postseason play, as golfers must now play in at least eight dates of a school team’s competition schedule to be eligible for the MHSAA Tournament. If a school’s varsity team plays fewer than 16 regular-season dates of competition, a student must instead participate in at least 50 percent of the varsity’s regular-season dates to be eligible for the postseason.

  A few game-action rules changes also will be quickly noticeable to participants and spectators.  -High school volleyball teams now are permitted to designate up to two liberos prior to each set, although only one libero can be in the game at a time.

 -Also in volleyball, players on the serving team are forbidden to raise their hands above their heads during service until the ball has passed beyond the net.

 -In football, a rule formerly applied to defensive players prohibiting them from using their hands to slap an opponent’s head has been expanded to penalize players on both sides of the ball for slapping an opponent’s head......

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