Amid COVID-19 protocols, Pennsylvania's District 9 has been working to formulate a plan for the 2020 football playoffs, and a tentative plan was released on Wednesday.
The plan notes that in AAA, where Punxsutawney and two other District 9 schools compete, there is a sub-regional format, with D-9 (Punxsy (0-3), St. Marys (2-0) and Clearfield (1-0)) are bunched with D-5 (Somerset and Bedford) and D-6 (Huntingdon, Penn Cambria, Tyrone and Westmont Hilltop). The format allows for a maximum of two D-9 schools, with the top two teams playing for the D-9 title on Oct. 23 or 24. A sub-regional against D-5's champion will be played on Oct. 30 or 31, and the winner will play the District 6 winner on Nov. 6 or 7.
DuBois and Bradford will play in the AAAA classification, with District 9 having its own AA playoff format with South schools of Brockway, Brookville, Central Clarion, Karns City and Moniteau in addition to the north teams of Kane and Ridgway. The A classification includes Curwensville, Keystone, Otto-Eldred, Redbank Valley, Union/A-C Valley, Cameron County, Coudersport, ECC, Port Allegany and Smethport.
The format is subject to change given updates to protocol surrounding the virus.