BATON ROUGE - In a high school football season full of changes, at least one thing remains familiar: Prep Classic football championships will be played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Dec. 26-28.

"We honestly believe, I believe, that the best experience for football, fans or not, are for the kids [to get] the opportunity to play on that fleur-de-lis in the Superdome," LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine said.

A regular-season many people didn't think had a chance to happen is nearing the finish line with playoffs slated later this month.

"All coaches and families across the state wanted was a season, just let us play," Bonine said. "We managed to pull that off. We're not done yet."

However, as the postseason approaches, teams statewide, including Donaldsonville and undefeated Scotlandville, are facing COVID-19 issues, whether it's because of cases, contact tracing, or required quarantine.

"The COVID is increasing," Bonine said. "We have schools that are now not going to play their last two weeks of their season and potentially would only have one day or two to prepare for their next play date."

With roughly a dozen cancellations statewide, each week of the season so far, LHSAA is requiring teams to play a minimum of four games to qualify for the playoffs.

"Which is 50 percent of their scheduled games, not games played, but actual scheduled games," Bonine said.

Bonine says he expects more teams to be impacted by COVID-19. This year a postseason loss might not be the only way for a team's season to end.

"If a school has a COVID related scenario at all or something that they have to do and they have to remove themselves from the bracket, they will be removed from the bracket and their opponent will be advanced," Bonine said.