Title games to move up

ALBUQUERQUE — It’s now official: The high school football season will end on Thanksgiving weekend, beginning in 2018.

By an overwhelming majority of 66-7, members schools in the state have voted to confirm a new calendar that will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year and beyond. It will push up by one week the season openers, and it will mean a Thanksgiving finish to the season for the upper classes, with championship games on Black Friday or the following afternoon.

This year, Dec. 2 falls on a Saturday, and that is when title contests will be played in Classes 3A through 6A. Next year, Nov. 24 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Championship games in the lower classes also would move up by one week.

Both Clovis and Portales voted for the earlier football title games, with athletic directors noting it helped multi-sport athletes.