Polk County football games moved up in anticipation of Tropical Depression Helene

According to Polkway's Landlin May, the Dreadnaughts-Braves game has been moved to Tuesday night

It's that time of the year and hurricane season is still ongoing for the state of Florida.

Though its been a relatively quiet storm season, weather experts are predicting that Tropical Depression Helene could effect the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend and Gulf Coast regions. School districts around the Sunshine State are taking heed to the warnings and planning ahead.

Polk County has become the first to begin moving high school football games up in preparation of Helene and according to Polkway's Landlin May, the Lakeland Dreadnaughts-Lake Gibson Braves game has been moved to Tuesday night for 7 p.m. kickoff.

🏈Breaking News🏈
We have received word that due to storms and a possible hurricane hitting Florida later in the week Polk County games are being re-scheduled, with contest starting as soon as tomorrow. Stay tuned for updated information pic.twitter.com/LQW8PKkAhi

— PCGridiron (@CountyPolk) September 23, 2024

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A post shared by PolkWay863 | Polk County, FL (@polkway863)

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), according to Joshua Wilson of FloridaHSFootball.com, has sent out a letter to member schools regarding being prepared ahead of the impending storm. Down below is the letter regarding the potential tropical depression turning into a hurricane and impacting the state.

The @FHSAA has sent also out an email to all schools around the state especially, those along the Gulf Coast about actively monitoring the situation and start to prepare for cancellations or rescheduling of athletic events for later this week but waiting until it is necessary to… pic.twitter.com/gBLWoT3JLu

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) September 23, 2024

Think Ahead, Have A Plan, Be Prepared!

"GAINESVILLE, FL (9/23/24) - The Florida High School Athletic Association is currently monitoring the Gulf and has received the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. The NHC has given the area in the Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico a high chance of developing into a tropical depression and eventually a Hurricane in the next few days, and the state of Florida should monitor this system. Therefore, in preparation for this week's sporting events, it is recommended that your staff begin the process of thinking ahead and preparing a plan for the rescheduling of events that could potentially be impacted by weather. While we understand that weather is often unpredictable, we would like to avoid as many future cancellations and/or postponements as possible. We will continue to monitor updates and provide additional support if the storm begins to strengthen and potentially impact our state. FHSAA asks that you use this time to communicate, plan accordingly, and be proactive about stunt preparation. If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

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We will have more updates regarding any rescheduled/postponed/cancelled games throughout Alabama, Florida and Georgia as we receive them.

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