The much anticipated start of the high school football season is this week and as many as 120 games will be played during Week 1, five of which will be played on Thursday.

As we all know, "Friday Night Lights" may not look the same this year and it’s important for everyone to do their part as our students return to play. The TSSAA believes that every adult and every participant must do their part and follow the guidelines set forth by the association and conduct themselves safely and thoughtfully so that the schools can provide as many opportunities as possible for the student-athletes this fall.

School administrators and coaches are aware of the guidelines and requirements, but the general public can educate themselves on what is being asked of everyone attending and participating in high school games this season by visiting the Return to Play page at TSSAA.org.

Spectators should be prepared to wear masks and have their temperatures checked at the entry gates. Those that are or have recently experienced COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter the stadium. Because stadium seating capacities will be limited to allow for physical distancing, check your school's website or social media accounts for information on ticket availability. It is the host school's discretion to honor passes, or offer any public ticket sales at all, because of capacity restrictions.

Five contests this week feature region matchups:

Gibbs at Knoxville Halls (Thur.)

William Blount at Maryville

Ravenwood at Centennial

Collinwood at Middleton

Nashville Christian at USJ

Only one team this week will face an opponent that is not a member of TSSAA when Richland travels to Rogers, AL.

The full scoreboard and schedules can be found at https://tssaasports.com/sports/football/.

Schools will be broadcasting 12 games this week on the NFHS Network live video streaming platform. With an NFHS Network subscription you can watch any and all games for one low monthly or annual fee. The games (with links to the broadcast) are:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20

LaVergne High School vs. Rockvale High School

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

Maryville High School vs. William Blount High School

Chuckey-Doak High School vs. Knoxville Catholic High School

Anderson Co. High School vs. Clinton High School

Sequoyah High School - Madisonville vs. Tellico Plains High School

Christian Academy of Knoxville vs. Daniel Boone High School

Springfield High School vs. Wilson Central High School

Alvin C. York Institute vs. Jackson County High School

Christ Presbyterian Academy vs. Riverdale High School

Bolivar Central High School vs. Brighton High School

Huntingdon High School vs. McKenzie High School

Columbia Central High School vs. Spring Hill High School

Saturday, August 22

Alcoa High School vs. Blackman High School

Follow teams all season at TSSAAsports.com

Overall, nearly 70 contests in multiple sports are set to be broadcast by schools across the state on the NFHS Network this week, including 10 soccer games and more than 20 volleyball matches. For a list of all events this week on the Network, go to https://tssaasports.com/nfhsnetwork/.

Watching the games is easy, whether it's on your computer, tablet or smartphone or on Apple TV, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV. Download the NFHS Network app from Google Play or the iTunes App Store and take the live coverage with you wherever you go.

All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at NFHSnetwork.com and through the NFHS Network Live App for iOS and Android.