Kentucky High School Athletic Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DEC. 17, 2024

The 2024-25 Operation UNITE Esports Fall State Championships presented by UK HealthCare are set to return to the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington on Wednesday.

Over 100 student-athletes from more than 20 schools will meet in Lexington for the semifinal and final rounds of competition in Rocket League (PC), League of Legends (PC), Madden NFL 25 (PlayStation 5), NBA 2K25 (PlayStation 5), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch) and Splatoon 3 (Nintendo Switch).

Tickets are available online only at khsaatickets.org. All rounds of the event will be broadcast live on khsaa.tv to subscribers of the NFHS Network, as well as on the KHSAA and University of Kentucky Esports Twitch channels.

2024-25 OPERATION UNITE ESPORTS FALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

11/19/2024- Current KHSAA Esports Schools

11/18/24 – KHSAA Awards 2023-24 NFHS State Coaches of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 18, 2024

As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, particularly for the season in question, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.

The complete list of 2023-24 honorees from Kentucky is below.

Baseball: Brad Burns, Pleasure Ridge Park
Boys’ Basketball: Ryan Perry, Lyon County
Boys’ Cross Country: Chris Davis, Bishop Brossart
Football: Mark Spader, Bowling Green
Boys’ Golf: Chris Cunningham, South Oldham
Boys’ Soccer: Chris Grimm, Lafayette
Boys’ Swimming & Diving: Jamie Palumbo; Bryan Station, Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic, Madison Central, Sayre, Scott County
Boys’ […]
More

11/15/24 – Operation Unite Fall Esports State Tournament Kicks Off On 11/18

https://www.playvs.com/kentucky

The 2024 Operation UNITE Fall Esports State Championships Presented by UK HealthCare, will begin online at multiple campus sites around the state on Monday and end at a central location in Lexington at The University of Kentucky’s Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge for the semifinal and championship rounds on Wednesday, December 18.

To view the playoff brackets, along with the schools and teams participating, you can click on the game title link below, or go to our PlayVS Kentucky Standings page:

Nintendo Switch Titles:

First-round matchups for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate™ begin Monday, November 18 (64-team bracket)

First-round matchups for Super Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe begin November 21 (32-team bracket)

First-round matchups for Splatoon™ 3 begin December 3 (8-team bracket)

PlayStation 5 Titles:

First-round matchups […]

2024 Fall Esports Championship Schedule of Events

10/06/24 – Esports Online Rules Clinic Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport activity of Esports is available through your Arbitersports Eligibility Dashboard.

The clinic is required of all coaches (head, assistant, varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.

If you coach in both the PlayVS Fall and Spring seasons, you will only need to complete this clinic one time.

Note: New for the 24-25 school year, you no longer log into the KHSAA School Portal to view your rules clinic or complete your other Bylaw 25 requirements. All Coaching functions have been migrated to the newly developed KHSAA360 System (in ArbiterSports).

If you have yet to log into the KHSAA360 (Arbitersports.com) system, you will need to set your password on the arbitersports.com login screen (select “Forgot Password”).

For full instructions on how to access your Eligibility Dashboard to complete the Online Rules Clinic and the rest of your Bylaw 25 […]

10/01/24 – KHSAA Combined Participation Tops 115,000 for First Time in 2023-24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 1, 2024

More than 115,000 participants occupied roster spots in KHSAA sports and sport-activities in the 2023-24 school year, marking an all-time record and an increase of more than 5% from the previous year.

A total of 115,608 participants were on rosters for Kentucky high school competition in 2023-24, which is up 5,792 from the previous record of 109,816 set in 2022-23. The latest total includes 63,694 boys and 51,914 girls, a record high for both genders and the first time that girls’ participation has exceeded 50,000.

The 115,608 roster spots were comprised of 86,357 individuals, including 46,635 boys and 39,722 girls.

The 2023-24 total marks a third consecutive increase across KHSAA member schools after numbers briefly declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, national participation eclipsed the 8-million mark for the first time last school year.

“We are extremely pleased with our compilation […]

09/27/24 – Updated ESPORTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON THE KY K-12 INTERNET SERVICE – AN UPDATE ON THE NINTENDO SWITCH TITLES

The KHSAA and KDE wish to provide an update to a previous blog post regarding the playing of Nintendo Switch eSports titles on Ky K-12 Public School networks.

Since the recent transition to the new KY K-12 Internet service, provided by Education Networks of America (ENA) and implemented in the Next-Generation Kentucky Internet (NGKI) project, Nintendo Switch games appear to work well. With viable tests conducted in district locations across the state, we are hopeful that the transition provides a new opportunity for districts to compete safely and securely from their school locations. There is nothing special that KDE has put in place or allowed when transitioning to our new statewide internet service that helps successful connection to the peer-to-peer competition space. KDE encourages each district and school with a KHSAA eSports team competing using the Nintendo Switch to first see if the KHSAA Nintendo Switch games will work over our new KY K-12 Internet […]

09/18/24 – Fall Media Credential Applications Now Open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPT. 18, 2024

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for fall state championships (golf, soccer, field hockey, cross country, girls’ volleyball, football, esports) is now live and can be accessed via credentials.khsaa.org.

Credentials to each KHSAA state championship event are issued by the KHSAA to working members of the media who regularly cover high school athletics. Credentials must be requested prior to the established deadline for each sport through the online credentialing system.

Credentials should be requested by the sports editor/director for all members of their organization needing to attend an event. Credentials for freelance photographers and stringers must be requested by the sports editor/director at the outlet the freelancer will be representing. Media outlets are responsible for the actions of all individuals representing their organization, including compliance with KHSAA policies and procedures. No credentials will be issued outside of the online credentialing system. The KHSAA reserves the right […]

09/06/24 – REMINDER: KHSAA/PlayVS Fall 2024 Esports Interest Survey & Other Important Updates

As we gear up for the Fall semester, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our Fall esports season!

For the past 5 years, we’ve been partnering with PlayVS, and up until now, we have had close to 1,982 players competing in top games. Participation remains completely free, and enrollment for Fall 2024 is still open!

If you’re interested in participating or want to learn more, please complete this brief survey: https://ly.khsaa.org/j4mw.

Completing this survey does not commit your school to the Fall season, but it helps us provide you with additional information. Even if you’re unsure, we encourage you to fill it out even if you are a “maybe” at this point.

Select schools that fill out the interest survey and participate in the upcoming Fall season will have the opportunity to receive a Nintendo Switch bundle* (a value of $650) and/or a game copy of Madden NFL 25 and/or a […]

06/04/24 – Thurmond, Germann Named 2023-24 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2024

The 2023-24 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated Tuesday on the campus of Midway University, as Carlie Thurmond of Bethlehem (Soccer) and Max Germann of Boyle County (Track & Field) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.

Beginning in May 2016, Midway has presented a Female Student-Athlete of the Year award at each KHSAA girls’ state championship event. The awards program was expanded in 2019-20 to include male student-athletes, with Midway honoring a deserving student-athlete in each KHSAA sport and sport-activity.

The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement, as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway.

2023-24 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the […]

04/24/24 – Esports Spring State Championships to Debut Pair of New Titles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 24, 2024

The 2023-24 KHSAA Esports Spring State Championships presented by UK HealthCare are set to return to the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington on Thursday, debuting two new state championship titles alongside the five previously sanctioned games.

More than 100 student-athletes from 20 schools will meet in Lexington for the semifinal and final rounds of Rocket League (PC), League of Legends (PC), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch) and Madden NFL 24 (PlayStation 4), as well as the inaugural semifinal and championship bouts of Splatoon 3 (Nintendo Switch) and NBA 2K24 (PlayStation 4).

Tickets are available online only at khsaatickets.org. The championship rounds of each title will be broadcast live on khsaa.tv to subscribers of the NFHS Network.

2023-24 KHSAA ESPORTS SPRING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

04/18/24 – Esports Spring Championship Schedule of Events

The schedule for the 2024 KHSAA Spring Esports Championships has been updated at khsaa.org. The semifinalists and finalists in each sanctioned offering will compete on Thursday, April 25 at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on UK’s campus.

Teams that qualify for the in-person event will be sent instructions to join a conference call on Tuesday, April 23 at 2 PM (ET). Event details, including parking, check-in procedures, ticketing, and other pertinent information related to the event, will be discussed during the call. Details about joining the call will be sent to participating coaches as they qualify. Note: due to increased participation in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, their quarterfinal round does not end until April 23, so we request that all eight quarterfinalist teams attend the call in order to plan.

All tickets to the event will be sold online via GoFan, the KHSAA’s official digital ticket vendor, at khsaatickets.org. […]

2024 Spring Esports Championship Schedule of Events

04/15/2024 – Esports Spring Championship Update

The postseason kicks off this week for the 2024 KHSAA Spring Esports Championships Presented by UK HealthCare. Brackets for all seven sanctioned titles can be found at the following links:

The semifinalists and finalists in each sanctioned offering will compete in person on Thursday, April 25 at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

Please Note:

Due to increased participation in certain titles, there is going to be a short window of turnaround between the Quarterfinal rounds and the in-person events at UK. This means that we will need to have the quarterfinalists of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate join the conference call next […]

04/10/24 – Media Credentials Now Available for Spring Championships

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for 2024 spring state championships (archery, esports, bass fishing, tennis, track, softball, baseball) is now live and can be accessed via credentials.khsaa.org.

Credentials should be requested by the sports editor/director for all members of their organization needing […]

03/09/24 – Spring Esports Enrollment Update + Splatoon 3 and NBA 2K 24 Make it to State

New Spring State League Game Offerings

We are happy to announce that we had enough participation to move Splatoon 3 (Nintendo Switch) and NBA2K24 (Playstation 4) from our two regional leagues to the KHSAA State League. This means that these two titles will move up to the PlayVS/KHSAA postseason and in-person championships at the University of Kentucky on Thursday, April 25. The KHSAA now offers all seven available titles at the state league level.

Our Kentucky PlayVS State League site has been updated with the addition of the two new titles: https://www.playvs.com/kentucky

NBA 2K 24, like Madden NFL24, is what PlayVS refers to as “Solos” (or a 1 versus 1 title). It allows KHSAA student-athletes to step onto the court with their favorite NBA teams in the 25th installment of the NBA2K Professional Basketball franchise. Solo teams play a 1v1 match, selecting from a pool of 30 NBA teams from the 2022-2023 season (No […]

2/9/24 – Esports Spring Enrollment Update & Additional Information

I want to keep the line of communication open as our enrollment deadline for the Spring Season is now one week from today, Friday, February 16.

I hope you all are having fun and taking advantage of preseason play (which continues through next week). I highly recommend that all teams participate in at least one preseason match for team readiness as technical questions may arise depending on your esport. This affects new coaches & experienced coaches alike.

A few updates for you this week:

Spring Enrollment Update (Team Dashboard)
Our Team Dashboard has been updated from the list posted on 1/26. Please review the link below to see a current snapshot of the number of schools and teams we have enrolled:
https://ly.khsaa.org/dgwa

As you can see by the totals on the sheet, we now have 1,439 players enrolled on 376 teams across 105(!) schools with still one week to go.

If your […]

2/2/24 – KHSAA / PlayVS Spring 24 Esports Dashboard and Other Updates

I hope your preparations are going well for this season. I’d like to use this opportunity to share a few updates since enrollment closes two weeks from today (2/16).

PlayVS is FREE:
Beginning this Spring 2024 season, PlayVS will no longer charge competition fees, enabling high schools to play in our state and regional leagues at no cost. All games and all leagues are FREE!

Preseason
The Preseason action kicks off next Monday, February 5!

Spring 2024 Enrollment Update
I get the question quite a bit from coaches and ADs asking if they have enrolled properly in PlayVS for this upcoming season. I have created a post – a team dashboard – alpha by school, that was updated as of 1/26. This list does not update live directly from PlayVS’ online system, but it will be updated when my contact updates the Google Sheet. Here is the link to that dashboard:
https://ly.khsaa.org/dgwa

Enrollment […]

3/8/24 – KHSAA/PlayVS Spring 2024 Esports Teams Dashboard

01/24/24- Spring Esports Online Rules Clinic for Coaches Now Available

The online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the spring sport activity of Esports is now available. This clinic is required of all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshman, paid or unpaid).

FOR ATHLETIC DIRECTORS

I cannot stress this enough: though your student-athletes and coaches have to be loaded into and be active in PlayVS’ system in order to play the games, they have to be loaded into the KHSAA online roster and coaching databases to be eligible to play the games. Just like any other KHSAA sport or sport activity and for both the regular and postseason. So please make certain all of your student-athletes and coaches are loaded into the KHSAA Online System as soon as possible.

I found out in the fall when I compared both the number of athletes and coaches in PlayVS’ system vs. the KHSAA system and found quite a few discrepancies that I had to get school admins to clean up once the season […]

01/18/24 – PlayVS Nintendo Switch System Spring ‘24 Promotion

On the heels of the announcement that PlayVS is now 100% free to play for all KHSAA Member High Schools, we want to make certain that you are aware of an exciting promotional offer. Offer: High schools enrolling in a Nintendo Game league (Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate, Splatoon™ 3, or Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe) for Spring 2024 are eligible for a Nintendo Switch bundle and game codes. Supplies are limited; schools will be notified by their representatives if they qualify.

Offer Eligibility: Offer is limited to high schools in the United States enrolled in a PlayVS Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate, Splatoon™ 3, or Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe league for the Spring 2024 season OR a PlayVS Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe PlayVS Unified League. Offer is limited to schools that have not previously received a Nintendo Switch System bundle from PlayVS.

Requirements: Eligible high schools must enroll at least one team in a KHSAA/PlayVS Nintendo […]

01/09/24 – REMINDER: KHSAA/PlayVS Spring 2024 Esports Interest Survey with Special Offer

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. The fall Championships at the University of Kentucky were super exciting, and I know everyone is looking forward to this upcoming Spring season.
As a reminder, starting Spring ‘24, PlayVS will now offer competition on the platform at no cost. For an unlimited number of teams and players, you will be able to compete for free on the most robust competition platform across the largest selection of titles with the most reliable and prompt coach support.
Spring ‘24 enrollment is OPEN! If you are interested in participating, please take this short survey here: https://ly.khsaa.org/dmma Select schools that fill out the interest survey above and participate in the upcoming Spring season will have the opportunity to receive a Nintendo Switch bundle* (a value of $650) and/or a game copy of Madden NFL 24 and/or a game copy of NBA2K24 […]

12/5/23 – Esports Winter Championship Update

The schedule for the 2023 KHSAA Winter Esports Championships Presented by UK HealthCare has been released at khsaa.org. The semifinalists and finalists in each sanctioned offering will compete in person on Tuesday, December 12 at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

Brackets for all five sanctioned titles can be found at the following links:

Teams that qualify for the in-person event will be sent instructions to join a Zoom video conference call on Thursday, December 7 at 2 PM (ET). Event details including parking, check-in procedures, ticketing, and other pertinent information related to the event will be discussed during the call. Details about joining the call will be sent to participating […]

2023 Fall Esports Championship Schedule of Events

12/04/23 – Media Credentials Now Available for Winter Championships

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for 2023-24 winter state championships (competitive cheer, dance, esports, wrestling, swimming & diving) is now live and can be accessed via credentials.khsaa.org.

The media credentialing system for the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® and UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® will be made available at a later date.

12/4/2023 – KHSAA/PlayVS Spring 2024 Esports Interest Survey With Special Offer

With Fall championships already upon us, we are excited to gear up and plan for the upcoming Spring, 2024 season.

As a reminder, our official esports partner, PlayVS, will now offer competition on the platform for an unlimited number of teams and players at no cost. Starting Spring ‘24, you will be able to compete for free on the most robust competition platform across the largest selection of titles with the most reliable and prompt coach support.

Spring ‘24 enrollment is NOW OPEN! If you are interested in participating at no cost, please take this short survey here: https://playvs022936.typeform.com/to/BA65GBLA

Select schools that fill out the interest survey and participate in the upcoming Spring season will have the opportunity to receive a Nintendo Switch bundle* (a value of $650) and/or a game copy of Madden NFL 24 and/or a game copy of NBA2K24 if they previously haven’t received one.

*The bundle includes a […]

11/21/2023 – KHSAA Winter Esports State Championship Presented by UK HealthCare Field Is Set

https://app.playvs.com/app/explore/leagues/kentucky-khsaa-mario-kart/standings

The field is set for the 2023 KHSAA Esports Winter Championships Presented by UK HealthCare following the conclusion of the regular season last week. This week is a break week for teams to allow them to ready themselves for the upcoming State Championship rounds.

As a reminder, the Semifinal and Final rounds for all titles will be held in person once again on Tuesday, December 12 at the UKFCU Esports Lounge located in the Cornerstone Facility on the Campus of the University of Kentucky.

Below is a breakdown of the opening-round postseason schedule for all five KHSAA-sanctioned game titles.

Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe

The state opening round of 16 kicks off on Monday, December 4, followed by the quarterfinal found on Wednesday, December 6

Complete standings including the State Championship Bracket can be found at the following link:

Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate

The state opening round of 32 kicks off on Wednesday, […]

11/15/23 – Board of Control Adopts Changes to State Formats For Swimming, Indoor Track & Field, Girls’ Wrestling; Sets State Archery Site, Accepts Results of Bylaw 9 Amendment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 15, 2023

The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its third regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving changes to the Swimming State Championship format and event implementation plans for the inaugural Indoor Track & Field and Girls’ Wrestling State Championships.

The Board approved the selection of Russell County High School (Regions 1-3), the University of Louisville (Regions 4-6) and Scott High School (Regions 7-9) as 2024 State First Round sites for Swimming and approved revisions to relay card procedures for the regional and state meet rounds to help address facility deck and crowd capacity concerns.

The Board also approved the increase of the total number of qualifiers advancing from the swimming & diving region meets to the State First Round to 48 per event statewide, including approval of the format structure for those three first-round events. This will result in a total of a total […]

11/15/2023 – Esports Spring 2024 Enrollment Is Now Open

https://help.playvs.com/en/articles/4919261-high-school-enrollment-steps

On the heels of yesterday’s exciting announcement that beginning with the Spring, 2024 season PlayVS has removed their competition fees, Spring 2024 Esports enrollment is now open!

For detailed enrollment steps, please refer to the link below:

Here are important dates for the Spring season:

Spring ’24 Enrollment is open as of 11/14/23
The enrollment deadline for all state leagues is 2/16/2024
Preseason: Weeks of 2/5/24 & 2/12/24
Regular Season: Weeks of 2/19/24 – 4/8/24
Playoffs: Weeks of 4/15/24 – 4/26/24
Spring Championships: Currently slated for the week of April 22 in Kentucky

Titles offered for the Spring include:

Hearthstone
League of Legends
Madden 24 (PS4 version – which can be played on the PS5)
Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe
NBA 2K24 – (PS4 version – which can be played on the PS5)
Rocket League
Splatoon™ 3
More

11/13/2023 – Starting Spring 24, PlayVS and KHSAA Announce That Esports Will be Free To Participate

At both PlayVS and the KHSAA, our goal is to continue to make esports even more accessible, equitable, and inclusive. We want as many students as interested to be able to experience the benefits of esports. With this school year being a mandatory Title IX Student Interest Survey year for the KHSAA, we fully expect that we will see interest numbers increase exponentially – especially after this morning’s announcement.

It is with much excitement that we, along with our official esports partner PlayVS announce that, beginning with the upcoming Spring 2024 season, PlayVS will be free to participate – yes, free. This should eliminate an obstacle that several schools have faced: the previous $80 per player per game cost to participate.

Both PlayVS and the KHSAA realize that for a number of our participating schools, monies budgeted for esports, along with monies raised through team fundraising efforts have had to have been allocated to cover […]

10/06/23 – KHSAA Announces 2022-23 NFHS State Coaches of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 6, 2023

As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, particularly for the season in question, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.

The complete list of 2022-23 honorees from Kentucky is below.

Baseball: Jeremy Shope, Whitley County
Boys’ Basketball: Josh Cook, George Rogers Clark
Boys’ Cross Country: Brian Ruggles, North Oldham
Football: Keegan Kendrick, Bullitt East
Boys’ Golf: Kyle Congleton, Madison Central
Boys’ Soccer: Stephen Collins, Ryle
Boys’ Swimming & Diving: Mike Essig, Trinity (Louisville)
Boys’ Tennis: Al Hertsenberg, Covington Catholic
Boys’ Track & […]
More

9/25/23 – KHSAA/PlayVS Fall 2023 Esports Teams Dashboard

9/21/23 – Kentucky Esports – The Status of League of Legends and Other Titles

League of Legends

With a registration deadline of tomorrow, September 22, and the fall season set to start next Monday — I want to share the status of one of our two longest-standing Esports titles in the state of Kentucky.

League of Legends, along with Rocket League, launched Esports in Kentucky. From our first in-person State Championship at Collins High School back on January 28, 2019, through this spring’s exciting championship at the University of Kentucky, League of Legends has been a staple of Kentucky Esports. It has offered one of the most exciting in-person championships we have — one that has consistently had a number of fans watching the action either in person or via Twitch.

Being 5v5, it offers the highest participation opportunities thus far of any title that we offer (though we do have two titles close at 4v4).

To give a little perspective, enrollment in Super Smash Bros. is outpacing LoL […]

9/19/23- Winter Esports Online Rules Clinic for Coaches Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the winter sport activity of Esports is now available. I continue to appreciate the support that you’ve given me thus far this school year after I assumed the lead manager role for Esports in our office. This clinic is required of all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshman) whether or not the coach receives pay.

FOR ATHLETIC DIRECTORS
I cannot stress this enough: though your student-athletes and coaches have to be loaded into and be active in PlayVS’ system in order to play the games, they have to be loaded into the KHSAA online roster and coaching databases to be eligible to play the games. So please make certain all of your student-athletes and coaches are loaded into the KHSAA Online Roster System as soon as possible.

FOR COACHES
For member schools, the clinics are located on the School Log-in Page. To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section […]

9/18/2023 – Disabling the Hidden Browser on District-Owned Nintendo Switch Consoles

In a continued effort to communicate eSports best practices for games being played on the Nintendo Switch, and continue the discussion with the Kentucky Department of Education regarding what is and is not permissible on the KY K-12 Internet Service, KHSAA is providing the following information on disabling the hidden browser on Nintendo Switch consoles.

For district-owned Nintendo Switch and other eSports gaming consoles, schools should disable browsing and enable parental control features before signing up for a gaming season.

For reference, the following matrix represents the district’s responsibility level relative to the ownership of the device or network being used.

The hidden browser can be accessed on Nintendo Switch devices through any network connection (wireless or ethernet) by manually setting DNS to 45.55.142.122. This connection provides unfiltered access to the web, and presents internet safety compliance issues.

The Hidden Browser can be completely […]

9/11/2023 – Esports in Public Schools on the KY K-12 Internet Service – An Update on the Nintendo Switch Titles

The KHSAA has received feedback from a number of member schools regarding games being played on the Nintendo Switch from their campus. KDE understands and is for KY K-12 students being part of all the different types of KHSAA teams and competitions, including eSports. KDE also understands the importance of and is for members of any type of KHSAA team to be together when practicing and competing, including eSports.

All the non-Nintendo Switch games (i.e., League of Legends, Rocket League, Madden) played by KY K-12 students who are members of a KHSAA eSports team, always have and continue to work well over the existing KY K-12 Internet service that is also used daily by all 171 KY K-12 public school for instructional and mission-critical operational purposes. This also means these three non-Nintendo Switch games work well with the cybersecurity and cyber safety services […]

08/28/23 – PlayVS Fall Intro to Esports Webinar Recording Is Now Available

https://ly.khsaa.org/zenq

Spring 23 KHSAA Esports

This email is being sent to all KHSAA member high school Athletic Directors and current Esports Coaches

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope your school year and your Esports program are both off to a great start! I have had quite a few inquiries from schools wanting to sign up for Esports this fall, so it is good timing that last Tuesday’s Intro to Esports Webinar recording is now available for all to view. Though primarily for new schools & teams, I think it would be beneficial for returning schools as PlayVS go over some important information for this upcoming fall season.

The recording can be found on PlayVS’ YouTube channel and is available for viewing at the following link:

A couple of notes concerning the webinar. It was […]

08/18/23 – 2023 Fall Esports Enrollment Information

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope your school year is getting off to a great start!

Many of you have already done so, but member schools interested in participating in the 2023 Fall Esports season are encouraged to sign up and begin registering for the upcoming season. The registration deadline for the fall season is Friday, September 22.

Titles offered for the fall include:

Hearthstone
League of Legends
Madden 24 (PS4 version – which can be played on the PS5)*
Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe
NBA 2K24 (Release date 9/8/23. PS4 version – which can be played on the PS5)*
Rocket League
Splatoon™ 3
Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate

Join us next Tuesday, August 22, 2023, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET, where our esports partner and provider, PlayVS, will be conducting an Intro to Esports Webinar to discuss the benefits of esports, […]

06/06/23 – Johnson, Ferree Named 2022-23 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2023

The 2022-23 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated this week on the campus of Midway University, as Rafaella Johnson of Elizabethtown (Cross Country) and George Ferree of Trinity (Louisville) (Wrestling) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.

The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement, as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes online at khsaa.org, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway.

04/24/23 – Esports Spring State Championships to Be Held Wednesday at UK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 24, 2023

After kicking off 2022-23 state competition with last December’s winter event, five more state champions will be crowned at the 2022-23 KHSAA Esports Spring State Championships presented by UK HealthCare inside the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone in Lexington on Wednesday.

Teams will compete for state titles in Rocket League (PC), League of Legends (PC), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch) and Madden NFL 23 (PlayStation 4), with an award ceremony following the completion of every semifinal and final.

Tickets to the event are only available for purchase online and can be found at khsaatickets.org. The final rounds of each tournament will be streamed live on khsaa.tv for subscribers to the NFHS Network, as well as on the UK Twitch channels.

Play will start with the Madden NFL 23, Rocket League and League of […]

04/17/23 – Esports Spring Championship Update

The schedule for the 2023 KHSAA Spring Esports Championships has been updated at khsaa.org. The semifinalists and finalists in each sanctioned offering will compete on Wednesday, April 26 at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on UK’s campus.

Teams that qualify for the in-person event will be sent instructions to join a conference call on Friday, April 21 at 2 PM (ET). Event details including parking, check-in procedures, ticketing, and other pertinent information related to the event will be discussed during the call. Details about joining the call will be sent to participating coaches at a later date.

All tickets to the event will be sold online via GoFan, the KHSAA’s official digital ticket vendor, at khsaatickets.org. An advance $11 ticket will be available for purchase prior to the event. On the day of the event, the advance ticket will be replaced by a $13 gameday ticket. Kentucky Children’s Hospital is sponsoring FREE tickets […]

04/13/23 – Media Credentials Now Available for Spring Championships

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for spring state championships (archery, esports, bass fishing, tennis, track & field, baseball, softball) is now live and can be accessed via the following link: credentials.khsaa.org

Credentials to each KHSAA State Championship event are issued by the KHSAA to working members of the media who regularly cover high school athletics. Credentials must be requested prior to the established deadline for each sport through the online credentialing system.

03/20/23 – Esports Nominations Sought for Midway/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year

The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student Athlete-of-the-Year among esports participants for 2022-2023 is now open.

This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2022-2023 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.

The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards event at Midway University in early summer 2023. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2022-2023 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year announced at the event. All individual winners will also receive their recognition awards at that time.

The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year in […]

01/18/23 – Spring Esports Online Rules Clinic Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport-activity of Esports is available through the KHSAA School Log-in Page. The clinic is required of all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.

To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.

Below is additional information:

January 18 to March 9 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed at no charge during this period.
March 10 to March 24 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($100) during this period.
March 25 to April 8 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($200) per the Bylaw 27 schedule during this period. After this time, postseason penalties per Bylaw 27 will apply.

The presentation can be viewed on most […]

12/19/22 – KHSAA Announces NFHS State Coach of the Year Honorees for 2021-22 Seasons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DEC. 19, 2022

As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.

The complete list of 2021-22 honorees from Kentucky is below.

Baseball: David Rexroat, Russell County
Boys’ Basketball: William Unseld, Warren Central
Girls’ Basketball: Kristy Orem, Pikeville
Boys’ Cross Country: Ian Johnstone, Conner
Girls’ Cross Country: Tom Stickel, Lexington Christian
Field Hockey: Jody Schaefer, Assumption
Football: Noel Rash, Beechwood
Boys’ Golf: Greg Zimmerer, Christian Academy-Louisville
Girls’ Golf: Sam Westfall, Madisonville-North Hopkins
[…]

12/15/22 – Esports Winter State Championships to Cap Off Calendar Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DEC.15, 2022

In the KHSAA’s final state championship event of the 2022 calendar year, five state champions will be determined with the 2022-23 KHSAA Esports Winter State Championships presented by UK HealthCare inside the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone in Lexington on Friday.

Tickets to the event are only available for purchase online and can be found at khsaatickets.org. Friday’s events will be streamed live on khsaa.tv for subscribers to the NFHS Network. PlayVS will stream the finals of each PC title, while UK esports will stream each console title’s final round.

Competition will start with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Rocket League and […]

12/07/22 – Media Credentials Now Available for Winter Championships

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for winter sports championships (competitive cheer, dance, eSports, bowling, swimming & diving, wrestling) is now live and can be accessed via the following link: credentials.khsaa.org

11/29/22 – Esports Winter Championship Update & Spring Calendar

Teams participating in esports should mark their calendar for Friday, Dec. 16th, as the semifinals and finals in each state-sanctioned offering will be contested that day at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on UK’s campus.

A detailed time schedule for the event can be found at https://khsaa.org/2022-fall-esports-championship-schedule-of-events/

Teams that qualify for the in-person event will be sent instructions to join a conference call on Monday, December 12 at 2 PM (ET). Event details including parking, check-in procedures, ticketing, and other pertinent information related to the event will be discussed during the call. Details about joining the call will be sent to participating coaches at a later date.

In addition, a tentative schedule for the 2023 spring season is included below to assist with planning purposes for the next season. The spring championship event will be held the week of April 24 with an exact date to be determined in the coming weeks.

[…]

10/05/22 – Esports Online Rules Clinic Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport-activity of Esports is available through the KHSAA School Log-in Page. The clinic is required of all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshman), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.

To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.

Below is additional information:

October 5 to October 27 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed at no charge during this period.
October 28 to November 11 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($100) during this period.
November 12 to November 26 – the Esports Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($200) per the Bylaw 27 schedule during this period.

After this time, postseason penalties per Bylaw 27 will apply.
The presentation can be viewed on […]

PlayVS Detailed Game Information

07/29/22 – 2022 Fall Esports Enrollment Information

Member schools interested in participating in the 2022 Fall esports season are encouraged to sign up at playvs.com and begin registering for the upcoming season. The registration deadline for the fall season is September 16. Available titles for the fall include:

NBA 2K
League of Legends
Rocket League
Hearthstone
Madden
Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate
Splatoon™ 2
Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe

Due to NBA 2K23 having a mid-September game release, it will follow an independent Fall ‘22 NBA 2K23 schedule and will not be considered for state league adoption until Spring of 2023.

PlayVS will conduct an informational webinar on August 25 at 2 p.m. ET. Information to join the webinar will be distributed closer to the date, and a recording will be made available for those who are not able to attend.

All schools interested in competing in esports should review the blog post located at https://khsaa.org/10-15-21-esports-in-public-schools-on-the-ky-k-12-internet-service/ for information […]

06/11/22- Kopser, Gloyd Named 2021-22 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 11, 2022

The 2021-22 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated this week on the campus of Midway University, as Renae Kopser (Ryle) and Ben Gloyd (Mayfield) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.

Beginning in May of 2016, Midway University started presenting a Female Student-Athlete of the Year award at each KHSAA girls’ state championship event. The awards program was expanded in 2019-20 to include male student-athletes, with Midway honoring a deserving student-athlete in each of the 19 officially recognized KHSAA sports and sport-activities.

The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall male and female student-athlete of the year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes online at KHSAA.org, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway University.

2021-22 Midway University/KHSAA […]

04/28/22 – Spring 2022 KHSAA Esports State Championships Presented by UK HealthCare Slated for Saturday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 28, 2022

The Spring 2022 KHSAA Esports State Championships Presented by UK HealthCare will take place at the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets to the event are available only via online purchase.

Teams will compete for state titles in Rocket League (PC), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch), League of Legends (PC) and Madden NFL 22 (PlayStation 4), with an award ceremony following the completion of every match.

Tickets: khsaatickets.org
Full Schedule: khsaa.org/2022-spring-esports-championship-schedule-of-events

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 284 member schools, both public and […]

04/13/22 – Media Credentials Now Available for Spring Championships

The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for spring sports championships (archery, esports, bass fishing, tennis, track & field, softball, baseball) is now live and can be accessed by going to credentials.khsaa.org.

04/06/22 – Esports Spring Championship Update

In an effort to extend the in-person championship experience to more student-athletes, the KHSAA is finalizing plans with PlayVS and the University of Kentucky to conduct the semifinals and finals on Saturday, April 30th at the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on UK’s campus.

Details and logistics are being finalized, but this preliminary information is being shared with participating schools for planning purposes. More details will be shared when available.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Semifinals
10 a.m. – Rocket League SF1
10 a.m. – Super Smash Bros. SF1
11 a.m. – Rocket League SF2
11 a.m. – Super Smash Bros. SF2
12 p.m. – League of Legends SF1
12 p.m. – Madden ’22 SF1
2 p.m. – League of Legends SF2
2 p.m. – Madden ’22 SF2

Finals
4 p.m. – Rocket League
4 p.m. – Super Smash Bros.
5 […]

03/24/22 – Esports Nominations Sought for Midway/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year

The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award among esports participants for 2021-2022 is now open.

This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2021-2022 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/

The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards banquet at Midway University in early summer 2022. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the overall 2021-2022 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year and announced at the banquet. All winners will also receive their recognition at that banquet.

The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of […]

03/07/22- UK HealthCare Expands Partnership with KHSAA, Continues Long-Term Commitment to State Championship Events

Baseball Blog Updates

UK HealthCare and the KHSAA announced Monday that they have expanded their long-time partnership. UK HealthCare, the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky, will serve as the official health care provider for the KHSAA. This move will see UK HealthCare take its title sponsorship of the KHSAA State Football Championship and extend the term of that arrangement, become the title sponsor for the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen® Basketball tournament and serve as presenting sponsor for other KHSAA sports and sport-activity championships.

“We’re honored to be the official health care provider for KHSAA,” said Mark F. Newman, M.D., UK executive vice president for health affairs. “At UK HealthCare, we are always looking to partner with organizations across the state to provide top-tier health care to every Kentuckian who needs it. We appreciate the opportunity to extend this care to the young athletes of Kentucky.”

UK HealthCare has […]

12/15/21 – PlayVS/KHSAA Esports Winter State Championships Decided Thursday at UK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2021

Four state champions will be determined Thursday afternoon as the PlayVS/KHSAA Esports Winter State Championships head to the UKFCU Esports Lounge at The Cornerstone on UK’s campus. Tickets to the event are only available for purchase online and can be found at khsaatickets.org.

The championships get underway at 4:30 p.m. as Henry Clay squares off against Lafayette in the League of Legends finals, while Shelby Valley takes on DuPont Manual in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The event continues at 6 p.m. as Lafayette faces Trinity (Lou.) in Madden ’21, followed by Bowling Green versus Trinity (Lou.) in the Rocket League championship match at 7 p.m.

Those unable to attend Thursday’s championships can watch the event live online through the NFHS Network or Twitch.tv (https://www.twitch.tv/PlayVS_2).

PlayVS/KHSAA Esports Winter State Championships
Tickets – khsaatickets.org
Video Webcasts – khsaa.tv
Cornerstone bus route – More

12/08/21- KHSAA Announces NFHS State Coach of the Year Honorees for 2020-21 Seasons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 2021

As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sport. These awards are announced during the late fall following the recognized year.

The complete list of honorees from Kentucky for 2020-21 is:

Boys Baseball- Richard Arnold, Trinity (Louisville)
Boys Basketball- Kevin Listerman, Highlands
Girls Basketball- Aaron Beth, Marshall County
Boys Cross Country- Joe Buechler, Holy Cross (Louisville)
Girls Cross Country- Brian Allesandro, Highlands
Girls Field Hockey- Amy Elliott, Kentucky Country Day
Boys Football (11-Player)- Justin Haddix, Boyle County
Boys Golf- James Chaney, Trinity (Louisville)
Girls Golf- Aaron […]

10/15/21 – Esports in Public Schools on the KY K-12 Internet Service

On average, KY K-12 schools get four billion attempted cyberattacks each year. However, during the past 20 months of the pandemic, the number of attempted cyberattacks on KY K-12 schools has significantly increased above four billion. Given all the new federal relief funds coming to K-12 to help address the pandemic, it is anticipated by national cybersecurity experts, that K-12 will be getting 86% more attempted cyberattacks going forward over the next school year.

Therefore, KDE will be taking measures and actions to further strengthen the KY K-12 cybersecurity defenses going forward. It is important to note that KDE will not do anything that weakens or compromises that cybersecurity defense given all its KY K-12 cloud-based instructional and administrative systems, used daily/hourly by KY K-12 schools, rely on a capable, reliable, and stable KY K-12 Internet service.

Therefore, any technology-enabled service that uses the KY K-12 Internet service from any KY K-12 public school and […]

10/08/21- Changes in COVID-19 RTA/RTP Implemented Per SMAC Guidance

As they have done since the start of the pandemic, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) composed of Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) member doctors has held multiple special meetings to continually review the Return to Play Guidance and Recommendations (RTA/RTP). As a result of those continued meetings and review of current and evolving literature, changes have been made to the RTA/RTP and RTA/RTP form and those changes are located at https://khsaa.org/resources/Covid19/CovidResumptionofSports/ApprovedVersion/kma-covid-rtp-algorithm.pdf. For districts that have summarily adopted the “KHSAA” recommendations, these changes should be considered immediate.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, this group has been passionate advocates for the students being involved in sport due to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits, but also for safety in mitigating the spread of the virus. They are also keenly aware of the first priority of nearly everyone in the education community, that being a full year […]

10/05/21 – Esports Online Rules Clinic Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport-activity of Esports is available through the KHSAA School Log-in Page. The clinic is required of all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshman), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.

To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.

Below is additional information:

September 27 to November 2 – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed at no charge during this period.
November 3 to November 22 – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($100) during this period.
November 23 to December 6 – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($200) per the Bylaw 27 schedule during this period.

After […]

09/17/21 – Esports Start Time Update and Registration Deadline Extension

As we head into the start of the Fall 2021 Esports season many of you have noticed a change in the default match start time to 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. This change was originally intended to allow our Central Time Kentucky schools the ability to make matches on time without having to reschedule week after week. Unfortunately, current scheduling must be set league-wide and individual matches cannot be automatically adjusted based on time zone.

Given the feedback we’ve received from the first week of the preseason, and after working in partnership with KHSAA and the Kentucky Department of Education, we’ve decided that we’ll be starting the KHSAA Esports Fall Season at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT effective immediately. This also helps to ensure that teams are not competing during prime-time instructional hours, which was a required condition when esports was first sanctioned. Coaches still have the ability to reschedule matches, but they may not […]

07/27/21 – Fall 2021 Esports Enrollment is Open

Esports requires critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity from players to achieve and sustain success. The development of these types of skills benefits students for life. Thousands of schools across the country are already competing in esports. You can too. Learn more here.

Enrollment for the Fall 2021 esports season is now open on PlayVS. Please find more information about the season below including new titles and season dates. If you are interested in learning more about esports and how your school can get started, click here to schedule a consultation with the KHSAA PlayVS rep.

Fall 2021 Titles
Through the PlayVS platform, your school has access to the most popular titles available this Fall:

Rocket League (PC, Console)
League of Legends (PC)
FIFA (PS4)
Madden (PS4)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo Switch)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)
SMITE (PC)

Fall 2021 Key Dates
Preseason […]

07/06/21 – Introductory Esports Course Launched by NFHS Learning Center

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Boasting an ever-increasing number of participants, esports (or electronic sports) continues to rise as one of the more popular and unique activity programs for high school students. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and its Learning Center now address the competitive, organized gaming landscape with a first-of-its-kind course – “Introduction to Esports” – which is now available for free on NFHSLearn.com.

“Introduction to Esports” was developed by the NFHS Learning Center in partnership with Butler University (Indianapolis, Indiana) and PlayVS to not only more clearly define esports, but to offer several key examples of esports’ social benefits, inclusiveness, organizational structure and competition.

“The NFHS Learning Center is pleased to offer this online course for esports. These programs are oftentimes misunderstood, and the course provides education on what you need to know and do to get started,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services. “Esports provides opportunities for […]

05/10/21- Senate Bill 128: Supplemental School Year Program Additional Guidance Related to NCAA

Information specific to this topic is now included in the compiled SB128 SSYP Informational post at https://bit.ly/3dUJ9us

04/12/21- Senate Bill 128: Supplemental School Year Program Guidance for Sports and Sport-Activities

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE DOCUMENT

For a complete list of the provisions and information related to the implementation of SB128 and the SSYP, please see the following document-

03/16/21 – Esports Nominations Sought for Midway Student-Athlete of the Year Awards

This message is being sent to Athletic Directors and Head Coaches in the sport-activity of Esports …

The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award among Esports participants for 2020-2021 is now open.

This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2020-2021 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/

The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards banquet at Midway University in early summer 2021. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the overall 2020-2021 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year and announced at the banquet. All winners will […]

02/20/21- Interim Guidance Regarding Spring Sports Travel

Archery Blog Updates

While spring sports guidance is in final production, the office has received several inquiries regarding travel for spring sports. There will effectively be no changes from the winter sports guidance and each guidance document will include enhancements and sources available at the present time. The following represents the recommended guidance for the member schools and will be published in the guidance documents for all spring sports and sport-activities.

Restrictions/Recommendations On In-State Contests

While local decision-making is a hallmark relative to the management of Kentucky schools, there remain several recommendations relative to team travel in- and out-of-state. (CONSIDER)
This guidance is not intended to make local district decisions less or more difficult or provide an arbitrary decision path for such consideration, but rather to ensure that all issues are considered as travel is contemplated. (CONSIDER)
This guidance and similar guidance from the KHSAA, KDE and KDPH is aimed at mitigating the risk of COVID-19 exposure […]
More

02/18/21 – Esports Rules Clinic Now Available

The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport-activity of Esports is now available online. Remember, the clinic is required of all coaches at the varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen levels, regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay. Below is additional information:

COACHES

February 15 to April 5 (Coaches) – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed at no charge during this period.
April 6 to April 25 (Coaches) – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($100) during this period.
April 26 to May 3 (Coaches) – the Esports Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($200) per the Bylaw 27 schedule during this period. After this time, postseason penalties per Bylaw 27 will apply.

The presentation can be viewed on most PC or Mac desktops and laptops, along with […]

01/21/21 – Board of Control Reviews Status of Winter and Spring Sports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2021

The Board of Control held its fourth regularly-scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 academic year on Thursday at the KHSAA Office, conducting a thorough status review of ongoing operations and championship plans. Staff provided an overview of all winter and spring sports and sport-activities, while outlining considerations and options for the winter events that will be presented for final review at the Board’s next meeting on Feb. 17.

“Today’s meeting provided an opportunity to update the Board of Control and our constituency on the various issues and COVID-19 mitigations facing each of our sports and sport-activities,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “Circumstances change rapidly during the pandemic but we hope to have a clearer picture for how we can proceed with our winter championships when the Board next meets in February.”

Included in the staff’s report on basketball, was a preliminary discussion on ticketing to the 2021 Boys’ and Girls’ […]

01/07/21 – KHSAA Adds FIFA and Madden as Newest Sanctioned Esports Offerings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2021

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association today announced, in partnership with PlayVS, an expansion of its recognized varsity title offerings to include FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 for the upcoming Spring 2021 esports season. These latest additions bring the number of sanctioned games to five, joining the KHSAA’s previous offerings of League of Legends, Rocket League and SMITE. Amid continued COVID-19 concerns, and with traditional sports reworking their infrastructure, the value of esports is evident now more than ever as it provides high school students a safe extracurricular environment in which to compete.

Two of the most popular sports titles in the world, FIFA and Madden feature real professional football and soccer players on their actual professional teams. EA’s long-running sport simulation franchises represent all of the excitement gamers know and puts them in the center of the action.

“We are excited to expand our esports offerings to […]

01/05/21 – KHSAA Esports Powered by PlayVS

KHSAA is proudly partnered with PlayVS to provide the only officially recognized varsity-level high school esports league in Kentucky.

Click here to visit the official home of Kentucky high school esports. View season info, titles, league standings, statistics, and past champions; schedule a consultation or sign up to get started.

Esports is a Sanctioned KHSAA Sport-Activity
The KHSAA has partnered with PlayVS to bring esports to high schools throughout Kentucky. Esports, or competitive gaming, is the fastest-growing high school sport in the country and, much like traditional sports, requires teamwork, critical thinking and communication to achieve success. However, esports goes ever further to create a barrier-breaking, all-inclusive environment with a strong sense of community. All games are selected based on their competitiveness and strategy, and are rated E for Everyone.

High School and Beyond
Esports opens up a world of possibilities for students. Besides a truly enriching competitive experience, PlayVS provides support for higher […]

11/11/20 – Esports Online Rules Clinic For Coaches Now Available

The esports online rules clinic is now available at khsaa.org and required of all member school head and assistant coaches (varsity, junior varsity and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay. With the esports rules clinic being offered for the first time this year, the clinic will be available for free during the fall season but is a mandatory requirement of all coaches and should be completed before the fall postseason begins on December 11.

A revised clinic will be offered for the spring season which will also be required but will have the standard fee, late and super-late periods for completion.

For member schools, the clinics are located on the School Log-in Page. To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.

COACHES

November 10 to December 11 (Coaches) – […]
More

Esports Permission Forms Received (ES101)

Esports ES101 Compiled School Game Permissions

09/16/20- Board of Control Approves Dates for Winter Sports to Begin Practice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 16, 2020

The KHSAA Board of Control held its second regularly-scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 academic year Wednesday morning, approving practice and competition dates for the winter sports and sport-activities of basketball, bowling, competitive cheer, dance, swimming & diving, and wrestling.

Bowling is permitted to practice on November 2. Competitive cheer and dance can begin official practice for its seasons this Monday, September 21 with a gradual segmented approach to activity over the next few weeks. Further details will be distributed to the member schools that allow for the resumption. Both competitive cheer and dance have already seen regional championships moved into the new year per the board’s July meeting. In cheer, these segments will further clarify “stunting” which has been restricted during the pandemic and resumption to play.

Additionally, the Board approved clarifications on sideline cheer in that stunting (defined per NFHS rules as “One or more bases support one […]

07/27/20 – Student-Athlete Participation Rises for the 3rd Straight Year to New Record Totals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2020

Student-athlete participation increased for the third-straight year in Kentucky High School Athletic Association sports and sport-activities to reach record levels in 2019-20. A total of 107,166 rostered participants competed across the KHSAA’s 13 sports and six sport-activities according to information submitted by the membership, surpassing last year’s then-record total of 106,931. Football was one of 12 offerings to show an increase from the previous year, breaking a trend of declining participation for the last three years by adding 202 new student-athletes [freshmen, JV, varsity] during the 2019-20 season to remain the state’s most popular sport with 13,277 rostered participants.

“The continued rise in student-athlete participation the last three years emphasizes the importance of school-based athletics in the fabric of the educational experience for these young adults,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “The importance of these coach-to-student and student-to-student relationships is only amplified in these uncertain times, as we strive […]

04/29/20- Revised Covid-19 Policies and Guidance Issued, May 1 to May 31

THESE REVISIONS ARE IN PLACE FOR THE PERIOD OF MAY 1 to MAY 31.

THESE POLICIES WILL BE REVIEWED REGULARLY FOR EXTENSION AFTER THAT PERIOD OR REVISION DURING THAT PERIOD AS NECESSARY AS STATE, FEDERAL AND CDC POLICIES AND DIRECTIVES CHANGE

RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF THE CAMPUS OF ANY KHSAA MEMBER SCHOOL OR ON PROPERTY OWNED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF ANY MEMBER SCHOOL, OR ITEMS RELATED TO SPORT OR SPORT-ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION DURING THIS PERIOD-

Facilities on school-owned property including competition and practice facilities, weight rooms and similar, as well as those facilities managed or in any way owned by the school or school system (all schools grades 6-12) shall remain closed for use related to sports or sport-activities in any manner through at least May 31;

These steps may sunset earlier if allowed by the Governor’s orders related to the phase-in steps of resuming activity, which will likely […]

04/21/20- Spring Sports Cancellation, Basketball Events Not To Be Resumed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2020

With the announcement yesterday of the recommended closure of all K-12 schools to in-person instruction throughout Kentucky for the remainder of the school year, the KHSAA Board of Control today approved the Commissioner’s recommendation and announcement by unanimous vote that the 2020 state basketball tournaments will not be resumed, while also approving the cancellation of all regular-season practices and contests as well as all postseason tournament championship events for all spring sports and sport-activities for the 2019-20 school year. This means the termination of the Archery, Bass Fishing, Esports, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, and Track & Field seasons. This will also result in the continuance of all provisions of the Coronavirus Dead Period provisions until further notice to the member schools from the Commissioner.

The KHSAA has worked closely and continuously with the Governor of our beloved Commonwealth, representatives of the Department of Public Health, Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown and […]

04/06/20 – Esports Nominations Sought for Male and Female Midway Student-Athlete of the Year

While spring sports and sport-activities are currently suspended, Midway University is continuing with its recognition of the outstanding talents of student-athletes who participate in these programs. The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year among esports participants for 2019-2020 is now open.

This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2019-2020 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but may be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.

The winner will be announced May 17 and will be recognized at a future function in coordination by Midway University. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2019-2020 Midway University/KHSAA Overall Student-Athlete of the Year and announced […]

03/13/20- (revised 04/02/20 and 4/17/20)- Athletic Dead Period Instituted for Athletic Programs in All Sports and Sport-Activities Due to Covid-19

This information is in effect, as stated below, through April 30, 2020. Prior to that time, revised guidance and policy will be issued to be effective May 1 as we all collectively work to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus on our campuses and among our athletes and coaches. Updated 4/2/20 and 4/17/20 based on inquiries from member schools and revised orders from the Governor and CDC Guidance.

This impacts all KHSAA constituents and includes guidance from the Governor, Public Health Officials, the Kentucky Department of Education, and additional guidance from federal authorities. This original directive will continue to be updated regularly. This will be the sole site for information regarding interscholastic athletics in Kentucky involving rostered athletes or those that have participated in practices this year and coaches from KHSAA member schools, as well as the use of interscholastic facilities.

Effective Friday, March 13, all sports and sport-activities, regardless of season, are declared to […]

03/30/20- Status of KHSAA Sponsored Events and Deadlines

Updated: 3/31/20, 8:00 a.m.

This information is solely a summary of KHSAA events. Other specific information concerning options including the required Coronavirus Shutdown Period is listed elsewhere on the KHSAA website at https://khsaa.org/athletic-dead-period-instituted-for-athletic-programs-in-all-sports-and-sport-activities/. This list will be continually updated and potentially revised.

Tryout Period for Sport-Activities, including Cheer and Dance has been postponed. See the post at https://khsaa.org/03-19-20-spring-sport-activity-tryout-window-postponed-for-now/ for details.
All opportunities at KHSAA member schools and Kentucky middle schools for spring football practice have been eliminated for 2020. See the post at https://khsaa.org/spring-football-practice-eliminated-for-2020-for-high-and-middle-schools/ for details;
No final determination has been made regarding annual Title IX and roster reporting for 2019-20. Member schools will be updated if and when this is revised.
2020 Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen (originally March 11-15) remains currently suspended. Will be continually reviewed as more data is available regarding school resumption or cessation, and activities being conducted in alignment with CDC and state and local […]
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03/16/20- Update on KHSAA Office Opening/Closing and Staff Availability

In partnership with our State Department of Education, the Governor’s office, our member schools, the NFHS and similar to many other state associations, KHSAA staff has been directed to work remotely from home until at least April 10 (revised 4/2/20). Administrators will available via email. Our hope is to return to the office for regular hours later in April, however, this is a very fluid situation and could change at any time. Updates will be posted online.

As of now and through at least May 1, all activity by rostered participants, coaches and those who have participated in at least one practice session for a middle or high school remain shut down as do all athletic facilities in control of our membership. As we all work together, everyone is hopeful to contain the spread of this virus. Staff will communicate any changes to future events through social media and the KHSAA website.

Closer to May […]

01/27/20 – PlayVS/KHSAA Esports Winter State Championship Decided Thursday at UK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 27, 2020

State Champions will be crowned in Rocket League and League of Legends on Thursday, Jan. 30 when the PlayVS/KHSAA Esports Winter State Championship takes place at the Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky campus.

The Rocket League finals are set for 4 p.m. and will feature Shelby County’s “Rockets Gold Squad” taking on Graves County’s “Leverage Esports” team. The League of Legends championship will follow at 5:30 p.m., with Elizabethtown’s “E-Town Panthers” squaring off against Lafayette’s “Generals (A)”.

Admission is free to the esports state championship, which will be held in Ballroom B&C at the Gatton Student Center. Those unable to attend Thursday’s championship can watch the event live online through the NFHS Network or Twitch.tv (https://www.twitch.tv/playvs).

This is the second year esports has been a KHSAA-sanctioned sport activity. Boyle County claimed the inaugural League of Legends state title during the 2019 winter season, with […]

01/16/20 – Board Approves Site and Date for Esports Championship, Approves Extensive Survey of Officials’ Fees, Reviews Ongoing Operations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2020

The Board of Control addressed several operational issues at its meeting at the KHSAA offices on Thursday. Among the actionable items on the agenda, the Board approved an offer from the University of Kentucky to host the upcoming esports state championship and approved the movement of five schools in Track & Field, as well as Cross Country, for the 2020-21 school year.

The University of Kentucky has offered to host the upcoming esports state championship on Jan. 30 and the Board accepted that proposal. UK has made a substantial investment into its Gatton Student Center as it expands its involvement in the world of competitive gaming.

“We are grateful to UK for reaching out to us to host a championship event in esports this year, allowing our competition and its participants to continue to receive outstanding support, ” said Commissioner Julian Tackett. “Their new facility is outstanding and will […]

10/10/19 – Esports Registration Deadline Extended to October 25

The esports registration deadline has been extended to Friday, October 25th. If your school intends to compete in this Fall 2019 season, there are a couple of steps that must be taken before that date to ensure your teams are put on the schedule.

Have your principal fill out the authorization form distributed earlier this week by the Commissioner – https://schools.khsaa.org/es101-esports-school-permission-form/
Add an esports team, coach and student-athletes in the schools.khsaa.org subdomain
Complete registration through PlayVS and activate your teams

Follow these steps to complete the registration process through PlayVS.

Verify students, after checking their names and emails for accuracy
Purchase a Season Pass for verified players and select an esport for them to play
From the Manage Teams tab, create and name your team
Then, place verified players on your roster
Finally, hit the ‘Activate’ button for each team. You MUST activate a team in order […]
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10/08/19- Update on Participation in Esports with KHSAA

As the KHSAA heads into its second year of offering an Esports program, we have worked collaboratively with the Kentucky Department of Education as well as the Kentucky Center for School Safety to enact a directive from the Board of Control for 2019-20. After you have read the material and are ready to complete the permission form, you may do so on the school login site at https://schools.khsaa.org/es101-esports-school-permission-form/.

Each of you has a login on this site. Contact Communications Director Joe Angolia at the KHSAA (jangolia@khsaa.org) for specific Esports questions. Contact Rob Catron at the KHSAA (rcatron@khsaa.org) if you are having issues with logging in.

As we reviewed year one of this project, it was determined by the Board of Control in consultation with our partners at KDE and KCSS that we needed to ensure we had informed consent from […]

09/23/19- KHSAA and Midway University Expand Student-Athlete Awards Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2019

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association and Midway University are expanding their partnership in the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year Awards program to include recognition for males beginning in the fall of 2019. The program originally began in the spring of 2016 as a way for Midway University to honor female student-athletes, and will now include male and female student-athletes for all KHSAA-sanctioned sports and sport-activities.

“We value our partnership with the KHSAA as we expand our on-campus offerings to include male students and male sports and look forward to continuing to get our message out across the Commonwealth to even more student-athletes and potential students,” said Midway University President John P. Marsden, Ph.D.

“It is exciting to expand our relationship with Midway University to coincide with its own expansion of sports offerings,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “This was already a tremendous partnership through its effort to […]

07/11/19 – Board Finalizes Golf Format; Addresses Tennis Championships and Future of Esports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2019

The Board of Control conducted its first organizational meeting of the 2019-20 academic year on Thursday in Covington, finalizing the format of the state golf tournament while also addressing the calendar for the state tennis championships and the future of esports.

After reviewing feedback following its earlier decision to change the team format to a four-person squad at the state tournament (which was a format of the tournament in past years), the Board of Control elected to revisit the issue at its July meeting. After significant discussion, the Board eventually settled on a final resolution to address its original concerns with the size of the field, match its boys and girls alignment, ensure all schools have an opportunity to participate in the championship regardless of squad size and complete the tournament during the mid-fall season while also addressing the team composition […]

2/14/19- Reminder to Schools about Esports Rosters and Information

For the 2018-2019 school year, KHSAA member schools participating in the sport-activity of esports through the KHSAA/PlayVs partnership are required to enter and maintain their teams, coaches and participants in the KHSAA member school database. THIS STEP DOES NOT REPLACE THE NECESSITY OF REGISTERING COACH AND PARTICIPANT SPECIFIC INFORMATION WITH PLAYVS. If you are participating in esports through another entity (not through PlayVS), please disregard this notice and do not enter your school information.

DECLARING THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN KHSAA ESPORTS SEASON ZERO OR SEASON ONE DURING 2018-19

As with any other sport/sport-activity, the first step the AD (or other designated administrator) will need to do is update the school’s Sport Participation Information grid to add the team(s) to the database, which will then allow entry of participants and coaches. (Direct link: https://schools.khsaa.org/schools_update/)
On this grid, you will now see both of the newly added esports seasons (Esports – Fall and Esports – […]
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02/05/19 – Esports Spring Season Participation Deadline February 8

GET STARTED ON PLAYVS TODAY

Season Zero ended last week with Boyle County High School taking home the first KHSAA esports state title. Congratulations to Coach Laymon and the BoCo Gold team. The livestream of the state championship match is available at https://www.khsaa.tv

The deadline to join the esports Spring 2019 season is this Friday, February 8th. If your school is interested in participating, please be sure to create an account on PlayVS.com by the deadline to get started. You can still complete your profile and fill out your computer specifications afterward. Players have until February 22nd to sign up and finalize teams.

SPRING 2019 REGULAR SEASON STRUCTURE

The regular season will run from the week of February 25th – April 22nd.
Matches will be played at 4 p.m. EST on the following days for each league:
- Tuesdays: League of Legends – Two consecutive […]
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01/23/19 – Collins HS to Host Esports Season Zero Championship Monday

2018-2019 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2019

The Season Zero Esports State Championship will be determined Monday at Collins High School, when squads from St. Henry District and Boyle County square off to decide the first state champion in a best-of-three League of Legends match. Admission to the esports state championship is free, though interested fans should reserve their tickets online at http://bit.ly/2sLlBAV.

Those unable to attend Monday’s championship can watch the event live online through the NFHS Network or Twitch.tv (https://www.twitch.tv/playvs).

Through its partnership with PlayVs, the KHSAA offered its member schools a new participation opportunity in October to join Season Zero and compete in League of Legends. The esports program will expand for the spring season, with team competing in League of Legends, SMITE and Rocket League. For more information on the Spring Season, visit http://bit.ly/2M4BKul.

-KHSAA-

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High […]

01/11/19 – Esports Season Zero Playoff Info, Spring Season Update

2018-2019 News Releases

The playoffs for Esports Season Zero are underway! Congratulations to Wolves Blue from Wolfe County High School for an undefeated regular season. They will face off against BoCo Black from Boyle County High School in the semifinals next week.

A huge congratulations to all of the following schools for making it into the Top 8:

Cardinals 1 from Nelson County
SDHS from St. Henry District
Titans from Collins
Paarthurnax from Warren Central
BoCo Gold from Boyle County
Eagle Level 7 from Johnson Central

Schools and students alike have seen the tremendous benefits of participating in esports.

“Collins High School esports has given a select group of students the chance to get out of their comfort zone and be a part of something with our school. It’s fun to see them interact with students they wouldn’t have without this opportunity. Win, lose, or draw this is a success!” – Powell Miller […]

10/09/18- KHSAA eSports Schools To Date

09/27/18- Information Regarding School Participation in eSports