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Rain or shine! High school football kicks off in East Tennessee

The fact that most schools have upgraded to turf means weather tends to be less of a problem.

If you're a high school football fan you've probably been caught in a downpour or two while sitting in the stands.

Gary Terry is the athletic director at Anderson County High School. He said weather is always a factor and his administration keeps an eye on it every day leading up to a game.

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"It's a week long process getting ready for a Friday night event," he said. "We're looking at the weather and as it changes throughout the week, we're always in contact with our weather man."

In cases of lightening, Terry said schools are required to wait 30 minutes to resume playing and if another strike happens withing that time, they wait another 30 minutes.

But rain is a different story.

Terry said it can delay games occasionally but it would take extreme weather to cancel one.

"We've probably canceled one game in last 10 years and that came because of a down pour," Terry said.

Jody Wright is the athletic director at Fulton High School. He said the fact that most schools have upgraded to turf means weather tends to be less of a problem.

"Today in Knoxville we all got turf so even back in the day when we played on grass and it rained, we just played on," he said.

But Wright said if bad enough weather events happen before a game, coaches and administration may make a judgment call for the fans and the players.

"If that rain is before the game and it's a big game and it's going to affect the crowd, then you may make some arrangements to move it up or back a day," Wright said.

In the end, both directors agree that come rain or shine, everybody just wants to play football.

"You know what, this is football. It's an outdoor event so if it's raining, you're gonna play," Wright said.

Anderson County High School's first game is Saturday and Fulton High School's first game is next Thursday.

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