Things on the field will look pretty much the same as always when the new high school football season begins Friday.

But off the field, the game has changed.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association is debuting a new points rating system , which will determine which Southern Nevada teams qualify for the playoffs instead of the standings.

The system will place teams in the 5A and 4A Southern Region playoffs. The four highest-ranked 5A Southern teams will play in the new four-team Open Division state tournament.

Northern Nevada teams opted not to participate in the Open Division. Regular-season standings will be used to determine the playoff field for the 5A and 4A Northern Region, as well as the 3A, 2A and 1A classifications.

The points system is the third big change in as man

See Full Page