ST. LOUIS - High school football is back in St. Louis but not every game is being played on a Friday night.

A shortage of referees is forcing some schools to move games to Thursdays or even Saturdays. Across the region, officials say they are stretched so thin that schedulers are having to move games to keep the season going. The demand for referees in Missouri has never been greater. For schedulers, the challenge is finding enough officials for every game on Friday nights.

This is the second year the Missouri State High School Activities Association rule has been in effect, allowing week one to begin on Thursday instead of Friday.

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“There's demand outside the high school environment. Work demands, family demands it make

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