After much uncertainty this summer, football schedules across District 9 have been finalized.

The District 9 Football League released its schedules over the weekend, as first reported by D9and10Sports.com on Sunday.

Slates were reconfigured in recent days as teams within the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 — the schools comprising Elk, McKean, Potter and Cameron counties — announced they were creating a quasi-bubble that they would not leave for competitions.

As a result, those schools are set for a six-game regular season within Large and Small School divisions, with two additional games possible depending on postseason play. Teams that don’t make the playoffs would be able to play those two additional games — most of which would be Large/Small crossover matchups — to conclude the season, rather than just settling for six games.

The remaining schools of the D9 Football League are separated into their own “league” and will play within that structure until a potential postseason.

This year, however, there won’t be a full playoff as in years past. Rather, there will be a condensed postseason with only a handful of teams — and possibly only two in each classification — making the cut.

Tentative D9 championships are scheduled for Oct. 30, but whether or not those take place remains to be seen. It’s also unclear if the teams from IU9 would be able to play in a potential D9 championship, given their agreement to not schedule contests outside of the four-county bubble.

Within IU9, there are two divisions, for small and large schools.

In the large school division are Bradford, Kane, St. Marys and Ridgway. Those teams will play a home-and-home series with each other this year.

Bradford coach Jeff Puglio is somewhat apprehensive about that, but expressed his gratitude that there is even a season.

“I was really hoping for some variety,” he said. “I get what they’re trying to do with proximity, but it wasn’t that long ago that we were in the (Allegheny Mountain League) playing all these different schools, so it makes you nervous playing the same teams over and over again.”

Puglio noted that teams who meet twice in a year typically do so once in the regular season and then again in the District 9 playoffs, rather than just having two or three weeks between matchups.

“To me, since we’re only playing three teams, it’ll get stale,” Puglio said. “We’re going to prepare, then play someone else and then play the same team again (from the week before). Normally, when you play teams multiple times, it’s either at the end of the year in a playoff game or early in the season and then again at the end. We’re doing this in six weeks; it seems rushed to play the same teams over and over.

“But we’re not complaining, because we’re happy to be playing games at all. I understand that, but it seems like it’s going to be tricky to turn around and get ready for a team a week or two after you played them.”

In addition, the Owls open their season on the road in three of their first four games. That said, Puglio isn’t especially concerned about having to travel.

“As of right now, we still aren’t allowed to have spectators, so I don’t know how much that really changes for us in preparation (for road games),” he said. “And it’s not like we’re going all the way to Karns City or Moniteau. We’re used to getting on a bus and going, so the only challenge for us is focus.”

And, he added, playing on natural grass in each of those road contests instead of on turf here and there.

“We’re a turf team; we like playing on turf, and we’re the only turf team (in IU9), so the only team we’ll see that turf is when we’re home.”

Depending on the postseason, Bradford also stands to play two potential Large/Small crossover games. The Owls could conclude their season with matchups against Smethport and Port Allegany.

“They would be matchups I’d be excited to get to (play),” Puglio said. “From what I read, there’s a possibility those games don’t even happen depending on playoff structure, but I haven’t seen anything about the playoffs at all, so I don’t know what that would look like.”

Meanwhile, six teams comprise the IU9 Small School Division: Smethport, Otto-Eldred, Coudersport, Port Allegany, Cameron County and Elk County Catholic. Those schools will play each other in a round-robin format, and then each will play an additional game against one of those same teams.

Smethport coach Adam Jack is eager just to play a season in any capacity this year, but noted, “I don’t think any team is crazy about playing anybody twice.”

That said, he added, “That’s the way they had to do things. So be it. We’ll take what we can get and do our best we can.”

Jack also expressed concerns that the Hubbers will only play in three home games this season with no possibility of a fourth. Smethport’s two crossover games are both on the road — at Ridgway and Bradford — and SAHS is the only school to not have a potential fourth home matchup.

“I thought we would’ve gotten one of those two games at home, especially when you consider that gives us only three home games overall and every other school, if you look at the eight games, got at least four,” he said. “But it is what it is, and we’ll go play and do our best to compete.”

He concluded, “Overall, though, I’m just happy the kids can go out and compete this year.”

Full schedules for each IU9 team are as follows, with kickoffs coming at 7 p.m. unless otherwise listed. Games with an asterisk are the potential crossover games:

Small School Division

Coudersport

Sept. 18: Port Allegany

Sept. 25: at Cameron County

Oct. 2: Elk County Catholic

Oct. 9: at Otto-Eldred

Oct. 16: Smethport

Oct. 23: at Port Allegany

Oct. 30: at St. Marys*

Nov. 6: Kane*

Cameron County

Sept. 18: at Elk Catholic (Date may change)

Sept. 25: Coudersport

Oct. 2: at Otto-Eldred

Oct. 9: at Smethport

Oct. 16: Port Allegany

Oct. 23: Elk Catholic

Oct. 30: at Port Allegany*

Nov. 6: Otto-Eldred*

Elk County Catholic

Sept. 18: Cameron County (Date may change)

Sept. 25: at Smethport

Oct. 2: at Coudersport

Oct. 9: Port Allegany

Oct. 16: Otto-Eldred

Oct. 23: at Cameron County

Oct. 30: at Kane*

Nov. 6: St. Marys*

Otto-Eldred

Sept. 18: Smethport

Sept. 25: at Port Allegany

Oct. 2: Cameron County

Oct. 9: Coudersport

Oct. 16: at Elk Catholic

Oct. 23: at Smethport

Oct. 30: Ridgway*

Nov. 6: at Cameron County*

Port Allegany

Sept. 18: at Coudersport

Sept. 25: Otto-Eldred

Oct. 2: Smethport

Oct. 9: at Elk Catholic

Oct. 16: at Cameron County

Oct. 23: Coudersport

Oct. 30: Cameron County*

Nov. 6: Bradford*

Smethport

Sept. 18: at Otto-Eldred

Sept. 25: Elk Catholic

Oct. 2: at Port Allegany

Oct. 9: Cameron County

Oct. 16: at Coudersport

Oct. 23: Otto-Eldred

Oct. 30: at Bradford*

Nov. 6: at Ridgway*

Large School Division

Bradford

Sept. 18: at St. Marys

Sept. 25: Ridgway

Oct. 2: at Kane

Oct. 9: at Ridgway

Oct. 16: Kane

Oct. 23: St. Marys

Oct. 30: Smethport*

Nov. 6: at Port Allegany*

Kane

Sept. 18: at Ridgway

Sept. 25: St. Marys

Oct. 2: Bradford

Oct. 9: at St. Marys

Oct. 16: at Bradford

Oct. 23: Ridgway

Oct. 30: Elk Catholic*

Nov. 6: at Coudersport*

Ridgway

Sept. 18: Kane

Sept. 25: at Bradford

Oct. 2: at St. Marys

Oct. 9: Bradford

Oct. 16: St. Marys

Oct. 23: at Kane

Oct. 30: at Otto-Eldred*

Nov. 6: Smethport*

St. Marys

Sept. 18: Bradford

Sept. 25: at Kane

Oct. 2: Ridgway

Oct. 9: Kane

Oct. 16: at Ridgway

Oct. 23: at Bradford

Oct. 30: Coudersport*

Nov. 6: at Elk Catholic*