With about a month to go before the potential start of the high school football season, the Helias Crusaders can wipe one road trip off their schedule.
And so can the Helias boys soccer team.
The Illinois High School Association announced Wednesday afternoon football and boys soccer are two of three sports the state is shifting from the fall to a spring season.
Helias was scheduled to travel to Granite City, Ill., for a football game Friday, Sept. 18.
The Granite City game - Week 4 of the season - was one of the last added to Helias' schedule. The Crusaders likely will use the week as a bye, but could find a school in Missouri that is open that week to fill the slot. Helias will start the football season with games at Hannibal and Hickman before opening its home slate against Battle in its first Central Missouri Activities Conference contest played at Ray Hentges Stadium.
Helias was scheduled to start the soccer season Aug. 28-29 at the Quincy (Ill.) Notre Dame Invitational. The Crusaders are now slated to open the season Sept. 1 with a CMAC game at Sedalia Smith-Cotton.
Illinois also moved girls volleyball to the spring.
Other fall sports in Illinois - boys and girls golf, girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, and girls swimming and diving - will run from Aug. 10-Oct. 24.