Starting next year, the number of teams participating in the high school football playoffs will be cut in half.

The Iowa High School Athletic Assocation’s Board of Control voted during their monthly meeting Monday to adopt a nine game regular season schedule, and 16-team qualifier field for all football classes in the playoffs starting in 2016. The change is a reduction from 32 teams who currently qualify for the postseason in each class.

The change to the format has been discussed by the IHSAA’s Board of Control since their April 29th meeting, which currently has fewer days rest and recovery between each game in the postseason. Receiving input from the IHSAA Representative Council, Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association (IHSADA), and Iowa Football Coaches Association, the board decided unanimously in favor of the 16-team playoff field starting during the 2016 season.

Four KCII area football teams qualified for the IHSAA playoff field in 2014, including Washington (8-4 overall), Mid-Prairie (4-6 overall), Sigourney-Keota (5-5 overall), and Winfield-Mount Union (5-5 overall). Under the new format, Washington would have been the only team to qualify for the playoffs last season.