KSL Sports adds to Utah high school football with more streaming, over-the-air TV broadcasts
Aug 7, 2026, 11:41 AM | Updated: 10:03 pm
KAYSVILLE — Another season of Utah high school football is on the horizon, and Game Night Live and KSL Sports Rewind are preparing for the biggest season yet on the prep gridiron.
Game Night Live will broadcast games every Thursday and Friday on KSL 5.3 (over the air and Comcast cable), while also streaming on sports.ksl.com and the KSL Sports app, under an extended partnership with the Utah High School Activities Association. The action kicks off Thursday, Aug. 13 when Skyline — led by new head coach Brandon Matich — hosts Stansbury, and Wasatch hosts Cedar in 4A.
Then it’s off to a loaded opening week of the season, headlined by Fremont hosting rival Weber on Game Night Live, Herriman hosting Bountiful, and Davis hosting defending 6A champion Corner Canyon in Casey Sutera’s debut with the Chargers.
KSL Sports is also the exclusive TV home for all UHSAA championship events, from football to basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, state drill and more.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer. I have a strong belief that KSL Sports and the high school sports go hand-in-hand,” UHSAA executive director Ryan Bishop told KSL’s Game Night Live during the schedule reveal show at Davis High. “I know me, being a principal the last several years, it was synonymous with our teams to be able to stream and watch during the school day.
“So this was a no-brainer to me, and I appreciate the opportunity in providing a platform for people to consume high school activities and sports in multiple different ways.”
Bishop also revealed a few changes to the UHSAA calendar for the 2026-27 academic year, including a 16-team playoff bracket across all classifications and a 44-point mercy rule in effect any time in the fourth quarter.
“This is really listening to our principals and our executive committee,” said Bishop, who also gave credit to assistant director Brenan Jackson. “The bottom line is that is starts to get watered down a little bit, and when you get to the end of a long season and you’re a really high seed going to play a low seed on the road, there are principals who want to get back to playing for something during the region season. And now with the RPI, every game counts — and not just region games.
“We’ll see how it goes, and we’ll take feedback,” he added. “If we need to tweak it again, we will. We’re not afraid to listen and make those changes.”
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Here’s what is new in 2026:
- Thursday night games every week, one live and one tape-delayed on KSL 5.3, with continued streaming on the KSL Sports and KSL+ apps
- Friday night tailgate show live on the KSL Sports Zone (1280 AM, 97.5 FM)
- Game Night Live every Friday night on KSL 5.3
- KSL Sports is now the exclusive championship TV and streaming partner of the UHSAA
- Championship coverage for all boys and girls sports across all classifications
- New 16-team playoff brackets across all classifications
- New 44-point mercy rule to end games any time in the fourth quarter
- Flex scheduling in Week 10 to allow for potential region title matchups
- Tape-delayed replays airing all weekend
“High school activities is the most pure form of competition on the planet,” Bishop said. “As I’ve had an opportunity to meet with executive directors from across the nation this summer, it was evident to me that there are a lot of outside forces trickling down into high school activities. But so much of it is still for the love of the game, and that will never be replaced.”
