EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) -- As the temperatures are leveling out in the mid 90's this week, high school athletic officials are adjusting the game plan because of the heat. Several of the students are having to make changes after delays and even having practices and games canceled because of it. Now, the Effingham School District is changing their sports schedule because of the blistering heat.
WEATHER NOW: Dog Days of September ongoing, with a small pop-up storm chance The district said when temps are this high, they use a scale created by the Illinois High School Association, showing when it is safe for students to play. Officials say that 30 minutes before and after a practice or game, temperatures are recorded on the field. The IHSA said there are four tiers of how much exercise someone can do in the heat, depending on the temperature. The zones include green, yellow, red and orange, and they range from 79.9 to 89.9 for wet bulb measurements. "This is a wet bulb thermometer. So we use that to, understand how the, the climate is going to affect kids whenever they're participating in sports. It takes into account different readings, such as the temperature in the air, the humidity, the wind speed and the direct sunlight, and calculates that all together and gives us different data that we can look at and numbers," said Effingham athletic trainer Troy Vanblaricum. The schedule is finalized until Thursday evening, and he will be meeting with school officials to determine next steps.
Cooling centers open to help Central Illinois residents beat the heat For more information, here is a statement from Vince Rohr, the Effingham Athletic on what's next:
Due to heat concerns, all Unit #40 outdoor athletic facilities will be closed until 7:00 PM each night from Tuesday, September 1 through Friday, September 4. Effingham Athletics and our coaching staffs have made adjustments to practice schedules, times, and/or locations this week to accommodate the heat and, most importantly, keep our athletes safe. All changes to practices and games have been updated in Eventlink. Please be mindful that schedules may continue to change as conditions and forecasts are monitored. Additional updates will be sent out as decisions are made.
Game, Meet & Match Adjustments Tuesday, September 1
JV Boys Golf @ Cardinal – CANCELLED HS Soccer vs. Mahomet-Seymour – POSTPONED; makeup date TBD HS Girls Tennis vs. Mattoon – Start time adjusted from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM JH Baseball vs. Taylorville – POSTPONED; potentially moving to Saturday, September 5 JH Softball @ Vandalia – Start time adjusted from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Wednesday, September 2
HS Girls Golf @ Charleston – CANCELLED HS Soccer vs. St. Anthony – Start time adjusted from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM; Varsity only
Thursday, September 3
HS Cross Country @ Ballard Nature Center, Altamont – CANCELLED HS Soccer @ Vandalia – Start time adjusted from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM; location moved to Effingham; Varsity only JH Softball vs. Taylorville – POSTPONED; potentially moving to Saturday, September 5 JH Baseball @ Charleston – Start time adjusted from 4:15 PM to 7:00 PM
Friday, September 4
JH Cross Country @ Granite City – POSTPONED; makeup date September 21 JH Softball @ St. Anthony – Start time adjusted to 7:00 PM; location moved to Effingham JH Baseball vs. Dieterich – Start time potentially adjusted to 7:00 PM and location moved to EPD Field At this time, HS Football @ Breese Mater Dei will resume as scheduled
Please continue to check Eventlink for the most current schedule information. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and understanding as we work through the heat this week and prioritize the safety of our student-athletes. https://archive.ihsa.org/documents/sportsMedicine/current/Managing%20Heat%20and%20Heat%20Illness.pdf {Managing heat pdf} Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.