Riverhead football game against Walt Whitman moved to 9:30 a.m. Saturday

Brew an early pot of coffee Saturday.

The Walt Whitman-Riverhead high school football game Saturday at Coach Mike McKillop Memorial Field in Riverhead will get off to an earlier start than usual. Kickoff time is set for 9:30 a.m. Riverhead coach Ed Grassman said the early start is a result of a referee shortage.

Whitman sits in fifth place in Suffolk County Division I with a 3-2 record and 112.000 power-rating points. Riverhead is ninth at 2-3 and 94.200 power-rating points.

The Blue Waves have dropped their last two games, most recently 48-0 against Ward Melville.

Riverhead’s final home game of the year is Sept. 22 against Brentwood and will start at 1:30 p.m. That game will be homecoming and be preceded by the annual parade through downtown.