State realigns regions

By Staff
Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle may lose at least one and possibly more of its traditional football rivals from its schedule next fall after the Alabama High School Athletic Association announced its football alignments for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Hartselle’s new Region 8 alignment will include J.O. Johnson, Lee, Butler, Russellville, Athens, East Limestone and Muscle Shoals.
Decatur moved up to Class 6A and was replaced in the region by East Limestone, who will be jumping from Class 4A to 5A next fall.
Lee and Butler will also be newcomers to Region 8.
Brewer and Cullman will be part of the nine-team Region 6 in Class 5A, while Austin and Decatur will be in the nine-team Region 8 alignment in Class 6A. That could pose scheduling problems for Hartselle, who must now find spots for the four teams in just three non-region dates.
Additionally, all four of those rivals will be forced to drop one non-region game for the next two seasons.
But schools aren’t ready to give up their traditional rivals, the games that usually bring in the biggest gates.
The new classifications were based on Average Daily Membership figures that were compiled by the State Department of Education for grades 10-12 and ninth grade holdbacks.
The current two-year classification period ends with the 2007-08 school year. The new classifications and regional alignments will take effect next fall.
Hartselle wasn’t the only Morgan County school forced to make some schedule changes for next fall.
Priceville, Brewer, Falkville and Danville must also face some upcoming changes as well.
Class 4A, Region 7
Priceville will face two of the state’s top Class 4A football programs in Region 7 next year, along with several new teams.
The Region 7 lineup will feature powers North Jackson and Guntersville, along with Priceville, Columbia, DAR, Douglas, Fairview and Plainview.
Several teams were moved out of Region 7, including Ardmore, East Lawrence and East Limestone.
Douglas, Fairview, Guntersville and Plainview are all new to the Region 7 lineup.
Non-region games for teams in Class 4A’s Region 7 will remain the first, fifth and 10th weeks of the season.
Class 5A, Region 6
At first glance, Brewer might have been relieved to be moved from the brutal Region 8 lineup, but the Patriots will face a nine-team region next fall in Class 5A’s Region 6.
Brewer and Pleasant Grove will join current Region 6 members Cullman, Curry, Erwin, Hayden, Mortimer Jordan, Springville and Walker when the season kicks off next year.
Region 6 will have nine football schools in its lineup, meaning teams will have just two non-region games next fall.
Regions with nine schools will have week 10 designated for non-region games and will draw for the other week to schedule a non-region opponent.
Class 2A, Region 6
Falkville will move to Region 6 in Class 2A, leaving behind Region 5.
Cleveland and Cold Springs, also members of Region 5, will also move to the new region alignment.
The new region will also include Addison and Winston County, both former members of the Region 8 lineup.
Oakman will join the region after spending the past two years in Region 4. In addition, Sulligent moves up from Class 1A to join Region 8, while Lamar County will drop from 3A to join the region.
Class 3A, Region 6
Danville and fellow Region 7 members Good Hope, Hanceville and Vinemont will move to Region 6 next fall.
Also moving into the region will be two schools who are changing classifications next year. Hamilton is dropping from Class 4A to 3A, while J.B. Pennington will step up from 2A.
Winfield and Carbon Hill will also join Region 6 after being in Region 4 the past two seasons.