BREAKING NEWS: AHSAA announces new alignments
By By Scot Beard
Football and Basketball fans in Franklin County will get to see some new opponents during the 2010-12 seasons thanks to the reclassification by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
The AHSAA, which reclassifies schools every two years to assure teams are playing other teams with similar enrollments, released the new regions and areas Wednesday morning.
None of the schools in Franklin County changed classifications, but all of them have new region and area opponents.
The new football regions have quite a bit of change.
In Class 1A, Tharptown and Vina will compete in Region 8, which has a total of eight teams. In addition to the Red Devils and Wildcats, Region 8 includes Addison, Hackleburg, R.A. Hubbard, Phillips, Shoals Christian and Waterloo.
None of the six teams in Class 1A, Region 8 this season have been moved to other regions or Classes.
Phil Campbell and Red Bay will play in Class 2A, Region 8 along with Cherokee, Colbert Heights, Hatton, Lamar County, Lexington and Sulligent.
There are three teams leaving the current 2A, Region 8 – Tanner and Westminster Christian Academy are moving to 2A, Region 7 and Clements is moving to 3A, Region 8.
In class 5A, Russellville is losing one of its long time rivals.
The Golden Tigers' new region includes Athens, Columbia, East Limestone, J.O. Johnson, Lawrence County, Lee-Huntsville and Muscle Shoals.
Two of the current Region 8 teams are gone. Hartselle has been moved to 5A, Region 6 and Butler will move to 4A, Region 7.
The Basketball alignments have also changed.
Belgreen, Tharptown and Vina will compete in 1A, Area 13 along with Hackleburg and Phillips in a five-team area.
Phil Campbell and Red Bay are moving from their current five-team area to a four-team area. The Bobcats and Tigers will compete in 2A, Area 12 along with Lamar County and Sulligent.
Russellville will compete in 5A, Area 16 with Athens, Lawrence County and Muscle Shoals.
The new alignments will take place at the start of the 2010-11 school year and expire at the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year.
