AHSAA UPDATE: Winter, Spring alignments set for '26-27

By TIM GAYLE

The Alabama High School Athletic Association released the school alignments for the two-year period beginning in 2026-27 for the winter and spring sports.

AHSAA officials had released the new alignment for fall sports in late January, separating public and private schools into separate classifications, and included the remainder of the sports at a virtual meeting held on Friday.

Winter sports alignments included basketball, bowling, indoor track and wrestling. Spring sports alignments included tennis, golf, soccer, outdoor track & field, softball and baseball.

Many of the public school divisions followed the formula established in January with the football regions, although basketball alignments, for example, would follow smaller area alignments.

In football, Class 4A Region 4 included eight teams, while in basketball two additional non-football programs were included, splitting Area 5 (Beauregard, Elmore County, Tallassee and Valley) and Area 6 (BTW Magnet, Brew Tech, Holtville and Marbury). Charles Henderson and Greenville, part of Region 4 in football, moved to Area 3 in basketball.

The biggest changes, of course, were to the private schools that were adjusted throughout the classifications because of Competitive Balance Factor and now are in two separate private school divisions.

In 1A Private baseball and softball, four of the five Capital City Conference schools were placed, along with Prattville Christian, in Area 4 for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The fifth CCC team, Catholic, will be in 2A Private along with Glenwood, Houston Academy and Lee-Scott Academy.

Travel, as it was in the fall sports, is a major concern among the private schools. In 1A Private Area 3, for example, the five teams are Autauga Academy (Prattville), Ellwood Christian (Selma), Holy Spirit (Tuscaloosa), Pickens Academy (Carrollton) and Tuscaloosa Academy (Tuscaloosa).

The spring sports will provide the biggest adjustment for both public and private schools as the eight-year history of Competitive Balance Factor left an imprint for many of the state’s top private school programs competing in the upper classifications of several sports.

Montgomery Academy, for example, competed in Class 7A in both boys and girls soccer and boys and girls tennis. The Eagles will now be in one tennis classification (1A-2A Private) and in the smaller of two soccer classifications (1A Private).

In tennis, Class 1A-2A Private Section 3 includes Alabama Christian, Glenwood, Lee-Scott, Prattville Christian, St. James, Montgomery Academy and Trinity, with Catholic assigned to Section 2, a group of Mobile and Dothan private schools.

In soccer, Class 1A Private Area 3 includes Fort Dale Academy, St. James and Trinity, while Area 4 includes Alabama Christian, Autauga Academy, Prattville Christian and Montgomery Academy. Catholic will be in Class 2A Private Area 2 along with Glenwood, Houston Academy and Lee-Scott Academy.

The removal of private schools from soccer should open up postseason opportunities for some of the area’s soccer programs. In Class 5A, for example, the top two teams will advance to the playoffs from Area 3, which includes Park Crossing, Julian and Pike Road. In Class 6A, Area 3 includes G.W. Carver, Dothan, Enterprise and JAG.

AHSAA officials will hold their next Central Board meeting on April 15.