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This is Part 4 in a series of articles on the first season of AHSAA Football with the private and public schools separated in region and playoff competition. We have looked at the enrollment and classifications for the private schools, the travel issues, and the fair competition questions. What other concerns do schools and coaches have as the AHSAA goes forward with the plan? One of the issues that concerned the schools playing in “AA” was the fact that only eight teams m

This is Part 3 of an examination of the AHSAA new private school classifications that will operate separately from public schools when the 2026 playoffs roll around. Now let’s look at Class AA, the private schools with the highest enrollment figures for the 2026-27 classification period. Here are a few facts about this classification. The AHSAA decided to take the 16 schools with the highest enrollment figures that play football to create this “AA” class. There are many sch

Can the schools at the bottom of Private School – A and Private School – AA, be competitive with the schools at the top? How strong will the top schools be and how weak will the bottom schools be in each classification? How competitive will the regions be for playoff spots? Enrollment numbers have always been the primary factor to determine classifications of schools by the AHSAA. For many years private schools, have been affected by two other issues- the 1.35 multiplying f

Since the late1990s, issues between public schools and private schools have threatened to separate the schools into their own divisions. It finally happened, as the AHSAA announced in late January that public and private schools would split beginning in 2026 in the playoffs. Many of the complaints from both sides have disappeared with the split. As summer workouts are starting up, it would be a good time to examine some of the issues facing the private schools as they began

For Brendt Bedsole, his career in coaching and athletics has always been about the relationships. As he enters his new job with the Alabama High School Athletic Association, he believes building on those relationships will be a critical factor in his success. Bedsole began his job as AHSAA assistant director on March 2nd. His sports responsibilities will be football, baseball, and bowling. It has been a busy few weeks as he transitioned from the high school relations and NF

The Alabama Football Coaches Association is pleased to announce the appointment of two more members to their board of directors. Filling the minority position representing north Alabama is James Clemons head football coach Juan Johnson. The 2025 season was his first at the school, coming north from Baker High School. Coach Johnson served as head coach at Baker for one season. His 2024 Hornets went 9-3, tying the school record for victories in a season. He was selected as th

The Alabama Football Coaches Association elected four new board members and selected a new vice president at the 21st annual ALFCA Convention held last month in Montgomery. Aryvia Holmes of McAdory High School was selected by the board as the new first vice president. Coach Holmes played at Midfield and was a standout receiver at Samford University. He played in the arena league for the Birmingham Steeldogs before starting his coaching career. Coach Holmes was an assistant a

The Alabama Football Coaches Association awards scholarships each year to deserving students. The students are children of football coaches, football players themselves, or students who intend on pursuing a career in the field of athletics. This year the association awarded 24 students. Five of these are honored with special scholarships that are presented at the banquet. Below are the presenting videos for the winners which were given last Saturday at the annual ALFCA Coach

The Alabama Football Coaches Association honored Ron Ingram with its Contributor Award for his 50 plus years of service to high school football in the state of Alabama. Ron was a long time sports reporter with the Birmingham News and later became Communications Director with the AHSAA. The award was presented at the annual ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet this past Saturday in Montgomery. Below is the presenting video.

The Alabama Football Coaches Association honored three of its greatest coaches this past Saturday with its coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. The Coach of the Year Banquet was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery. Congratulations to the winners - Curtis Coleman, Danny Powell and Terry Curtis. Below are the presenting videos.

The ALFCA honored seven outstanding assistant coaches at the annual ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet this past Saturday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery. Congratulations again to the winners!

The ALFCA honored seven of our best coaches at the annual ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet last Saturday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery. Below are each of the presenting videos.

The board of directors of the Alabama Football Coaches Association met Friday, December 5, 2025 at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame board room in Birmingham. This is the annual Super 7 meeting. ALFCA Executive Director Jack Wood opened the meeting by thanking those in attendance at the ALFCA Super 7 Social the night before. This annual social has always accompanied the Super 7 event whether in Birmingham, Auburn or Tuscaloosa. Next year the Super 7 event is scheduled for the f

The Alabama Football Coaches Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Assistant Coach of the Year Awards. The winners in each classification were nominated by members of the association and recommended by a Coach of the Year committee. They were then voted on by the ALFCA Board of Directors at the annual Super 7 meeting. These awards will be presented at the ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 11:15 AM. The banquet will be held at

The Alabama Football Coaches Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Coach of the Year Awards. The winners in each classification were nominated by members of the association and recommended by a Coach of the Year committee. They were then voted on by the ALFCA Board of Directors at the annual Super 7 meeting. These awards will be presented at the ALFCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 11:15 AM. The banquet will be held at the Embass

The Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football rankings with first-place votes, win-loss record, total poll points and position in last week's poll: CLASS 7A Team (first-place) W-L Pts Pvs 1. Central-Phenix City (9) 7-1 189 1 2. Thompson (8) 6-2 183 2 3. Mary Montgomery (1) 8-0 148 3 4. Vestavia Hills 5-2 111 6 5. Auburn 6-2 96 8 6. Daphne 7-1 89 9 7. Hewitt-Trussville 6-2 69 4 8. Hoover 5-3 50 10 9. Carver-Montgomery 5-2 40 7 10. Opelika 6-2 32 5 Others

How teams in the Alabama Sports Writers Association rankings fared this week: CLASS 7A 1. Central-Phenix City (7-1) beat No. 7 Carver-Montgomery 58-35 2. Thompson (6-2) beat Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 56-10 3. Mary Montgomery (8-0) beat Fairhope 28-21 4. Hewitt-Trussville (6-2) lost to Prattville 24-21 5. Opelika (6-2) lost to Enterprise 42-20 6. Vestavia Hills (5-2) beat Oak Mountain 41-0 on Thursday 7. Carver-Montgomery (5-2) lost to No. 1 Central-Phenix City 58-35 8. Auburn (6-2

Gunner Rivers of St. Michael's Thanks to David Holtsford of the AHSAA for this article St. Michael snaps Jackson Streak with 49-39 Win...