The First Season of AHSAA Private School Play - Part 4

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 make the playoffs. With only two 8-team regions, half of the schools in each one qualify for the postseason. This means that instead of three rounds of playoffs plus the championships in Mobile, there are only two rounds.

Some of the private schools in “AA” have proposed taking that number to 12 and giving the top two teams in each region byes in the first round. This would give “AA” the same number of rounds as “A”.

Historically in most sports, playoffs within the AHSAA have included 50% of the teams to make the playoffs.

There have also been some discussions about some of the larger “AA” schools returning to play with the public schools in the future. In such a proposal, the schools would agree to the 1.35 multiplier as well the competitive balance formula. All the other private schools could join “A” schools to form one private school classification. The added schools in that classification would help with travel, competition, etc.

The AHSAA now has a private school advisory committee that meets periodically with AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon. When reclassification come up for the 2028-2029 seasons, there will be more information available to everyone involved concerning travel, costs, competition and playoffs in football.  After two years of competition, what will be the recommendations of this committee moving forward?

There is another question that has been raised during all the discussions from the last reclassification period. Will the slow trickle of schools from the AISA that has occurred within the AHSAA over the last 15 years continue?

Before the 2024 season, both Lee Scott Academy out of Auburn and Glenwood Academy from Phenix City left the AISA to join the AHSAA. Both were two of the biggest schools in the AISA association. For the 2026 season, Fort Dale Academy in Greenville joined the AHSAA, leaving the AISA. It was also one of the bigger schools left in the association. Is it possible that eventually the AISA association and some of private schools in the AHSAA could join together under one flagship?

We also need to remember that many states have been dealing with the same public/private issues for several years as we have in Alabama. Some of these states divided the two in the past. All the high school athletic associations stay in contact with each other. The AHSAA is aware of some of the public/private issues after separating in other states, will have researched the ideas and strategies that these states used and how successful they may or may not have been.

For the time being, it is time to prepare for the 2026 season and see what is going to be the good and bad as the AHSAA private schools venture out on their own this fall for the first time.