Plenty of questions as the AHSAA's Central Board decides to split private schools away from their public school counterparts in championship play beginning in the fall.
UMS-Wright head coach Terry Curtis and the Bulldogs prepare to play T.R. Miller in a prep football game Friday, September 27, 2024, in Mobile, Ala. There has been pretty consistent talk over the last three decades about splitting private schools from public schools in championship play – or “restructuring championship pathways,” as AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon termed it Friday.
I know I didn’t want it to happen either in my professional role as a journalist or as a parent of a 14-year-old, private-school football player.to break AHSAA private school members into their own brackets for championship play. Beginning in the fall for football, there will be six public school classifications and two private school classifications. Public and private schools can play each other in the regular season, if they are willing to do so. Curtis, who graduated from a public school and coached in public school before cementing his Hall of Fame resume at UMS-Wright, said he has lost a lot of sleep on the issue in recent weeks. “Every time I would wake up, it would be on my mind as far as how to do it,” he said. “Was I looking at it the wrong way? Was I looking at it in a bad light? I just never could come to the conclusion that it was time to restructure. I just voted on what I thought was best at this time. I know at UMS, we enjoy going to Vigor. We enjoy the relationship and the rivalry with Andalusia. Back in the day, we enjoyed playing Thomasville and Jackson and playing those games. I’m afraid now you are not going to see a lot of that. It’s going to end up being privates playing privates. I worry about filling out a schedule.”“Change is not bad,” she said. “I think this is a great opportunity to provide more opportunities for our student-athletes. At the end of the day, this is a two-year deal. We want to hear from our member schools. We want to get feedback. In two years, who knows what happens, but I think this is a really good start, and I’m really excited about the future.”As you would expect, everyone doesn’t agree with the decision. Our AL.com informal polls in recent weeks have shown the majority of coaches and fans preferred the teams to stay unified, though those polls did not show an overwhelming margin. In a social media post, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth called the move “punitive, wrong and just plain hateful.” Birmingham Stallions coach and former Alabama star AJ McCarron, who led St. Paul’s to the 2007 Class 5A state championship, said it was a “terrible look for our state.” Those are both extreme takes obviously. I would certainly trust AJ’s opinion as a former private-school football player over Ainsworth’s at this point. I don’t think it’s an overreach to say that, were it not for There are major questions to be answered still: How will public and private schools handle possibly more extensive travel? Although they are allowed to play in the regular season, will public schools indeed opt to play private schools if they don’t have to? Curtis clearly has his doubts. What will the high school football championships look like in their first trip to Mobile this coming December? The Central Board already voted to transition from a three-day event to a four-day event at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium. However, now you are going from nine championship games in a week to 12 championships . Maybe the biggest question of all is will the private schools want to remain a part of the AHSAA or might they voyage out at some point into their own league?It’s a new world and, so far, I’m not a fan. The travel possibilities are a serious concern. More than that, the championship play, especially at the lower levels, will be diluted, and that isn’t just in football. Will we lose age-old rivalries like the football “Battle for the Cannon” between Mobile neighbors Murphy and McGill-Toolen? I’m not going to blame Harmon or the Central Board. The pressure has to be immense in this situation, and it likely was a lose-lose choice. No way to make everyone happy.Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.Alabama high school volleyball: See the new 1A, 2A, 3A lineups after public, private-school splitAlabama high school volleyball: Here’s new 5A lineup after public, private-school splitBen Thomas Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer for AL.com, responsible for prep coverage throughout the state of Alabama. He has been named one of the 50 Legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association and...
This Week In HS Sports Reclass2026 @Sub-Group-C @Sub-Group-B @Subscriberexclusive Section:/Highschoolsports
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Orange Vader' was Denver7 Sports Fan of the Week 10 years ago before AFC ChampionshipEmmy-winning Sports Director Lionel Bienvenu has been at Denver7 since 2001.
Read more »
Trump to meet with MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL commissioners over America 250 plansThe developments come as the White House has spurred sports-friendly initiatives to honor the semiquincentennial.
Read more »
Sophie Turner to Play Lara Croft in Amazon's Tomb Raider SeriesAnthony Jadus is a New York-based entertainment writer covering film, television, sports, and performance culture.
Read more »
Ubisoft Announces Major Restructuring, Cancels Five Projects and Delays Seven GamesUbisoft initiates a major restructuring, leading to the cancellation of five projects and delaying seven others, with potential impacts on future game releases and studio operations.
Read more »
AHSAA undergoes “competitive restructuring,” private and public schools split for championshipsFull structuring of the new classifications for postseason play and tiebreakers are expected to be announced at future meetings, according to the association.
Read more »
Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paul Craft Resigns Amidst Board RestructuringOhio Superintendent Paul Craft is resigning after two years in office, citing legislative changes that have reduced the scope of the Ohio State Board of Education. The departure comes as the state's education oversight undergoes a significant restructuring, with a new department and a smaller board. Legal challenges surround the changes.
Read more »