AISA championships to stay in Montgomery.... for now
The AISA state football championships return to Cramton Bowl in November and will stay for at least three more years. (File Photo)
By TIM GAYLE
The Alabama Independent School Association renewed its contracts with city officials to hold its championship events in football at Cramton Bowl and in volleyball and basketball at the adjacent Multiplex, while withholding baseball and softball contracts until a later date.
The three football championships were scheduled for Troy but were moved to Montgomery in 2020 and 2021 because the Trojans had scheduling conflicts connected with their regular-season games after new COVID protocols were implemented. The city of Montgomery, which has locker rooms both in the stadium and in the adjacent Multiplex, was able to sanitize one group of locker rooms while utilizing another set.
“We’ve always enjoyed working with (Cramton Bowl facilities director) Murray (Wilson) and the great staff of the city of Montgomery,” AISA executive director Michael McLendon said. “We’ve had some great conversations with (parks and recreation director) David (Card) and are excited about the opportunity.
“Our fans and our coaches and players have enjoyed being in the facility the last couple of years due to COVID. The locker room transitions are smooth and we’re able to properly clean and sanitize them before games.”
The new three-year deal extends through the 2024 season and AISA officials originally planned to return to Troy, then opened a discussion about other facilities in the state as COVID protocols continue to affect some decisions.
“We did casually talk about other options and what’s out there,” McLendon said. “But Cramton Bowl, for us, is (ideal). The parking and the locker room situation is a big deal. And then you throw on top of that the relationship we have with Murray and the staff there and how easy they are to work with, it makes (the decision) really easy.
The 2022 AISA football championships will be played on Nov. 17 with the Class A finals at noon, the AA finals at 3:30 p.m. and the AAA finals at 7 p.m.
Contracts in all sports except for softball and baseball were renewed with the basketball and volleyball returning to the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl and track returning to Gulf Shores.
The basketball contract required a little work as AISA officials plan to extend the basketball season and move the quarterfinal matchups to campus sites. In the past, the quarterfinal games were played at another neutral site -- for several years at Faulkner University or Huntingdon College -- before finishing the state tournament a week later with semifinals and finals at Huntingdon College. When the event moved to the Multiplex, the event developed into a week-long event that included the quarterfinals.
“We’re only going to host the Final Four and the championships in Montgomery,” McLendon said, “with the idea that the schools can create a good strong atmosphere in a smaller gym for the Elite Eight. We’re going to try that. Some of our folks have asked for that. We’re going to give it a shot, but leave it open to transition back (to the Elite Eight and Final Four all in the same week at the Multiplex) if it doesn’t work out.”
The two sides signed a three-year deal, leaving available dates to play the quarterfinals at the Multiplex in years two and three of the contract.
“We have some challenges there,” McLendon said of moving the quarterfinals to campus sites. “We’ll have some stipulations on the home team. They’ll have to have a facility capable of hosting an Elite Eight-type event.”
The 2023 AISA semifinals and finals are set for Wednesday, Feb. 8-Friday, Feb. 10 at the Multiplex. The boys’ semifinals will be played on one day, the girls’ semifinals will be played on another day and the six boys’ and girls’ finals will be held on Feb. 10.
The Baseball and softball contracts have not been signed, McLendon said, because AISA officials are looking at ways to modify both championship events, which could affect their locations.
“We’re looking at state tournament format changes,” McLendon said.
According to the association’s web site, the softball championships will be held on May 4-6 at Lagoon Park and the baseball championships will be held on May 9-11 at Paterson Field, but those are merely tentative dates based on the past championship format for both sports.