AISA tinkers with new classifications for upcoming seasons
Macon East coach Glynn Lott, seen here in a 2018 game, has concerns about the future of certain schools and how that might affect the upcoming season (Tim Gayle).
By TIM GAYLE
The idea behind the newly minted Alabama Independent School Association football schedule was some flexibility in its design to help schools who had trouble filling a schedule while allowing others to make their own choices.
“Basically, what they wanted was a little flexibility in the scheduling where they wanted a guaranteed number of games,” AISA athletic director Roddie Beck said. “I’ve been here 13 years and we’ve done it different ways – whether I did the entire schedule or just the region schedule -- and the last two years was just the region schedule and they tried to get everything else on their own. Well, a lot of them were not happy with that.”
The 2020 football schedule, released to the schools in early March, aligned region schools by number, then a blind draw assigned the “numbers” random opponents that helped fill the schedule before the schools were assigned their numbers by draw. Most schools have four dates to find three opponents, while a few have to find four opponents to fill five open dates.
Eleven schools will be playing in different classifications this fall. The most noteworthy changes are for Macon East Academy, which will drop from AAA to AA; Lowndes, which will drop from AA to A; and Hooper, which will rise to AAA from AA. Three notable A powerhouses – Chambers, Wilcox and Southern – all will compete in AA this year.
“We couldn’t work it out to play Lowndes or Hooper (in the four open dates),” Macon East coach Glynn Lott said. “We’ll play Success. I think we drew Evangel in the draw, if they have a team. I don’t know what this (coronavirus) is going to do to them, I don’t know what it’s going to do to us. There’s a ton of stuff that’s unknown that you can’t even plan for right now.”
The 35 schools are divided into three classifications. The 12 schools with 62 or more male students in grades eight though 11 will be in AAA; 10 schools with 44 or more male students and less than 62 will be in AA; and the 13 schools with enrollment of 24 to 43 male students will be A, with seven in Region 1 and six in Region 2.
“That’s just the history we’ve had the last few years with Class A schools not having enough players to field a team and dropping the sport,” Beck said, explaining why A had the most teams. “The reason for Class AA being smaller is they can (plays teams) from Class A or Class AAA. What the coaches were trying to stay away from was a Class A being mandated to play a Class AAA.”
A new 2020-22 classification in volleyball, which will have three classifications for the first time, will be based on female students in grades eight through 11. Classification in other sports is based on total enrollment in grades eight through 11.
Nine of the teams changed regions in the new football classification.
“We kind of went more east and west,” Beck said. “You put in all the teams from one classification and try to group them the best you can, dividing them east and west.”
Three schools that did not field a team in 2019 -- Coosa Valley Academy, Evangel Christian Academy and Snook Academy – were contacted by AISA officials and announced their intentions of fielding a team in 2020 before they were added to the classification. There are two new football-playing schools in the association as well. Valiant Cross Academy in downtown Montgomery played junior varsity football in 2019 as well as varsity basketball and is scheduled to play varsity football for the first time this fall as a AAA member.
Banks Academy, a Birmingham school founded near the site of the old Banks High School, will be adding varsity sports in the fall of 2020, giving AISA another foothold in the Birmingham area.
“I think they’re going to be a good fit for us,” Beck said. “I think that does help, adding another school from that area, because we lost Kingwood from the Alabaster area.”
None of the 35 schools were given games on Week 0 (Aug. 21), the opening week of the regular season (Aug. 28) or the final week (Oct. 30) of the regular season, leaving coaches the flexibility to fill two of those dates with games based on whether they would like to wait until Aug. 28 to open the season or have an open date on the last week of the regular season.
In addition, two or three teams are expected to be included in the Southeastern Commission of Independent Schools’ Kickoff Classic, which has been held at Cramton Bowl in its first three years and will be held at an undetermined location on Aug. 14-15.
2020-22 AISA CLASSIFICATION
CLASS A REGION 1
Coosa Valley Academy (down from AA, did not field a team in 2019)
Crenshaw Christian
Lakeside School (down from AA)
Cornerstone Christian (moved from Region 2)
Abbeville Christian
Lowndes Academy (down from AA)
Evangel Christian Academy (down from AA, did not field a team in 2019)
CLASS A REGION 2
South Choctaw Academy (down from AA)
Meadowview Christian School
Snook Academy (moved from Region 1, did not field a team in 2019)
Pickens Academy
Sparta Academy (moved from Region 1)
Jackson Academy (moved from Region 1)
CLASS AA REGION 1
Edgewood Academy
Banks Academy (new program, played eight-man in 2019)
Springwood School
Chambers Academy (up from A)
Macon East Academy (down from AAA)
CLASS AA REGION 2
Patrician Academy
Escambia Academy
Wilcox Academy (up from A)
Southern Academy (up from A)
Autauga Academy (moved from Region 1)
CLASS AAA REGION 1
Hooper Academy (up from AA)
Glenwood School
Valiant Cross Academy (new program, played junior varsity in 2019)
Success Unlimited Academy (moved from Region 2)
Lee-Scott Academy
CLASS AAA REGION 2
Tuscaloosa Academy (moved from Region 1)
Fort Dale Academy
Monroe Academy
Morgan Academy (moved from Region 1)
Clarke Prep School (up from AA)
Bessemer Academy (moved from Region 1)