Prattville Placed in 6A for Winter, Spring Sports Under New AHSAA Alignments

Prattville High School will compete in Class 6A groupings across multiple winter and spring sports for the next two years after the Alabama High School Athletic Association's Central Board of Control unanimously approved the 2026-2028 alignments during a virtual meeting on March 13.

The classifications, which govern competition through the 2027-28 school year, cover winter sports including basketball, bowling, indoor track and wrestling, and spring sports including tennis, golf, soccer, outdoor track and field, softball and baseball. The AHSAA posted the full alignment data online the same day by 2 p.m., with complete school-by-school listings available in the AHSAA Sports Book.

Under AHSAA rules, reclassification occurs every two years. The board based the new groupings on the number of schools declaring participation in each sport and on student enrollment numbers released in January. Public schools were placed in six classifications; independent schools were placed in two.

For private schools in the River Region, travel remains a pressing concern. In Class 1A Private baseball and softball, four of the five Capital City Conference schools, along with Prattville Christian, were placed in Area 4 for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The fifth Capital City Conference team, Catholic, landed in Class 2A Private Area 2 alongside Glenwood, Houston Academy and Lee-Scott Academy. The geographic spread is illustrated by the 1A Private Area 3 baseball and softball grouping, which pairs Autauga Academy of Prattville with Ellwood Christian of Selma, Holy Spirit of Tuscaloosa, Pickens Academy of Carrollton and Tuscaloosa Academy.

In soccer, Autauga Academy and Prattville Christian both landed in Class 1A Private Area 4 alongside Alabama Christian and Montgomery Academy. The separation of private schools from the public soccer brackets could benefit several public programs chasing playoff berths. In Class 5A Area 3, which includes Park Crossing, Julian and Pike Road, the top two finishers advance to the postseason.

The March 13 meeting also addressed two potential rule changes for basketball. Executive Director Heath Harmon presented a detailed report on implementing a shot clock for varsity basketball, and the board agreed to study the proposal before voting on it at the April meeting. The board also agreed to revisit a mercy rule discussion for basketball at the same meeting. Additionally, the CBOC approved three new independent schools for the 2026-27 school year: Hope Christian of Oxford, Snook Christian of Foley and Kingdom Heights of Huntsville, all placed in the Independent Schools Class A classification.

The AHSAA's next Central Board of Control meeting is scheduled for April 15.