Mobile Christian moves to 4A, Gulf Shores joins Saraland in 6A Region 1
Mobile Christian players lift the Blue Map after winning the Class 3A state championship on Dec. 7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Leopards have moved up to Class 4A for the next two seasons. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
Staff Report
Defending state champions Mobile Christian and Gulf Shores moved up in class for football in the 2024-2026 cycle, the Alabama High School Athletic Association announced Monday.
The Leopards moved up from Class 3A Region 1 to 4A Region 1 and the Dolphins moved from 5A Region 1 to 6A Region 1, where they joined what might be the toughest football region in the state with six other state champs, including Saraland, Spanish Fort, Blount, McGill-Toolen, Murphy and St. Paul’s.
Mobile Christian will compete with perennial power Jackson in 4A Region 1.
The biggest development in Class 1A was 11-time state champion Sweet Water moving into Region 1 to compete with seven-time state champion Leroy and Millry. Sweet Water was in Region 3.
“We feel confident where we’re at,” AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs said. “Competitive balance did everything it was supposed to do. We got it as close to perfect as we could get it, just as fair as we could get it.”
The AHSAA’s Central Board reclassifies schools every two years based on the average daily enrollment from grades 9-11 for the first 20 school days after Labor Day.
All football regions include a minimum of seven teams in the 2024-26 reclassification.
The winter and spring sports reclassifications will be announced at the conclusion of those seasons.
Hoover High is the state’s largest school for classification purposes with 2,222 students. Baker is fourth at 1,809.20 and Mary G. Montgomery 13th at 1,453.70, according to the AHSAA.
In 6A, Murphy is 15th (942.85), Theodore 17th (927.2) and Saraland 21st(884.45).
Satsuma is the largest 4A school (377.3) and Clarke County is the biggest 2A school (208.5).
The new regions for football announced Monday are as follows:
1A REGION 1
Leroy
Sweet Water
Southern Choctaw
Millry
Fruitdale
McIntosh
Marengo
J.F. Shields
2A REGION 1
Chickasaw
St. Luke’s
Clarke County
Washington County
Bayshore Christian
Central-Hayneville
J.U. Blacksher
3A REGION 1
Cottage Hill Christian
T.R. Miller
Hillcrest-Evergreen
Monroe County
Bayside Academy
Excel
Flomaton
3A REGION 3
Thomasville
Dallas County
Greensboro
Prattville Christian
Southside
Sumter-Central
Thorsby
Wilcox-Central
4A REGION 1
Mobile Christian
Jackson
St. Michael
Orange Beach
Satsuma
Escambia County
W.S. Neal
5A REGION 1
Citronelle
B.C. Rain
Elberta
Faith Academy
LeFlore
UMS-Wright
Vigor
Williamson
6A REGION 1
Saraland
Spanish Fort
Baldwin County
Gulf Shores
Blount
McGill-Toolen
Murphy
St. Paul’s
Theodore
7A REGION 1
Mary G. Montgomery
Alma Bryant
Baker
Daphne
Davidson
Fairhope
Foley
Robertsdale
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