Alabama High School question

[Alabama Larry in Ky]

Here in Louisville football is very popular with the High Schools. We have two sides the Publics and the Privates/Catholic schools. The fans of these two systems do not get along and have some very heated debates. Some one asked me what was the programs like for the Alabama High schools.

First I'll explain a few things. In Louisville the main program is 6A with smaller schools down to 4A. The private schools get kids from 13 surrounding counties where the publics are restricted to just the County from Louisville. There are a lot more issues but I don't want to lose you.

There are some questions that I couldn't answer.

Here the last 30 years the two major private school powers have won the state title 25 times. In Alabama do the privates compete with the Publics for the state title?

Is there private schools in the smaller areas or how many private schools are in the major cites in Alabama?

What are some of the major power schools in Bama beside Hoover?

Is there allowed recruiting for kids in the 7th/8th/ 9th grades?

Can kids get into a private school if they can't afford it?

If someone donates money to a public school to help the program is the money also made to go to the other female sports. You ought to see the stadiums at Trinity and Saint Xavier. Huge stands/college like turfs/lockerrooms like a college's.

I'm a suporter for the public system and just got banned off a local site for having some words with a private guy. 25 out of 30 years...level playing field doesn't happen in Louisville.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Same crap happens here in Shreveport, La. Evangel Christian Academy is a private school. They do not have "boundaries" to where they are limited to get their kids from.

They also have (or used to have, don't know if they still do) the "one plus" program or something like that. The parents would purposely hold the kid back in the eight grade and basically the kid would be 19 years old as a senior. Evangel has won like 10 or state championships in the last fifteen years.

There's been so many heated arguments over this topic it's pitiful. I think if they aren't going to be subject to "district lines" like all the public schools then they need to play private schools only.

 

[AdamMc2003]

hasn't Tennessee split public and private schools? I think here in Alabama private schools must move up a few A's, correct? like if its a 2A private school they must play in 4A, isn't that correct?

either way, I think they should be separate... if I can come into an area and recruit, I would be expected to be better than the surrounding schools who can't, of course people who support Private Schools will see it from the other side of the fence, but I think public schools should play public schools and private schools should play private schools, at least in the playoffs...

As far as the "plus one" system, I know of a local powerhouse(who is public) who has perfected that method, if a kid shows potential on the pee wee or junior high level, they'll get "held back" a year... Of course the ring leader in that operation no longer coaches in the area and is a coordinator somewhere(and he is a pretty highly thought of coach in Alabama High School Football), but I'm not here to put fingers and call names... I will just say there are dirty programs from 1A to 6A, private and public alike...

 

[BAMA1979]

hasn't Tennessee split public and private schools? I think here in Alabama private schools must move up a few A's, correct? like if its a 2A private school they must play in 4A, isn't that correct?either way, I think they should be separate... if I can come into an area and recruit, I would be expected to be better than the surrounding schools who can't, of course people who support Private Schools will see it from the other side of the fence, but I think public schools should play public schools and private schools should play private schools, at least in the playoffs...

As far as the "plus one" system, I know of a local powerhouse(who is public) who has perfected that method, if a kid shows potential on the pee wee or junior high level, they'll get "held back" a year... Of course the ring leader in that operation no longer coaches in the area and is a coordinator somewhere(and he is a pretty highly thought of coach in Alabama High School Football), but I'm not here to put fingers and call names... I will just say there are dirty programs from 1A to 6A, private and public alike...

I don't have the exact numbers, but I think each private school student counts as more than one student(i.e. 1 public school student=1 1/3 private school students or something close to that). The way the students are counted means that most private schools are forced to move up one classification.

 

[CHATTBRIT]

Yes, Tennessee has split them because the private schools were "recruiting" the best athletes and giving them schollies and then beating the pants off the county schools. The private/church schools are in Division II and all public schools are Division I. They have separate championships.

 

[bamanut_aj]

Yes, Tennessee has split them because the private schools were "recruiting" the best athletes and giving them schollies and then beating the pants off the county schools. The private/church schools are in Division II and all public schools are Division I. They have separate championships.

I'd like to figure out how all of that works. For instance, David Lipscomb is private, they play in 3A against public schools.

 

[Hoot30]

hasn't Tennessee split public and private schools? I think here in Alabama private schools must move up a few A's, correct? like if its a 2A private school they must play in 4A, isn't that correct?

There is only one high school athletic association in TN. TSSAA has Division I and II. Div. I, A through 5A is where all the public schools compete. Div. I, however, is not restricted to public schools. Many private schools here are classified in Div. I, if they do not award financial aid to varsity athletes. Div. II is for schools that do award financial aid to varsity athletes. I think all schools in TSSAA can play each other in the reg. season (Div. I can play Div. II schools).

Doesn't the AHSAA count 1 student of each private school in that assoc. as 1.35 of a person? That's when you saw schools like Briarwood move up from 3A to 5A in one year, I think.

 

[bamanut_aj]

There is only one high school athletic association in TN. TSSAA has Division I and II. Div. I, A through 5A is where all the public schools compete. Div. I, however, is not restricted to public schools. Many private schools here are classified in Div. I, if they do not award financial aid to varsity athletes. Div. II is for schools that do award financial aid to varsity athletes. I think all schools in TSSAA can play each other in the reg. season (Div. I can play Div. II schools).

Doesn't the AHSAA count 1 student of each private school in that assoc. as 1.35 of a person? That's when you saw schools like Briarwood move up from 3A to 5A in one year, I think.

thanks! That's kinda how I thought it was set up.

 

[J.Will]

I just know my Alma Mater (Briarwood Christian) kicks butt every year while playing two classifications above what they should be playing. This started the year after I graduated. I think we won the State Championship game like 63-17? Coach Yancey was actually telling the backs to find the biggest pile and run into it. After that year, all students enrolled in a private school counted as 1 and 1/3 a student.

That was also the year both Jennifer Lewis and Cat Whitehill nee Reddick were on the girls soccer team and we beat schools like Mountain Brook and Vestavia 10-nil

 

[jrock44]

Tennessee has a 1.8 multiplier rule. Each student in a private school counts as 1.8 students. It has made a big difference in football, but the other schools that were powerhouses in other sports have continued to compete at the higher classification. We are only in the third year of this so still little early to tell. I personally think football will eventually adjust and those schools will return to prominence (sp).

The explaination of Div 1 / Div 2 above was spot on. (no scholly / scholly)

 

[Alabama Larry in Ky]

Thanks everyone. I've already shared your info. Does anyone know if Alabama has a seperate championship between the Pubs and Privates?

Do the kids go to school in their home area? This is for the bigger cities.

Do the 8th grade players get schlorships to attend a private, or is it a behind the scene thing?

 

[Hoot30]

Does anyone know if Alabama has a seperate championship between the Pubs and Privates?

Yes. The Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) sanctions sports for those private schools not competing in AHSAA. Also, AISA schools and AHSAA schools are not allowed to play each other in any sport. Not sure if that is still the rule, though.

 

[RTR91]

To answer your question about the power schools besides Hoover.... Prattville (where I attend) finished #2 in the USA Today poll after going back-to-back. The team is going to play in the Herbstreit Classic against Saint Xavier (unfortunately for me it is also the same night as the Clemson game so I will have to flip back and forth). Our head coach just left (around a month ago) to be DC at South Alabama, so there is some doubt around town about how we will be.

I hope I answered your question, and I hope I didn't come across as a boastful person. I was just trying to give reasons to why PHS would be considered a power school.

 

[AIDT]

Tennessee has a 1.8 multiplier rule. Each student in a private school counts as 1.8 students. It has made a big difference in football, but the other schools that were powerhouses in other sports have continued to compete at the higher classification. We are only in the third year of this so still little early to tell. I personally think football will eventually adjust and those schools will return to prominence (sp).

The explaination of Div 1 / Div 2 above was spot on. (no scholly / scholly)

This put a hurt on USJ when they had to move up to 2-A. They were so used to playing the little 1-A schools. On top of that, they are now in one of the toughest regions in the state. I enjoyed it at first. Finally watching them get a taste of their own medicine, but now I don't care. I'm a NorthSide grad, so we've got our own problems!

 

[bamabaseballfan]

Yes. The Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) sanctions sports for those private schools not competing in AHSAA. Also, AISA schools and AHSAA schools are not allowed to play each other in any sport. Not sure if that is still the rule, though.

It is still the rule.