The AISA has released new classifications for 2018-2020, with Fort Dale unmoved from AAA region 2 but facing a few new challengers.

The football classifications are as follows: Fort Dale Academy, Macon East Academy, Monroe Academy, Northside Methodist Academy, Pike Liberal Arts School, and Success Unlimited Academy.

Macon East were moved from AA to AAA, while Success Unlimited is a school just arriving to compete in the AISA. Hooper was moved to AA, while Morgan Academy were moved to AAA region 1.

Fort Dale football coach James “Speed” Sampley explained that the AISA schedules each school’s regional games and the school schedules non-regional games.

Sampley said the shake-up of regions “is what it is… we’ll go on with it and see what happens,” referencing the biggest change as, “Morgan is no longer in our region… I don’t know if that has ever happened.”

In baseball, basketball, and softball, the new AAA region 2 consists of Bessemer Academy, Fort Dale Academy, Kingwood Christian Academy, Morgan Academy, Russell Christian Academy, Success Unlimited Academy, and Tuscaloosa Academy, with “areas to be approved at the next [AISA] committee meeting,” according to information from the AISA.

Previously, Fort Dale was in Region 2 with Hooper, Monroe, and Morgan.

For basketball, “the AISA will eliminate the regional tournament… the way it has been done,” said Sampley.

“It’s very difficult for everybody to find a place to play with 7 or 8 teams,” said Sampley, explaining the further division of the larger regions into areas.

Sampley elaborated that the large region tournaments kept some players and fans out of school for up to 3 days, forced to travel across the state daily.

For volleyball, Fort Dale are in region 1, area 1 of AA, alongside Edgewood, Glenwood, Lee Scott, and Success Unlimited.

In cheerleading clinics, Fort Dale are in AAA region 2 with Macon East, Monroe, Northside Methodist, Pike Liberal Arts, and Success Unlimited.