By Joshua Huff, sports editor
BIRMINGHAM — The AHSAA reclassification period continued on Monday as the central board approved the winter sports realignment that will impact the upcoming 2020-21 season.
The sports experiencing the changes are bowling, wrestling, basketball and indoor track and field.
Bowling has now expanded to two divisions instead of just one. The rising popularity of the sport and the increase in schools participating has pushed the AHSAA to create two divisions for championship play: Class 1A-5A and Class 6A-7A for boys and girls.
“In bowling, which will be beginning its sixth season in its current format, Class 6A or 7A schools have won all five boys’ state championships since 2016, and 6A or 7A schools have won the girls’ state championship three of five years,” the AHSAA wrote in a press release. “Southside-Gadsden, which has won four girls’ state titles in a row, was a Class 6A school in 2017 and 2018 but dropped to 5A in 2019 and 2020.”
Wrestling, which has grown over the past several years, has been reorganized to increase competitive balance. Originally Class 1A-5A, Class 6A, and Class 7A, the realignment shifts the divisions to Class 1A-4A, Class 5A-6A and Class 7A.
“The larger schools have dominated the sport in the previous 1A-5A division,” the AHSAA said. “In 2020, eight of the top 10 teams at the 2020 State Championships were Class 5A schools and 11 of 14 individual weight divisions were won by wrestlers from Class 5A schools. Twenty-one of the 28 wrestlers in the championship matches represented 5A schools.”
Basketball area and indoor track and field division alignments remained the same.
Spring sports alignments for the upcoming classification period will be released in May after the conclusion of the 2020 spring sports championships.
Here are the alignments for teams within The Trussville Tribune coverage area starting with bowling:
Bowling
Class 1A-5A
Boys Region 6
- Center Point
- Central High (Tusc.)
- Lamar
- Sipsey Valley
- South Lamar
Girls Region 6
- Center Point
- Parker
- Ramsay
- Wenonah
Class 6A-7A
Boys Area 7
- Gadsden City
- Gardendale
- Hartselle
- Hewitt-Trussville
- Minor
- Pinson Valley
Girls Area 7
- Clay-Chalkville
- Gadsden City
- Gardendale
- Hartselle
- Hewitt-Trussville
- Huffman
- Pinson Valley
- Southside-Gadsden
Wrestling
Class 5A-6A
Section 2
- Center Point
- Clay-Chalkville
- Leeds
- Moody
- Pinson Valley
- Springville
Class 7A
Section 2
- Hewitt-Trussville
Basketball
Class 5A
Area 10
- Carver (BHM)
- Leeds
- Parker
- Ramsay
Area 11
- Alexandria
- Lincoln
- Moody
- Saint Clair County
Area 12
- Center Point
- Cordova
- Corner
- Hayden
Class 6A
Area 12
- Clay-Chalkville
- Gardendale
- Mortimer Jordan
- Pinson Valley
Area 13
- Oxford
- Pell City
- Southside-Gadsden
- Springville
Class 7A
Area 6
- Gadsden City
- Hewitt-Trussville
- Spain Park
- Vestavia Hills