A new era of high school football begins this fall as the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s realignment separating public and private schools for state championship purposes creates the Private Double-A classification for the first time. A weekly region-preview series wrapped up its 2026 preseason coverage with a look at the loaded eight-team region, which includes St. Michael, UMS-Wright, St. Paul’s, McGill-Toolen, Faith Academy, Glenwood, Montgomery Catholic and Houston Academy.
With championship tradition running throughout the classification, the preview found no clear-cut easy path to the postseason. One of the top storylines centers on McGill-Toolen, where seniors Bo Miller and Davis Fisher are competing for the starting quarterback job. Programs across the region will also be tested by a demanding schedule, with some teams facing more than 20 hours of travel over the course of the season.
The preview identified the teams to watch as the classification opens its first season, with several programs bringing deep postseason experience into a region where any given week could decide playoff positioning.