One of Southside football’s region opponents was knocked out of the playoffs on Wednesday.
Three months before the season, Pell City was hit with recruiting violations and placed on restrictive probation. That will keep them out of the 2026 playoffs and region games against Pell City will not count in the standings.
The punishments stem from an AHSAA recruiting rule violation. Other punishments included a season-long suspension for coach Jake Ganus.
Any student-athlete who moved to Pell City can still be eligible at the school where they reside. Pell City can still play its 10-game regular season schedule.
In the release, AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon said Pell City is “required to appear” at the Central Board Meeting this summer to “present a comprehensive administrative action plan and the internal controls that have been implemented.” It is unclear if there is a path for Pell City to become eligible for the playoffs again.
Ganus came to Pell City this offseason after leading Moody to the Class 5A state title. He was suspended for the first game of the season already after Moody was hit with a punishment for “flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct” after winning the state title.
The rest of Region 6 includes Clay Chalkville, Oxford, Pinson Valley, Springville and St. Clair County.
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports, Jax State athletics, the outdoors in Alabama and more for the Gadsden Times and USA TODAY Network. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Pell City football kicked out of 2026 AHSAA playoffs