Warrior Academy’s decision to not fill a football team this fall has coaches throughout West Alabama in a scramble to find an opponent.

Warrior’s absence this fall will in fact leave as many as ten AISA programs with an open date. Those teams include West Alabama Prep, Tuscaloosa Academy, Southern Academy, MMI and Sumter Academy to name a few.

“We had 50 schools with football programs, now there is only 49,” AISA Athletic Director Don Hand said. “And when you try to divide 2 by 49, it just don’t go.”

Hand says that it will be up to each school to fill that open date, and that the AISA will not find replacements.

“We won’t find them a game,” Hand said. “We’ll help them out in any way we can, but we’re not going to do it for them.”

Tuscaloosa Academy head coach Rob Hall said that he has not found a replacement as of this time, and will not attempt to until he has the official word from the AISA regarding Warrior.

“We’re on hold right now,” Hall said. “But once we here the official word from the AISA we will see what our options are and make every effort to field a game for that date.”

West Alabama Prep head coach Bob Taylor is in the same boat, but may decide to leave his date with Warrior open.

“We’re certainly going to try and fill the date if we can,” Taylor said. “But with our open date coming so close to the playoffs, it won’t hurt our program to take a week off either.”