Fresh off their Class 5A state title win last week, the Demopolis Tigers now have a clear view of what their 2010 season will look like as head coach Tom Causey announced the team’s schedule for the upcoming season.

The Tigers will open their season on the road against perennial Class 5A power Briarwood Christian on Friday Aug. 27.

“It’s a great game to play,” Causey said of the Tigers’ season-opener. “(Briarwood head coach Fred) Yancey has been successful at Briarwood for a long, long time. Their a team that’s going to be deep in the playoffs every year.”

The restructuring of the regions moves Briarwood into the northern portion of the playoff bracket, meaning a rematch between the two would only take place in the state championship round.

In week five, the Tigers will travel to face rival Class 4A Thomasville in the renewal of the annual clash between the squads.

“Thomasville is one of the best teams in the state every year in any class,” Causey said of the Jack Hankins coached team that the Tigers are slated to face on Friday, Sept. 24.

Demopolis rounds out its non-region schedule in week 10 when it hosts Class 6A Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on Thursday, Oct. 28 in another budding rivalry game.

“Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa gets better every time we play them,” Causey said of the Patriots. “Our non-region schedule is something we’re proud of.”

The Tigers’ region schedule opens with Chilton County for the third consecutive year. Those teams will meet in Demopolis on Sept. 3. A week later, the Tigers will take their first of three trips to the Queen City when they visit 2007 Class 4A state champion Central-Tuscaloosa. The Falcons, who met Demopolis in a preseason Jamboree game this year, will move into Class 5A, Region 3 next season.

Following the game against Central, the Tigers will travel on Friday, Sept. 17 to Camden to face Wilcox-Central.

After a date with Thomasville, the Tigers dive back into region play on Friday, Oct. 1 when they return to Tuscaloosa to face Bryant, a program that is dropping down from Class 6A at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 academic year.

The Tigers return home on Oct. 8 to host Greenville and then hit the road again on Oct. 15 when they travel to Brookwood. Demopolis rounds out its region schedule at home against Selma on Oct. 22.

“Our region is as tough as it has ever been,” Causey said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to compete against these guys. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and August.”

2010 Demopolis Football Schedule

Aug. 27 @ Briarwood

Sept. 3 vs. Chilton County

Sept. 10 @ Central-Tuscaloosa

Sept. 17 vs. Wilcox-Central

Sept. 24 @ Thomasville

Oct. 1 @ Bryant

Oct. 8 vs. Greenville

Oct. 15 @ Brookwood

Oct. 22 vs. Selma

Oct. 28 vs. Hillcrest-Tuscalooa

— region games in italics