By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



The Fultondale Wildcats will join a new region in 2008 as they try to reach the Class 2A playoffs for a second straight season. The Wildcat’s 2008 schedule has been released by head coach Keith Register.

Fultondale will join 2A, Region 4, beginning with the 2008 school year.

One big change will be three non-region games that will challenge the Wildcats.

Fultondale will open on the road at three-time state champion Addison.

The Bulldogs reached the second round of the 2007 state playoffs where they fell to J.B. Pennington, a team that edged Fultondale, 22-21.

“All three of our non-region games are really tough,” Fultondale head coach Keith Register said. “It’s not really the three non-region games I wanted to play, but they were the only teams I could find in our area who wanted to play us.”

Register said the Wildcats were a victim of their own success when it came to finding clubs to schedule.

“I guess when you start winning, some people don’t want to play you,” he said. “We contacted some teams we’ve played in the past and they didn’t want to play us, so we’ll have three outstanding teams to face in non-region play.”

In the season’s second week, the Wildcats travel to Chilton County and meet Isabella for a region match up.

The Wildcats open the home portion of their season on Sept. 12, when they host Hale County in another region contest.

Hale County reached the 2A playoffs last season, where they lost to Wicksburg in the first round.

The following week, the Wildcats play their third road game in four weeks, as they travel back to Chilton County to meet Thorsby.

In the fifth week, the Wildcats return home and face Good Hope, a 3A school that reached the state playoffs in 2007.

On Oct. 3, the Wildcats will host Shades Mountain Christian for homecoming.

During the 2007 season, Fultondale whipped Shades Mountain, 70-3 to open their regular season schedule.

The following week, the Wildcats will travel to Shelby County to meet Vincent. The Yellow Jackets will remain the Wildcats region rival for two more seasons as Vincent is moving along with Fultondale into Region 4.

The Wildcats return home the following week for what could be the largest home crowd of the season, when the American Christian Academy Patriots come to Fultondale.

American Christian reached the 2A semi-finals this past season, where they lost to eventual state 2A champion Leroy.

The Patriots have had a strong football tradition in the past, as they sent current South Carolina quarterback Chris Smelley to the ranks of the SEC.

During the season’s ninth week, the Wildcats take their final regular season road trip as they travel to Pickens County to take on the Tornadoes in the Wildcat’s final region game of the season.

The Tornadoes reached the second round of the 2A playoffs this past season.

Fultondale closes out their regular season schedule on Oct. 31, when they host Pleasant Valley in a non-region game.

The Raiders reached the 2A state playoffs last season, losing to eventual 2A semi-finalist Red Bay.

“I think we can compete in our new region,” Register said. “We just need to get better and improve over the off season like we did this past off season.”