By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Pelham Panthers will travel to south Alabama for the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 6A playoffs on Nov. 8.

The Panthers are scheduled to take on the Fairhope Pirates in Fairhope to open the playoffs, according to the AHSAA’s playoff brackets. The Pirates’ play in an off-campus stadium in Fairhope Municipal Park, which is off Volanta Avenue a few miles north of the high school.

Pelham earned Class 6A, Region 4’s No. 3 playoff spot by taking down the previously unbeaten Spain Park Jaguars 27-24 on Oct. 25 at Ned Bearden Stadium. The Panthers likely would have clinched a playoff berth even had they lost to Spain Park, but were able to secure a better seed with the win.

The top four teams from each of the eight Class 6A regions earn spots in the state playoffs, which will begin on Nov. 8 and will culminate with the state championship game on Dec. 6 at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Pelham has compiled a 6-3 record on the season, and will travel to Shades Valley for its final regular season game on Nov. 1. The Panthers have wins over Paul Bryant, Stanhope Elmore, Oak Mountain, Northridge, Wetumpka and Spain Park, and have lost to Thompson, Prattville and Chelsea.

As of Oct. 29, Fairhope had compiled a 7-2 record, with the Pirates’ only losses coming to Daphne and Spanish Fort. Fairhope has wins over St. Pauls, Enterprise, Dothan, Baldwin County, Robertsdale, Foley and Northview.