While having the right personnel on and off the field is an important aspect for any successful football team, there are a few more requirements needed.

A big part of advancing to the post season comes with a team’s ability to defeat the surrounding teams in the region.

An obstacle that will have a few new faces for the teams in Pike County.

With the region realignment, each of the four teams, Goshen, Pike County, Charles Henderson and Pike Liberal Arts will be competing against one new team in 2010.

The Eagles of Goshen will be the one team making the jump from one region to another this upcoming season.

In 2009, GHS competed in Class 2A, Region 3, however, this season, the Eagles will find themselves in Region 2.

Along with GHS, Zion Chapel and Highland Home will be making the jump, joining, Calhoun, Elba, New Brockton Red Level and Samson.

“Elba is ranked as high as No. 3 in some of the early polls for the season and both New Brockton and Red Level are very good teams,” Eagles’ head coach Bart Snyder said about the new region.

“All three are very well coached and Samson is going to surprise a lot of people this season – they got a lot going for them.”

Snyder said there is one major difference between this year’s region and last years – the number of potential playoff teams.

“The thing that makes this region do difficult is how deep it is,” he said.

“There are some really tough teams and every team is fairly similar to each other.

“The one thing we have been working on, is getting ourselves better,” the coach said.

“We have to be ready to take on the level of competition that we will be facing in a few weeks.”

PCHS will be staying in the same region is won last year, Class 3A Region 2, but there will be two new schools joining them.

The Bulldogs will be seeing Luverne, the team that eliminated PCHS in the playoffs last year, on a more regular basis, as well as Opp, as both replaced Wicksburg and Headland.

“We are going to be in a very strong and competitive region,” head coach Robert Johnson said.

“Luverne was a team that advanced to the semi-finals last season. Opp was a team that moved from 4A to 3A and is very tough and Geneva, Daleville and Abbeville all have a lot of people coming back – it is going to be a very tough region.”

While Johnson said his Bulldogs would be in stiff competition all season, he also believes his team will be able to be just as competitive.

“I think we have a chance to be good.

“We know the quality of opponent we will be up against this season, and hopefully we will be able to be just as competitive,” he added.

In Class 5A, Region 2, there will be one new addition to the this season as the Trojans of CHHS will be taking on Russell County, along with B.T. Washington, Carroll, Eufaula, Rehobeth, Tallassee and Valley.

While it may not be a part of the AHSAA, the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots also saw some change in Class AAA Region 1, as it added a new team, Lyman Ward, while another school, Monroe, replaced Hooper.