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The Ariton Purple Cats have made the Class 2A Playoffs for nine straight seasons and will look to make it a full decade in 2024.

During that span, Steven Kilcrease has been at the helm 8-of-9 seasons, leading his Cats to the playoffs in each of his seasons at Ariton. After going 10-2 in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022, Ariton took a step back with a 6-5 record last season and hopes to bounce back heading into 2024.

Ariton will remain in Class 2A, Region 2, which will have a slightly new look. Ariton, Abbeville, Cottonwood, GW Long, Geneva County and Samson remain in the region, while Houston County and Providence Christian join.

Ariton will kick off the season on the road for a non-region game against the Georgiana Panthers on Aug. 30. This will be just the fifth time the two sides have met in the regular season with Georgiana holding the edge in the series 3-1. The last time the two met was in 2013; a 38-29 Panther win.

Next, Ariton opens up region play against the Houston County Lions on Sept. 6 at home. Houston County is moving back up to 2A after two seasons in 1A. The Lions went 5-5 last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Ariton leads the all-time series between the two teams 11-5, last beating Houston County by a score of 49-0 in 2021.

On Sept. 13, Ariton hits the road for a region game against the Abbeville Yellow Jackets, who are coming off a 1-9 season. Ariton leads the all-time series with Abbeville 6-3 and has won three straight, including a 54-20 win last season.

The Purple Cats return to Ariton on Sept. 20 for the start of the only back-to-back home games of the season. Ariton plays the GW Long Rebels on Sept. 20 as the Rebels are coming off a 7-4 season and first round playoff exit in 2023. The Long rivalry is Ariton’s longest standing series, with the Cats leading the series 30-27. Long won last year’s matchup by a score of 33-27, however.

Ariton wraps up the two-game home swing on Sept. 27 for a Homecoming matchup with Class 4A’s Dale County Warriors. Dale County is coming off a 3-7 season in 2023. Dale County leads the all-time series with Ariton 5-3 and won last year’s matchup 33-20.

Then, Ariton is on the road for three consecutive weeks, starting on Oct. 4 with a region matchup with the Providence Christian Eagles. Providence is heading into its first year back in 2A after an eight-year stretch in 3A. Last season, the Eagles went 5-6 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Cats and Eagles have not met since 2015, a 38-20 Providence win. Providence also leads the all-time series with Ariton 7-3.

On Oct. 11, Ariton will hit the road again to face the Cottonwood Bears in a region game. Cottonwood is coming off a 10-2 season in 2023 and are the defending region champs. Cottonwood won last season’s game 43-7, snapping an Ariton eight-game winning streak in the series. Ariton still leads the all-time series between the two schools 12-9.

Ariton closes out the long road stretch on Oct. 18 against the Samson Tigers in a region game. Samson went 3-7 last season and lost to Ariton 37-7. Samson still leads the all-time series with Ariton, though, winning 12 of the 19 matchups between the two sides.

Ariton wraps up region play at home on Oct. 25 against the Geneva County Bulldogs. Geneva County is coming off a winless 2023 season that saw Ariton defeat the Bulldogs by as core of 35-6. Ariton also leads the all-time series 10-8.

The Cats will close out the regular season on Nov. 1 on the road at Class 1A’s Brantley Bulldogs. Brantley has been one of the top teams in 1A for the better part of the last 25 years, winning 17 region crowns, three state championships and two state runner-up finishes during that span.

Brantley went 8-5 last season and made it to the third round of the playoffs. Ariton and Brantley have met a total of 15 times – 14 in the regular season – with the Bulldogs winning all 15 games by a wide margin. The last time the two schools met, however, was in 2009. Brantley won that game 56-0.