Fayette County football is in the Class 4A playoffs as Fultondale loses three games due to a violation of the AHSAA transfer rule.

The AHSAA announced Wednesday night that Fultondale was losing three games: wins over Fayette County (38-7), Hamilton (62-42) and Cordova (42-6).

Fayette County had finished fifth in the 4A, Region 5 standings and was out of the playoff race. The Tigers' season appeared to be over with a free date this Friday.

Fultondale was originally a No. 3 seed in 4A, Region 5 and was scheduled to face Central Florence in the first round on Nov. 8. Now it drops to 6th place in the standings and will no longer make the playoffs. Hamilton took its spot as No. 3 in the region, while Fayette County slipped to No. 4.

Before the loss, the Tigers were 4-6. They thought their season was over. That changed on Wednesday night, with the loss dropping the Tigers to 5-5.

“I try to get all my kids from basketball to football,” Fayette County coach Jared Porter told The Tuscaloosa News. “… We go from Halloween (Thursday) to 'Hey, we're going to be at the practice field.'”

Porter said he heard rumors earlier this week that the Fultondale was under investigation. This information was confirmed by the AHSAA announcement.

“I told the coaches this young group might need this,” Porter said. “When I say young, seven graduates, not all of them are starting, but a lot of freshmen and sophomores. You have nothing to lose. The graduates have already cried and played their last game. You just have to play and have fun.”

Fayette County travels to West Morgan in the first round on Friday, November 8th. The Tigers are making their third straight playoff appearance under Porter.

Fultondale violated the AHSAA's transfer policy by using an ineligible player, the AHSAA said in its news release. The three games the Wildcats lost were all won games in which the ineligible player participated. Along with the losses, Fultondale was fined and placed on probation.

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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and softball and football recruiting at the University of Alabama for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach them at [email protected]. Follow her on X @annaesnyder2.

This article originally appeared in the Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA football: Fayette County in playoffs after Fultondale loss