BIRMINGHAM — The boys’ team from Elberta and girls’ teams from Foley and Orange Beach earned top seeds in their classification from the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s South Regional Bowling Championships on Thursday. The final rounds will be held Friday back at Vestavia Bowl.

Eight boys’ and eight girls’ bowling teams qualified from regular-season play to advance to the South and North Regional tourneys which got underway Thursday.

The South Regional went off without a hitch as all teams competed and were seeded for Friday’s match play round. Friday’s team play will be using the Baker Format best-of-7 series. Thursday’s play was three traditional rounds for each team with top five scores computed to decide each team’s total score.

Thompson posted a 2,909 team score to earn the top seed and will face Baker Friday morning in the eight-team match-play bracket. Beauregard posted a 2,514 team score to claim the top seed in Class 1A/5A. In the girls’ play, Stanhope Elmore had a 2,549 total to secure the No. 1 seed in Class 6/7A, and Marbury totaled 2,254 pins to grab the No. 1 weed in the 1A/5A girls division.

The top four qualifiers will advance to the AHSAA State Championships, which will be played at the Bolero Bowling facility in Mobile Feb. 1-2.

The finals were originally set for next week, Jan. 25-26, but some teams in the North Regional were unable to travel to Hewitt-Trussville’s Spare Time Bowling Center for Thursday’s first round due to travel safety reasons and that regional was not completed.

Unable to travel in the boys’ competition were West Point and Fairview in the Class 1A/5A division, and Hartselle in the 6A/7A division. In the girls’ division, West Point and Priceville were unable to compete in 1A/5A, and James Clemens in 6A/7A. Those teams will complete their first round traditional bowling series next Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Trussville’s Spare Time Bowling Center. The final seeding will then be determined with the round-two Baker Format team play being held on Thursday, Jan. 25, with the top four teams emerging in each division advancing to the state championships at Mobile the next week.

Of the teams that bowled Wednesday, Southside posted a 2,834 total to take the lead in the bid for the top seed in 1A/5A boys’ play. Hewitt-Trussville rolled a team total of 2,743 series to emerge as the current leader for 6A/7A boys. No results were available at press time for the girls’ play.

Thursday results

BOYS’ TRADITIONAL ROUND

CLASS 1A/5A

Region 1 No. 1: UMS-Wright (9-1)

Region 1 No. 2: Satsuma (10-2)

Region 2 No. 1: Elberta (11-1)

Region 2 No. 2: Gulf Shores (10-2)

Region 3 No. 1: Beauregard (17-1)

Region 3 No. 2: Marbury (7-3)

Region 4 No. 1: Sipsey Valley (5-1)

Region 4 No. 2: Holt (8-2)

CLASS 6A/7A

Region 1 No. 1: Alma-Bryant (15-1)

Region 1 No. 2: Baker (14-2)

Region 2 No. 1: Dothan (11-1)

Region 2 No. 2: Spanish Fort (11-1)

Region 3 No. 1: Stanhope Elmore (10-0)

Region 3 No. 2: Auburn (11-4)

Region 4 No. 1: Spain Park (14-2)

Region 4 No. 2: Thompson (13-3)

GIRLS’ TRADITIONAL ROUND

CLASS 1A/5A

Region 1 No. 1: Satsuma (4-0)

Region 1 No. 2: Citronelle (2-2)

Region 2 No. 1: Orange Beach (12-0)

Region 2 No. 2: Houston Academy (12-2)

Region 3 No. 1: Beauregard (16-1)

Region 3 No. 2: Marbury (9-1)

Region 4 No. 1: Sipsey Valley (6-0)

Region 4 No. 2: Northside (5-6)

CLASS 6A/7A

Region 1 No. 1: Baker (16-0)

Region 1 No. 2: McGill-Toolen Catholic (12-4)

Region 2 No. 1: Foley (11-1)

Region 2 No. 2: Dothan (8-4)

Region 3 No. 1: Stanhope Elmore (6-0)

Region 3 No. 2: Auburn (7-4)

Region 4 No. 1: Thompson (14-0)

Region 4 No. 2: Oak Mountain (16-3)