The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 5A state football championship will feature the Gulf Shores Dolphins against the Ramsay Rams on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

It will be Gulf Shores’ first appearance in the title game and the third for Ramsay who was crowned champions in 2016 on the Class 6A stage and 2022 on the Class 5A circuit.

If you’re traveling from Baldwin County to cheer on the Dolphins, here are a few things to include in your gameday preparations.

Gulf Shores is the away team

As the away team traveling to the northern half of the state, Gulf Shores will serve as the visiting team for the Class 5A championship Thursday night. Away fans will enter the stadium through Gate 60 in the northeast corner and will exit out of Gates 51 and 48 on the east side. The road team will also be on the east sideline.

The Dolphins are set to wear white jerseys on top of white pants under teal helmets which resulted in a 31-16 win over Faith Academy during that uniform’s only regular-season action on Sept. 8. In the other postseason road game, navy helmets were worn on top of the white jersey and white pant combo against Headland in a 35-14 victory.

Tickets are all digital

Available in advance or at the gate, all admission tickets will be digital through GoFan and no print-at-home tickets will be accepted. Fans can visit gofan.co/ahsaa and the Super 7 – Class 5A Championship Game will be one of the options at the top, or the school’s name, mascot or city can be searched in the filter box.

Single general admission tickets are $17 and 20-ticket suites are also available at varying levels. Contact Maddie Hall (678-699-0901 or maddie@knighteady.com) for more suite information.

“To ensure accurate monitoring of stadium capacity and utilization of Bryant-Denny Stadium's 2023 seating plans, all guests must have a ticket except for children under the age of five (5) who will not occupy an additional seat and sit on their parent or guardian's lap (infant in arms),” it says on the AHSAA Super 7 website.

What to bring, what to leave

A Clear Bag Policy and Walk Through Metal Detectors will be used at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Prohibited items include backpacks, purses, diaper and camera bags, chairs with pockets and artificial noisemakers (bells, horns, whistles, cowbells, etc.).

Acceptable items include good sportsmanship, an appetite for football and cheers for your team.

Warm up for action in the Deep End Tailgate

For Gulf Shores supporters who arrive in Tuscaloosa well before kickoff, the Deep End Tailgate is setting up an auxiliary location in a parking lot past the northwest corner of the stadium with festivities set for a noon start time.

The Dolphin fans that traditionally set up outside Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores will assemble their final pregame hangout of the season outside Byrant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Pizza is on the menu with an ETA (estimated time of bon-appétit) of 4 p.m.

Timeline: Dolphin Walk at 4:55 p.m., pregame at 6 p.m., kickoff at 7 p.m.

Gulf Shores’ Dolphin Walk is set for 4:55 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium’s Walk of Champions that leads into the north side of the stadium. Pending the previous game’s conclusion, the pregame warmups are set to start at 6 p.m. before the Class 5A State Championship kickoff between Gulf Shores and Ramsay is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Once the game starts, it can be seen hosted by WOTM TV and broadcast live on Alabama Public Television and the NFHS Network. The APT transmitter to the Mobile area goes to WEIQ, Channel 42 or the subscription-based NFHS Network is available online.

Gulf Coast Media representatives will also be on hand so follow @GCMSportsAL on social media for immediate updates and stay tuned to gulfcoastmedia.com/sports for full coverage.