East Limestone, James Clemens and Tanner will host first-round games when the Alabama High School Athletic Association state soccer playoffs begin Friday.

East Limestone and James Clemens girls teams along with Tanner’s boys team are hosting first-round games while Athens, Elkmont, East Limestone and James Clemens open the postseason on the road.

Playoff games begin Friday when No. 10 East Limestone hosts Lee-Huntsville at 5 p.m. in the 4A-5A girls tournament. Also Friday, East Limestone’s boys team travels to No. 9 St. John Paul II Catholic, which play at the UAH soccer field in Huntsville.

In the 6A boys playoffs, Athens travels to Decatur Saturday for a noon kickoff at Ogle Stadium.

Teams in the 4A-6A classifications face a much more difficult route to the state tournament, which features the semifinals and finals for boys and girls postseason tournaments.

In the 4A-5A and 6A tournaments, 32 teams qualify for the playoffs and those teams must win three postseason games in order to reach the AHSAA State Soccer Tournament at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.

Only 16 teams qualify in the 1A-3A and 7A tournaments, which begin Tuesday across the state.

Tanner hosts Elkmont at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 1-3A first round while James Clemens will travel to Grissom in 7A with a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. James Clemens girls team will host the runner-up from 7A Area 7, but that game time has not been announced.

The 4-5A and 6A second-round games will also be played Tuesday.

Here is a full schedule of first-round games:

Girls

Friday, April 28

Class 4A-5A

Lee-Huntsville at East Limestone (16-3-2), 5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 2

Class 7A

Area 7 Runner-up at James Clemens (14-3), TBA

Boys

Friday, April 28

Class 4A-5A

East Limestone (7-7-3) at St. John Paul II Catholic (9-8-3), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 29

Class 6A

Athens (9-5-2) at Decatur (13-4), noon

Tuesday, May 2

Class 1A-3A

Elkmont (15-2-1) at Tanner (10-11-1), 5 p.m.

Class 7A

James Clemens (11-7-1) at Grissom (15-10), 5:30 p.m.