What to Watch for UIL Realignment: DFW powers realigning? New 'District of Doom'? UIL's West Texas problem and more!

By Gordon DeLoach

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Will Duncanville, DeSoto and Cedar Hill Get Back Together?

During the last realignment, the UIL split up the three DFW powers along I-20 as DeSoto and Cedar Hill remained in a somewhat traditional district alignment along the I-20 corridor, while back-to-back state finalist Duncanville went north into a district with Dallas ISD and Richardson ISD (a bit of a surprise). There will be changes in these alignments as in the old 7-6A, Mansfield Summit is dropping down to Class 5A Division I, while in 8-6A Dallas White and Dallas Molina are both moving down to 5A. Does this open the door for a reunion of these three powers? DFW area fans would certainly love to see it!

 

RGV Loses 6A District. What are the Impacts?

For the past several UIL realignments, the Rio Grande Valley has had three 6A districts and the Laredo area has had one, which gives far South Texas half of Region IV. That could be changing as all three McAllen ISD schools and Weslaco East are moving down to Class 5A Division I, leaving the Valley with just 17 schools in 6A. Expect two districts in the Valley (31 and 32-6A with nine and eight teams respectively), while Laredo’s district moves over to 30-6A. The question now is does San Antonio get an extra district in Region IV with Northside ISD splitting into two districts, or does an extra Austin district move into Region IV?

 

5A Division I in West Texas Poses Problems for UIL

The most talked about conundrum that the UIL faces this alignment is what to do in Class 5A Division I, specifically in West Texas where vast distances between schools west of DFW are going to be an issue. In the last realignment, the UIL had one district in the city of El Paso as there were six Division I schools, while there was also a West Texas district featuring three Amarillo and Lubbock ISD schools and Abilene Cooper. This time around, El Paso had originally lost three of its six Division I schools as Eastwood and Eastlake moved up to 6A and Chapin dropped to Division II. However, last week it was announced that Chapin would opt up to Division I, relieving some pressure from the UIL. It’s highly likely the UIL implements a four-team district in El Paso, and then the UIL puts Lubbock ISD and four Amarillo ISD schools (with the addition of Tascosa down from 6A) into 2-5A Division I. The question now is does Abilene Cooper go west into the Lubbock/Amarillo district or does the UIL send Cooper into Fort Worth? The impacts now are the remaining 118 or 119 5A Division I schools must squeeze into 14 districts, which makes for an average of over nine schools per district.

 

Possibility of Longview and Tyler John Tyler Heading South?

Powerful Longview is dropping down from 6A into 5A Division I to replace Texarkana Texas High as one of three East Texas programs at that level. In the last alignment, John Tyler and Texas High went north and west into a DFW district, while Lufkin went south into a district in the Houston area. Does Longview slide into Texas High’s spot into a DFW-based district or does the UIL throw a curveball and send Longview and John Tyler south with Lufkin into the Houston area? From a drive-time standpoint, going to the northern reaches of Houston or the Brazos Valley won’t be much different than driving to DFW (especially when factoring in traffic), and it could reunite Longview and John Tyler with traditional rival Lufkin.

 

Major Changes in 4A Division I in the Coastal Bend

The power structure in 4A Division I, most notably down in Region IV, has definitely been shaken up with the additions of strong 5A Division II programs Corpus Christi Calallen, Port Lavaca Calhoun and Alice along with 5A Division I Corpus Christi Miller, who is choosing not to opt up. The big question will be how does the UIL align these four schools as there’s a chance all four wind up together, but there’s also a chance they could all be in as many as three different districts as well. Calallen and Miller, being located within the city limits of Corpus Christi, are likely to be in a Coastal Bend-centric district. But Calhoun, located further north, could spin up into a district with teams like El Campo, Bay City, etc. Alice’s location - about 40 miles west of Corpus Christi and located on a major highway that feeds directly into the Rio Grande Valley - could make the Coyotes a prime candidate to get placed in a RGV district. 


New District of Doom in East Texas?

Could we be seeing a new “District of Doom” forming in East Texas at the 4A Division II level with defending 4A Division I state champion Carthage moving down to Division II? It’s quite possible we have a district with two state champions in it as Carthage and Division II state champion Texarkana Pleasant Grove could possibly be joined by regional finalist and East Texas power Gilmer, along with maybe a rapidly improving Longview Spring Hill squad and an always tough Pittsburg program.

 

Will Grandview Remain in Region III in 3A Division I?

Two-time defending state champion Grandview has had its way in Region III. Could the UIL move the Zebras in a different direction and move them to Region II? Grandview, which is located about 35 miles south of Fort Worth, is located right on I-35W and is in a location where they could easily spin north or to the west into a more DFW-centric district, instead of the Waco-based grouping they have currently. A regional move for Grandview, who still looks to be a contender in 2020, could have a major ripple effect in 3A Division I.

 

Will East Texas Get Two or Three Districts?

At the moment, most of East Texas in 3A Division II is confined to 9 3A Division II and 10 3A Division II; both are large eight team districts and could be candidates for expansion as more schools are being added to the mix with West Rusk and Hughes Springs dropping down from Division I along with fringe East Texas program Lone Oak. With this addition, it’s quite possible the UIL gives East Texas a third district and that could have a major domino effect. 

 

Cisco’s Impacts in 2A Division I

The big news in 2A Division I centers around Cisco and its drop to Class 3A Division II. The Loboes, who were 11-2 a year ago and had established themselves as a power in the Big Country, make the move down to 2AvDivision I. Several programs in the Big Country and in Region I (and possibly Region II) will be watching where the Loboes land closely.

 

Does Mart Go Region II or Region III?

Much like Grandview in 3A-Division II, powerful Mart lies right in the middle of the state and could be a swing team that moves to Region II or Region III based on their location just east of Waco. Mart’s won three straight state titles and has totally dominated 2A Division II the past two season. So where Mart goes will have major ripple effects.

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