UIL Realignment: TXHSFB's Toughest Regions

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6A Region III

• District 17 (Galena Park North Shore, Sheldon C.E. King, Humble Summer Creek, Humble Atascocita, Humble Kingwood, Humble, Channelview, Crosby)
• District 18 (Dickinson, Barbers Hill, Clear Springs, Clear Falls, Clear Creek, Clear Lake, Clear Brook, Deer Park)
• District 19 (Shadow Creek, Pearland, Pearland Dawson, Manvel, Pasadena Dobie, Pasadena Memorial, Pasadena Rayburn, Alvin, Brazoswood)
• District 20 (Alief Elsik, Alief Hastings, Alief Taylor, Houston Bellaire, Houston Heights, Houston Lamar, Houston Westside, Houston Memorial, Houston Stratford)
• District 21 (Fort Bend Ridge Point, Strake Jesuit, FB Hightower, FB Austin, FB Bush, FB Clements, FB Elkins, FB Travis)
• District 22 (Katy, Katy Jordan, Cinco Ranch, Mayde Creek, Morton Ranch, Paetow, Seven Lakes, Taylor, Tompkins)
• District 23 (Bridgeland, Fulshear, Richmond Foster, Richmond George Ranch, Waller, Cypress Park, Cypress Ranch, Cypress Springs)
• District 24 (Austin Vandegrift, Cedar Park, Vista Ridge, Georgetown East View, Hutto, Leander, Leander Rouse)

This region has the toughest 6A district in the state of Texas, 17-6A, which includes two 6A state championship game participants (Galena Park North Shore, Sheldon C.E. King). That’s before mentioning Humble Summer Creek, which has won at least 12 games in each of the past three seasons, and Humble Atascocita.

Region III did not need any curveballs to add to the difficulty on Realignment Day, and yet it did. Because Houston ISD lost a 6A district unto itself, the UIL moved North Austin schools into Region III. That includes Austin Vandegrift, which has been to two 6A state championship games in the last four seasons, and Cedar Park.

Other teams of note include: Katy (Has not won fewer than 10 games since 2001), Dickinson (13-1 last year and returning District MVP QB Lorenzo Aguirre), Barbers Hill (coming off first regional final appearance since 1976), Fort Bend Ridge Point (made second round of playoffs every year since 2021), Alvin Shadow Creek, Pearland, Fort Bend Hightower, Strake Jesuit, Katy Jordan, and Cypress Bridgeland.

5A DI Region II

• District 5 (Melissa, Frisco Lone Star, Reedy, Frisco, Centennial, Lebanon Trail, Liberty, McKinney North)
• District 6 (Highland Park, Richland, Birdville, Naaman Forest, Carrollton Creekview, Carrollton Smith, Carrollton Turner)
• District 7 (Tyler, Mesquite, West Mesquite, North Mesquite, Crandall, Dallas Adams, Dallas Sunset, Dallas White) 
• District 8 (DeSoto, Lancaster, Cedar Hill, Midlothian, Mansfield Summit, Mansfield Legacy, Burleson Centennial, Cleburne)

This was the unlucky region that got 6A dropdown DeSoto, which has won three of the last four Class 6A DII State Championships. The Eagles aren’t the only perennial powers moving into 5A, either. Five-time state champion Cedar Hill and Lancaster dropped with them.

But these programs won’t have an easy walk to the regional championship. Class 5A DI state finalist Frisco Lone Star - and star quarterback Trey Wright - loom in District 5 with 11-3 Melissa and the always-salty Frisco Reedy. District 6 includes Highland Park, which has reached four state championship games since 2016. 

4A DI Region III

• District 9 (Bridge City, Huffman-Hargrave, Liberty, Livingston, Lumberton, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Vidor)
• District 10 (Fort Bend Willowridge, Houston Austin, Houston Northside, Houston Sterling, Harmon School of Innovation, Stafford)
• District 11 (Bay City, El Campo, Navasota, Needville, Brookshire-Royal, Sealy, West Columbia)
• District 12 (Stephenville, Jarrell, Lampasas, China Spring, Burnet, Marble Falls)

Class 4A DI had the biggest movement between regions, and none was more impactful than reigning state champion Stephenville moving from Region I to Region III. The Yellow Jackets now join District 12 with 9-3 Lampasas, 9-3 Jarrell, and a China Spring program seeking a new head coach. 

But Stephenville wasn’t the only spicy team thrown in the Region III melting pot. Bay City (9-4) and El Campo are new entries from Region IV, and they land in a District 11 with Sealy (11-2). Also in that district? Reigning district champion West Columbia is bumping from DII to DI.

There’s a chance we get a bi-district matchup between Stephenville and Bay City, a matchup that would normally be reserved for the state semifinals because of the travel time (the towns are 4 hours and 54 minutes apart) and the caliber of the programs.

In District 9, Bridge City (11-2) and Huffman-Hargrave (7-4) were both playoff teams last year. In District 10, meanwhile, Houston Austin and Houston Sterling are dropping from 5A DI to 4A DI.

3A DI Region I

• District 1 (Shallowater, Dalhart, Denver City, Bushland, Brownfield)
• District 2 (Jim Ned, Clyde, Sweetwater, Lamesa, Kermit, Odessa Compass Academy)
• District 3 (Wall, Llano, Ingram Moore, Early, San Angelo Texas Leadership)
• District 4 (Peaster, Paradise, Vernon, Bowie, Boyd)

Wall moved up to DI, while Ingram Moore and Llano went from Region IV to Region I. Clyde has heavy travel. 

Region I expected reigning Class 3A DII State Champion Wall to move into Region I after joining the DI ranks. What they did not expect, however, was Region IV power Llano (13-2) and an Ingram Moore team coming off the best year in program history, both joining Wall in District 3. 

District 2 is daunting not only because it includes teams like Jim Ned (11-2), but also because of the travel for a district game between teams like Clyde and Kermit, which are 3.5 hours apart. 

District 1 already had Shallowater (8-4) and Dalhart (9-3), and now it adds a second-round playoff team: Denver City.

District 4 has state semifinalist Peaster (13-2), a Paradise team that has won more than 10 games every year since 2022, and Vernon (9-3).

2A DI Region II

• District 5 (Cisco, De Leon, Hawley, Anson, Hico, Abilene Texas Leadership)
• District 6 (Muenster, Alvord, Chico, Nocona, Olney, Tioga)
• District 7 (Mason, Brady, San Saba, Bangs, Coleman, Johnson City LBJ)
• District 8 (Axtell, Bosqueville, Dawson, Italy, Itasca, Riesel, Valley Mills)

Before Realignment, Region II felt wide open with reigning Class 2A DI State Champion Hamilton going up to 3A. But in one day, Region II welcomed Cisco (12-2), two-time defending state champion Muenster, Mason (10-4), Anson (8-4), and Hawley (8-4).

Those teams link up with Region II holdovers like Axtell (11-2), De Leon (9-4), and Alvord (9-3).

This region went from “We don’t know who will win it because we don’t know who is good” to “We don’t know who will win it because we know too many good teams.”