The Five Winners of UIL 2026-28 Realignment

Presented by:

Class 6A: Dripping Springs

Dripping Springs has made the fourth round of the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, competing tooth and nail in the same district with fellow Austin-area powers Austin Westlake and Lake Travis. 

But now, Westlake and Lake Travis have shifted from District 26 to District 25, leaving Dripping Springs with Austin High, Austin Akins, Austin Bowie, Buda Hays, Buda Johnson, and Del Valle.  

Of Dripping Springs’s new district opponents, Austin Bowie (6-5) was the only team to make the playoffs last year. None won a playoff game.

Class 5A: Huntsville

Huntsville has made at least the second round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The Hornets have a more straightforward path to a district championship now that perennial power Port Neches-Groves has moved from District 9 to District 10.

Huntsville retains fellow playoff teams Montgomery (8-3) and Montgomery Lake Creek (5-6). District opponents New Caney West Fork (4-6) and Splendora (2-8) also remain. None of the Hornets’ three new district opponents (Houston Spring Woods, Humble Kingwood Park, New Caney Porter) made the playoffs last year.

Class 4A: Glen Rose

Matt Stepp said on the Realignment broadcast that he believed Glen Rose had a chance to go to Region IV with Waco La Vega (11-3), Brownwood (7-5), and Robinson (9-3). Instead, the Tigers land in a five-team District 5-4A DII. One of their new district opponents, Uplift Hampton Prep, is a new UIL program. The other three are Hillsboro (2-8), Venus (0-10), and Kemp (1-9). 

Glen Rose would face a team from the new District 6-4A DII in the bi-district round of the playoffs. Of those schools, Sanger (8-4) was the only program to win a playoff game last fall.

Class 3A: Comanche

After a 5-5 season, Comanche dropped from 3A DI to 3A DII. The Indians have landed in a wide-open Region II, recently vacated by 10-time defending regional champion Gunter (moving to 3A DI). 

Comanche is the only former 3A DI school in its new district. Five of their district opponents are 3A DII holdovers: Clifton (8-3), Tolar (4-7), Millsap (3-7), Dublin (1-9), and Eastland (0-10). Their final two district opponents were formerly in Class 2A DI. Hamilton (14-2) is the reigning Class 2A DI State Champion, but the Bulldogs are now the second-smallest 3A DII school in the state. Rio Vista went 6-3 but was ruled ineligible for the playoffs last year.

Class 2A: West Texas Football Fans

District play in West Texas will be absolute cinema. 

In District 1-2A DII, Stinnett West Texas, which went 14-1 last season and reached the state semifinal for the first time since 1995, drops down from DI to DII. The reward? District games against Gruver (12-3) and Stratford (10-3).

In District 7-2A DII, Stamford drops to DII just one year removed from a state championship trip. The Bulldogs will now play district games against Albany (10-3) and Goldthwaite (8-4).