REALIGNMENT LEAVES PUZZLES FOR AREA TEAMS TO FILL

THE UIL’S announcement of its numbers for February’s reclassification and realignment
this past week does contain some obvious answers. Friendswood will return to Class 5A
after spending the past four years in District 24-6A, while La Marque returns to Class
4A, Division I following a two-year stint in 3A. Beyond that lies a host of uncertainty and
intrigue that will pundits guessing between now and the formal announcement.
How does the rest of the area’s high school teams shape up?
CLASS 6A: The CCISD schools (Brook, Creek, Falls, Lakes, Springs), Dickinson and
Alvin will remain together. The question here is whether the UIL decides if eight is enough
for what should still be 24-6A. Early hunch is that it will be a seven-school district, allowing
for an extra non-district football game, yet don’t be surprised if Brazoswood, which
was a part of the district until the 2016 realignment, makes a return. Of the four potential
districts in question, the area 6A schools are perhaps the easiest to project.
CLASS 5A: Friendswood comes back home to reunite with former district foes Galveston
Ball, Texas City and Santa Fe. The return of the Mustangs to 5A, Region III will make
them a force across the board, especially in volleyball, boys and girls soccer and baseball
along with track and field. From there, the rest of the potential district gets murky.
Manvel should return, yet Summer Creek (which will be eligible to play varsity football
next fall) could make things interesting if the UIL adds the three Fort Bend ISD schools
that are 5A (Hightower, Marshall, Willowridge) into the fray. There are only a handful of
nine-team district across the state, yet don’t be surprised if this will be one of them.
CLASS 4A: For football purposes, La Marque may find themselves back into the scenario
it was in during the 2014-15 seasons when the Cougars were part of a four-team
district with HISD programs Kashmere, Scarborough and Worthing. If so, it means coach
Mike Jackson’s squad will have a busy non-district schedule which should include the
revival of long standing rivalry games against Galveston Ball and Texas City.
CLASS 3A: At the very least, Hitchcock fans would love if one of La Marque’s non-district
football games were against the Bulldogs, as the teams played two high-spirited contests
against each other as district rivals. Hitchcock will likely see themselves in a district with
familiar faces like Anahuac, Hardin, Hempstead, Vanderbilt and East Chambers.