By Brandon C. Williams
The Post Newspaper Managing Editor
Change was inevitable on Thursday when the University Interscholastic League unveiled its biennial realignment for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. When it comes to local high schools, distance is a common theme, especially when it comes to football season.
La Marque road games will be anything but quick trips as the Cougars are part of a District 10-4A-II that includes Houston Harmony, Katy Harmony along with familiar foes in Brookshire Royal, Sweeny, West Columbia and Wharton. Between the six schools, the Coogs will average 62.5 miles per road trip over the next two seasons.
Distance will also be a factor in La Marque’s non-football district. The Cougars will reunite with Bay City, Brazosport, Sweeny and West Columbia while Needville, El Campo and Wharton will also comprise District 29-4A-II.
Growth came to District 24-6A as Clear Creek’s five high schools, Brazoswood and Dickinson, will be joined by Deer Park. The district will remain intact for both football and non-football sports.
The district did receive a jarring bit of news with the revamped District 23-6A that includes state powerhouse North Shore, Atascocita, Summer Creek, C.E. King, Kingwood, Channelview and Goose Creek Memorial. Having faced the likes of North Shore and Atascocita in the area round of the state high school football playoffs in recent years, 24-6A teams will now have to face those schools in the bi-district round.
After romping through district play the past two seasons in football, Galveston Ball will now face a more challenging road to the postseason as the Tors are now part of District 9-5A-1 that includes Angleton, Baytown Sterling, Beaumont United, Beaumont West Brook and Port Arthur Memorial, a far cry from facing Houston ISD programs.
The Tornadoes will see familiar faces in non-football District 20-5A. Friendswood, Santa Fe, Texas City, Angleton, La Porte, and Iowa Colony — which jumps from 4A to 5A — will comprise what will be a competitive district in boys’ basketball, softball and track and field.
Santa Fe and Texas City remain joined at the hip in football. The Indians and Stingarees are members of District 9-5A-II and are joined by Iowa Colony, Baytown Lee, Fort Bend Marshall, Rosenberg Randle, Rosenberg Terry and Lamar Consolidated.
Friendswood football fans will have to get used to traveling north as the Mustangs are now in District 12-5A-I that includes Austin Anderson, Buda Hays, Cedar Creek, A&M Consolidated, College Station, Kyle Lehman, Lockhart, Pflugerville Henderson and Pflugerville Weiss, making them part of a handful of 10-team districts across the state.
Hitchcock’s football foes will be familiar to the Bulldogs, who will be part of District 12-3A-I with Columbus, Hallettsville, Hemstead, and Yoakum.
The Bulldogs’ non-football district (24-3A) remains the same as Hitchcock, Boling, East Bernard, Houston Harmony, Hempstead, Van Vleck and Wallis Brazos are together for the next seasons.
The revamped districts will begin in August at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
