MONDAY’S ANNOUCEMENT OF THE 2020 University Interscholastic League’s bi-annual realignment will have most area high school teams logging serious mileage once the new year begins in August.
With the exception of District 24-6A, the area’s other high schools will embrace long road trips, especially during football season. Players will now have advance warning to make sure their headsets, smart phones and tablets are juiced up for the long haul.
There was little change in 24-6A, as Clear Brook, Clear Creek, Clear Falls, Clear Lake and Clear Springs will be joined by Dickinson along with the return of Brazoswood, which has been in and out of the district several times over the past decade-plus.
The fun begins in a revamped District 9-5A-1, where Friendswood and Galveston Ball will help comprise a district that also includes Baytown Lee, Baytown Sterling, Goose Creek Memorial, La Porte and Pasadena Memorial.
For the first time in decades, Texas City finds itself in a football district that does not include Ball. The Stingarees moved down to District 12-5A-2, where they will see a familiar face in Santa Fe. The two schools will be joined by Crosby, Dayton, Kingwood Park, Barbers Hill, Nederland and Port Neches-Groves.
However, Texas City will be part of a basketball/volleyball District 22-5A that will include Baytown Goose Creek Memorial, Baytown Lee, Baytown Sterling, Friendswood, Galveston Ball, La Porte, Manvel and Santa Fe.
After being in a district with Houston ISD schools for the past few years, La Marque will see its share of long road trips. The Cougars are now part of a District 12-4A-2 that also has Bellville, Brookshire Royal, Sealy, Sweeny and Wharton.
“We have some familiarity with some of those teams,” said Cougars football coach Shone Evans, “but there are freebies with this schedule. We’re no longer going to have our JV travel with us and give them game time. We’re going to have to play all night long.”
The Cougars will remain in Region III for football, but will be Region IV in each of its other sports.
La Marque will also be part of non-football District 25-4A that will also have Bay City, Brazosport, Needville, Stafford, Sweeny and Columbia.
Hitchcock is now part of football only District 12-3A, a six-team district that will also have Boling, Columbus, Hallettsville, Hempstead and Yoakum. The Bulldogs will also compete in non-football District 24-3A with Boling, Danbury, East Bernard, Houston Harmony, Hempstead, Van Vleck and Wallis Brazos.
