vet93
11-30-2001, 05:12 PM
Before I answer why I think that there has been a decline, I want to start by saying that I will be speaking in generalizations relating to 3A. Anyone can site an example of a team or individual that goes against the norm. The exception is not the rule. I am also not trying to be disrespectful to any one individual, group, team or part of the state. Here are the reasons that I think that West Texas will have and continue to have difficulty competing against teams from the east.
1. Population - Everyone knows that for the past 20 to 30 years 2/3 of the population of Texas lies east of I-35. This means that West Texas has fewer representatives to fight for a championship. Looking at the schools, there are about 30 to 36 schools (depending on who you talk to) that are considered "west Texas" (I am including panhandle schools). This represents about 15% of the total number of 3a schools. Not a very large percentage. There does not seem to be any relief from the population trend because the Texas economy is continuing to depend less and less on oil and agriculture.
2. School enrollment - compared to schools in the east,West Texas has an average lower enrollment per school. Region I averages 531 students per school, region II averages 564, region III 570 and region IV 531. If you remove the metroplex schools from the region I totals leaving only west texas and panhandle schools then the average school enrollment drops to 484. This is a deficit of 80 to 90 kids per school. These numbers mean nothing on an individual basis, but when taken in aggregate, west texas schools are at a fairly significant disadvantage from an enrollment standpoint. What coach wouldn't want an extra 40 to 45 boys to try to get plugged into their programs. Again this trend does not seem to be reversing itself with the exception of suburban schools such as Midland Greenwood and Abilene Wylie growing due to population shifts within the community or traditional 4a schools moving down to 3a such as Monahans, Sweetwater, Lamesa and Snyder (next year).
3. Demographics - Football is a sport that puts a premium on size, stength and speed more than many sports. Therefore, regional demographics can play a significant role in determining the long term success of a team. Much has been made (and rightly so) of the "speed factor" related to teams from the east. How does this speed differential occur. Is there something in the water that makes kids that live east of I-35 faster? Do they work harder? Are the coaches smarter? While you may be able to point to one of the aforementioned reasons in some instances, the fact remains that there is only one primary reason for the speed differential. The schools in the east have a higher percentage of black athletes. I hope that you realize that this is not a racist statement, but just an observation of the facts relating to state demographics. Furthermore, many west texas communities have seen a population increase in only one sector of the population. That is the hispanic population. The same can be said for many south texas communities as well. When you are competing in a sport that puts a premium on size, strength and speed; schools with high hispanic populations do not have as much raw material to choose from. Before you accuse me of racism on this point please know that some of my best friends are hispanic and they were some of the toughest most fearless football players you will ever meet. However, if we are looking at athletic ability as it relates to football, then all you have to do is look at the rosters of Collegiate DI and DII football teams and then look at the percentage of hispanic athletes that they have. I remember a statement made by a longtime college sportscaster (can't remember his name, used to announce with Bob Griese) which went something like this, "In all my year of following collegiate football the one thing that I have learned is that big fast guys will beat little fast guys every time". This is a paraphrase of course, but the statement holds water. The demographics of the state do not appear to be changing so I don't see any change for West Texas communities in the forseeable future.
In conclusion, I love west texas football and have been watching it for years. The atmosphere, attitude, and all of the intangibles relating to football are second to none out west, but the fact remains that west texas 3A will continue to have difficulty competing on a statewide level based on the factors that I have mentioned. That is not to say that they can't win a championship. It just means that they have the deck stacked against them and will have to have an exceptional team to run the table.
1. Population - Everyone knows that for the past 20 to 30 years 2/3 of the population of Texas lies east of I-35. This means that West Texas has fewer representatives to fight for a championship. Looking at the schools, there are about 30 to 36 schools (depending on who you talk to) that are considered "west Texas" (I am including panhandle schools). This represents about 15% of the total number of 3a schools. Not a very large percentage. There does not seem to be any relief from the population trend because the Texas economy is continuing to depend less and less on oil and agriculture.
2. School enrollment - compared to schools in the east,West Texas has an average lower enrollment per school. Region I averages 531 students per school, region II averages 564, region III 570 and region IV 531. If you remove the metroplex schools from the region I totals leaving only west texas and panhandle schools then the average school enrollment drops to 484. This is a deficit of 80 to 90 kids per school. These numbers mean nothing on an individual basis, but when taken in aggregate, west texas schools are at a fairly significant disadvantage from an enrollment standpoint. What coach wouldn't want an extra 40 to 45 boys to try to get plugged into their programs. Again this trend does not seem to be reversing itself with the exception of suburban schools such as Midland Greenwood and Abilene Wylie growing due to population shifts within the community or traditional 4a schools moving down to 3a such as Monahans, Sweetwater, Lamesa and Snyder (next year).
3. Demographics - Football is a sport that puts a premium on size, stength and speed more than many sports. Therefore, regional demographics can play a significant role in determining the long term success of a team. Much has been made (and rightly so) of the "speed factor" related to teams from the east. How does this speed differential occur. Is there something in the water that makes kids that live east of I-35 faster? Do they work harder? Are the coaches smarter? While you may be able to point to one of the aforementioned reasons in some instances, the fact remains that there is only one primary reason for the speed differential. The schools in the east have a higher percentage of black athletes. I hope that you realize that this is not a racist statement, but just an observation of the facts relating to state demographics. Furthermore, many west texas communities have seen a population increase in only one sector of the population. That is the hispanic population. The same can be said for many south texas communities as well. When you are competing in a sport that puts a premium on size, strength and speed; schools with high hispanic populations do not have as much raw material to choose from. Before you accuse me of racism on this point please know that some of my best friends are hispanic and they were some of the toughest most fearless football players you will ever meet. However, if we are looking at athletic ability as it relates to football, then all you have to do is look at the rosters of Collegiate DI and DII football teams and then look at the percentage of hispanic athletes that they have. I remember a statement made by a longtime college sportscaster (can't remember his name, used to announce with Bob Griese) which went something like this, "In all my year of following collegiate football the one thing that I have learned is that big fast guys will beat little fast guys every time". This is a paraphrase of course, but the statement holds water. The demographics of the state do not appear to be changing so I don't see any change for West Texas communities in the forseeable future.
In conclusion, I love west texas football and have been watching it for years. The atmosphere, attitude, and all of the intangibles relating to football are second to none out west, but the fact remains that west texas 3A will continue to have difficulty competing on a statewide level based on the factors that I have mentioned. That is not to say that they can't win a championship. It just means that they have the deck stacked against them and will have to have an exceptional team to run the table.