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panther power
02-28-2005, 10:15 PM
The Little Southwest Conference must be broken up.

Major changes need to occur to fit more teams in 5A as growth and bigger high schools are becoming the norm. Denton, Frisco, McKinney, Eagle Mountain and Mansfield ISD, five of the fastest growing areas in the state of Texas, will add new schools in the 2006 realignment. 4A schools such as Arlington Seguin, Keller Central, McKinney North, Azle, Waxahachie and Hebron are expected to continue growth to possible 5A status. The best way to do this is to break up the Little SWC. If expected growth trends in Abilene occur, one of the two schools could be 4A within 4 years.

Abilene needs to shift to the metroplex. With schools within approximately the same or less travel than Abilene already faces, schools like Burleson, Granbury, North Crowley, Weatherford and Azle need to be paired with the Abilene teams.

You might ask - now what with the remaining four teams from 3-5A? The Midland and Odessa schools certainly cannot do a four team round robin situation like the East Texas teams of 2002.

I propose a superdistrict in 2-5A. A 10 team district, comprising of the Amarillo schools, the Lubbock schools, San Angelo Central, Midland schools and Odessa schools. The setup of the 10 team district does have precedent. For several realignments, El Paso teams have had 10 team districts. Fort Worth ISD's 4A district was a 10 team district in the last realignment. I propose a zone system similar to what this Fort Worth ISD district did. Two five team zones - a North zone and a South zone. The North zone's 5 teams would contain the Amarillo and Lubbock schools. The South zone's 5 teams would reunite San Angelo Central with Midland, Midland Lee, Odessa High and Odessa Permian.

The 5 team district would cause a bye week and 4 district games. The Zone setup would cause a 10th week playoff setting. If marketed right, all five games could be played over a three day type of classic setup in one of the West Texas stadiums in rotation between the stadiums. North 1 seed would play South 1 seed, North 2 seed would play South 2 seed, and so on. Each 5 team zone would get 2 playoff teams. This would keep the playoff integrity of a 50% or less ratio making the playoffs. All four seeds will have no tiebreaker issues therefore ease of playoffs will occur. Bi-district games against El Paso will maintain a regional flare.

The regular season would start at Week 4, requiring 4 non-district games to be played in week 0, 1, 2 and 3. The midseason bye could be used for an exhibition game or just a needed week off for the teams. No team would have a Week 10 bye, which eliminates the issue of momentum going into the State Playoffs. Also, Abilene and Abilene Cooper not being in the same district will allow a rich opportunity for non-district games. The Abilene schools will each have 3 non-district games. Filling those 3 non-district games against traditional West Texas rivals should give a schools like Midland Lee and Odessa Permian an easier time filling their non distri

panther power
02-28-2005, 10:16 PM
sorry, it got cut off but i think you can get the point, i apoligize....

VWG
02-28-2005, 10:26 PM
Abilene Cooper could fall to 4A.
Voters turned down a proposal to combine Cooper and A. High to make one school.
Amarillo to San Angelo is a bear of a drive. I wouldn't count that happening at all.

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 10:31 PM
So instead of doing all of the traveling during district play, they can just do it during non-district?

Say it with me fella's 'crack-pipe'...

This is what happens when these guys venture outside of the metroplex...

should change the site to metroprepsxtra...

wildstangs
02-28-2005, 10:37 PM
I think the break up of the Little SWC is coming soon, probably in 2006. With the UIL adding the 4th team in 5A playoffs, many believe 6 team districts in 5A will be eliminated. Combining the Midland/Odessa school with Amarillo/ Luboock, sending San Angelo Central to a central Texas district, and Abilene to the metroplex seems the logical thing to do. If Cooper should drop to 4A, who knows what would happen. I guess you could send Abilene High with San Angelo to CenTex. Can't wait until February!

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 10:43 PM
Okay, upon further review, this makes sense...

However, not 'that much more' sense...

The fact is, you still have travel issues and you'd still have districting problems (example: the 'superdistrict', like something out of Austin Powers)...

So basically, what you get in the end is not that many miles off of travel and still a few districting probs, so, I'd like to think that the LSWC folks would rather leave things as is or invite another team in etc...

wildstangs
02-28-2005, 10:46 PM
Of course most people would like for the SWC to contine, but who wants to see 4 of 6 teams advance to the playoffs? Who else could you add to the conference?

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 10:49 PM
Make a 'super-dooper' district... Hell, I dunno...

It's a good thinking point, but not as realistic to what we see now...

I wouldn't at all mind seeing Midland Lee, Odessa Permian, Abilene High and Abilene Cooper all be in the playoffs, Midland High included, dunno 'bout OHS...

wildstangs
02-28-2005, 10:54 PM
I agree with you Gobbla, I would like to see four teams from that district in the playoffs since it is so tough from top to bottom.

But on the other hand, I think some six team districts have no business sending three to the playoffs, muchless four teams. Thats why I figure the UIL will scrap the 6 team districts in 5A.

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 10:58 PM
Yah, that is pretty rediculous...

They should add San Angelo Central to the Little SWC...

Check this out, from texashsfootball.com:

San Angelo Central faces the same problem in Class 5A being paired in with the Amarillo and Lubbock schools for football. For a district game in Amarillo the Bobcats have to go 315 miles or six and half hours away. Lubbock is 200 miles or a four hour drive. If the Bobcats were placed in The Little SWC district of 3-5A a trip to Odessa would be three hours or roughly 150 miles. Midland would be two and half hours or 130 miles away and Abilene is a two hour drive just 90 miles away.

Interesting...

And those are prolly times from a 55 mph map...

90 miles would be an hour and a half... pretty good compared to six hours I think...

wildstangs
02-28-2005, 11:03 PM
Central competes in the Little SWC for every sport except football. The trips to Amarillo and Lubbock are very long. That problem would probably end if San Angelo would move enough students to give Lakeview a 5A enrollment.

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 11:05 PM
Originally posted by wildstangs
Central competes in the Little SWC for every sport except football. The trips to Amarillo and Lubbock are very long. That problem would probably end if San Angelo would move enough students to give Lakeview a 5A enrollment.

Another good suggestion...

That may be what needs to happen...

Good points...

wildstangs
02-28-2005, 11:06 PM
Originally posted by Gobbla2001
Another good suggestion...

That may be what needs to happen...

Good points...

How about you and I go down to Austin next fall and offer our help to the UIL :)

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 11:12 PM
Yah, maybe we'll get free stuff...

Old Dog
02-28-2005, 11:28 PM
You couldn't help, they would fear you might want a cut of the playoff gate receipts! ......LOL

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 11:29 PM
Originally posted by Old Dog
You couldn't help, they would fear you might want a cut of the playoff gate receipts! ......LOL

Shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone...

Old Dog
02-28-2005, 11:31 PM
Okay, I won't tell.................

sinton66
02-28-2005, 11:33 PM
So who, then, do Amarillo and Lubbock get to play with? There aren't that many 5A schools up in the panhandle. There are two current 5A schools in Corpus that are actually 4A size but remained in 5A by choice because of the travel considerations. The 4A district here is already full (8 teams). If they drop down, somebodys travelling to the Valley or to San Antonio. Same would be true for the remaining 5A teams, because there would only be four left in the district. It's not always as easy as it seems like it should be.

Gobbla2001
02-28-2005, 11:34 PM
Originally posted by sinton66
So who, then, do Amarillo and Lubbock get to play with? There aren't that many 5A schools up in the panhandle. There are two current 5A schools in Corpus that are actually 4A size but remained in 5A by choice because of the travel considerations. The 4A district here is already full (8 teams). If they drop down, somebodys travelling to the Valley or to San Antonio. Same would be true for the remaining 5A teams, because there would only be four left in the district. It's not always as easy as it seems like it should be.

texashsfootball.com mentioned the corpus situation...

Corpus is too far from the 'plex to get on that site...

Z motion 10 out on 2
03-01-2005, 01:56 PM
When in West Texas you will just have to make road trips. That is just how it is. Combining districts or not.

Horseymen
03-01-2005, 02:53 PM
Being the author of that article - I have yet to see any real "issues" preventing the zone district idea. Is it stupid because it's me or is it stupid because it's stupid? I'm thinking the former.. I'd like concrete reasons why it wouldn't work vs. the status quo.

You did offer that let's move more teams into the LSWC.. okay.. we move San Angelo there.. that means we have a 7 team and a 5 team 5A district.. with 4 teams going to the playoffs. Great -- 8 of 12 5A schools in the area make the playoffs. Real competition. Creates scheduling headaches with odd number districts with 80% of the teams in one district making the playoffs. And you think this is a better idea? Right now, Abilene and Lakeview are hundreds of students from the 5A cutoff. Cooper isn't expected to drop until at least 2010. We have to work with reality here - which is what the zone plan does.

Amarilllo and Lubbock stay together - Midland/Odessa/SACentral stay together.. Abilene comes to the metroplex - and with western Ft. Worth expanding and Weatherford, Granbury, Azle and schools like that expected to be in 5A - it'll be no further, less further if anything than they already drive.

At least you have the choice - Cooper COULD play Abilene Wylie in non-district if they want a close game. I'm not suggesting 5A vs. 3A - but it's at least possible. Plenty of 5A vs. 4A and 4A vs. 3A games in West Texas in non-district. The zoned idea gives 5 district games, just like in a 6 team district - eliminates the HUGE outlying travel problem (Amarillo to San Angelo) and allows more non-district flexibility.. Amarillo and Lubbock can play its 4A teams like Palo Duro or Pampa or Frenship in non district.. then you have at least 10 teams to pull 4 teams from, which keeps the districts competitive. The question of rivalry games were also addressed - having 5 non district games can keep any of the Midland-Abilene rivalries in tact, if they wish - but at that point, it's at least their choice.

Horseymen
03-01-2005, 02:57 PM
The article was specifically about breaking up the Little SWC - not about the general travel problems. Why would I mention Corpus in an article about the Little SWC?

We have South Texas/Houston area writers - perhaps you should go read those message forums and read those writers if you want talk about that area - I'm not asked to nor do I want to be a statewide correspondant.. we have a West Texas guy, a South Texas guy, a Houston guy, a Centex guy and a San Antonio guy - you won't be seeing any of those writing articles about the plight of the Polytechnic Parrots, either.

Z motion 10 out on 2
03-01-2005, 05:03 PM
Originally posted by Horseymen
The article was specifically about breaking up the Little SWC - not about the general travel problems. Why would I mention Corpus in an article about the Little SWC?

We have South Texas/Houston area writers - perhaps you should go read those message forums and read those writers if you want talk about that area - I'm not asked to nor do I want to be a statewide correspondant.. we have a West Texas guy, a South Texas guy, a Houston guy, a Centex guy and a San Antonio guy - you won't be seeing any of those writing articles about the plight of the Polytechnic Parrots, either.

Well defended Matt!