kepdawg
06-03-2005, 12:22 PM
Big changes in Class 2A likely
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
The month of June has arrived and the high school athletic season is finally over, which gives us a chance to catch our breath, retool and resupply for football season, and look ahead.
One of the things on the horizon is the next University Interscholastic League district realignment. I like to broach this topic at this time of year because a) it fills news space in the summer, b) it's not very far away, and c) this time around, unlike the last time, things could get mighty interesting.
What does the UIL have up its sleeve for 2006? One item to watch for will be the expansion of the numbers of schools placed in both Class A and 5A. That's because of the approval of an additional playoff team per district in both classifications. There will now be four playoff teams per 5A district, and as in the other classes, three teams per 1A district.
The bottom of 5A should drop, and the top of 1A should rise - and the classifications in the middle will probably be squeezed smaller.
Sometime in October of this year, the UIL will take all high-school enrollments and rank all schools by size. After placing the biggest schools in 5A, it will then divide the list with anywhere between 192 and 225 schools in each classification from 2A through 4A. The remainder at the bottom of the list are placed in Class A.
Within each class, teams will be placed into 32 districts. In each two-year reclassification, as schools grow or shrink in relation to one another, the UIL must redraw these districts. The UIL - usually with much fanfare - announces the new districts on the first Monday in February.
In the most recent realignment cycle, Class 3A was reduced in size to 192 schools, because of the wide disparity between the largest and smallest schools in that group. Since 3A likely cannot be cut in size further, we can expect slimmer, trimmer 2A and 4A groups come next year.
That could be good news, travel-wise, for Sherman and Denison. We may see more five-team districts out west, which would mean our two local 4A schools would be more likely to rejoin some nearby neighbors such as the Denton and Frisco schools.
(The two McKinney schools will probably both go 5A next time, then drop back to 4A in 2008, after the third high school opens.) Class 3A schools will mostly be status quo statewide, but in our area, there could be several schools that join this group.
For instance, Celina seems almost guaranteed to go back up to 3A, and high-growth schools like Prosper, Aubrey and Argyle are definitely on the bubble.
Anna, which is losing a lot of Melissa ISD students who formerly attended that school, should stay 2A for now, which is good news for new head coach Chris Dodd. But after 2008, the way that town is growing, all bets are off.
The classification in which we could see a major shake-up is in 2A. If we see a significant reduction in 2A's size, we can probably say good-bye to the cozy eight-team district that most Grayson County schools have enjoyed, and see some go in one direction and the rest in another.
There's a possibility that the small 2A schools, such as Honey Grove and Blue Ridge, could drop to 1A. Varsity newcomer Melissa, on the other hand, should be a lock to jump to 2A in 2006, and may jump again to 3A in 2008.
As the enrollment figures trickle out after Oct. 1, we'll have an idea of how the future districts in our area may look - but nothing will be set in stone until the first Monday in February.
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
The month of June has arrived and the high school athletic season is finally over, which gives us a chance to catch our breath, retool and resupply for football season, and look ahead.
One of the things on the horizon is the next University Interscholastic League district realignment. I like to broach this topic at this time of year because a) it fills news space in the summer, b) it's not very far away, and c) this time around, unlike the last time, things could get mighty interesting.
What does the UIL have up its sleeve for 2006? One item to watch for will be the expansion of the numbers of schools placed in both Class A and 5A. That's because of the approval of an additional playoff team per district in both classifications. There will now be four playoff teams per 5A district, and as in the other classes, three teams per 1A district.
The bottom of 5A should drop, and the top of 1A should rise - and the classifications in the middle will probably be squeezed smaller.
Sometime in October of this year, the UIL will take all high-school enrollments and rank all schools by size. After placing the biggest schools in 5A, it will then divide the list with anywhere between 192 and 225 schools in each classification from 2A through 4A. The remainder at the bottom of the list are placed in Class A.
Within each class, teams will be placed into 32 districts. In each two-year reclassification, as schools grow or shrink in relation to one another, the UIL must redraw these districts. The UIL - usually with much fanfare - announces the new districts on the first Monday in February.
In the most recent realignment cycle, Class 3A was reduced in size to 192 schools, because of the wide disparity between the largest and smallest schools in that group. Since 3A likely cannot be cut in size further, we can expect slimmer, trimmer 2A and 4A groups come next year.
That could be good news, travel-wise, for Sherman and Denison. We may see more five-team districts out west, which would mean our two local 4A schools would be more likely to rejoin some nearby neighbors such as the Denton and Frisco schools.
(The two McKinney schools will probably both go 5A next time, then drop back to 4A in 2008, after the third high school opens.) Class 3A schools will mostly be status quo statewide, but in our area, there could be several schools that join this group.
For instance, Celina seems almost guaranteed to go back up to 3A, and high-growth schools like Prosper, Aubrey and Argyle are definitely on the bubble.
Anna, which is losing a lot of Melissa ISD students who formerly attended that school, should stay 2A for now, which is good news for new head coach Chris Dodd. But after 2008, the way that town is growing, all bets are off.
The classification in which we could see a major shake-up is in 2A. If we see a significant reduction in 2A's size, we can probably say good-bye to the cozy eight-team district that most Grayson County schools have enjoyed, and see some go in one direction and the rest in another.
There's a possibility that the small 2A schools, such as Honey Grove and Blue Ridge, could drop to 1A. Varsity newcomer Melissa, on the other hand, should be a lock to jump to 2A in 2006, and may jump again to 3A in 2008.
As the enrollment figures trickle out after Oct. 1, we'll have an idea of how the future districts in our area may look - but nothing will be set in stone until the first Monday in February.