intresting from texasprepxtra...what do you think?

[panther power]

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]

sorry, it got cut off but i think you can get the point, i apoligize....

[VWG]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Yah, maybe we'll get free stuff...

[Old Dog]

You couldn't help, they would fear you might want a cut of the playoff gate receipts! ......LOL