Nothing gets Texas high school football nerd’s blood pumping quite like the every two year UIL realignment. It’s unlike anything in any other sport: every two years, the UIL completely changes the game and reshuffles the order in which teams will play.
For those who need a primer on how realignment works, here’s a two-sentence overview:
Every two years, schools report how many students are enrolled at their school. The UIL then takes those numbers, subdivides them into relatively equal classes, and – based largely on geography – determines which district each team will play in.
That number was sent in on Friday, October 25, the day known as snap-shot day. According to DCISD Superintendent Gary Davis that number sent in was 501, about a 20 student increase over the last realignment number for 2018 – 2020 which was above the 487 turned in two years ago.
The new districts will be made known in early February, but once again the UIL is expected to release the classification cutoff numbers sometime in early December. This will give a range of enrollment that will constitute each classification. In turn this also means if a school district knows what school has what enrollment, they can figure out what classification they will more than likely inhabit the next two seasons. And even better, they can start a tentative fall schedule, at least in football.
Four years ago, the UIL divided the football playoff scene into two divisions for 1A through 4A classifications. Starting with the last realignment the 5A districts also started following the same format as the smaller classifications and they too were split into Division I and II according to the school enrollment before the football season starts. That leaves 6A as the only classification where the playoff divisions will be decided after the completion of the season.
For the 6A schools those playoff divisions are decided after the fact, with the two largest playoff schools going to Division I and the two smallest playoff schools going to Division II, no matter where they finished during the regular season. A third place team in a 6A district could conceivably be the number one seeded team in Division I according to their high school enrollment.
This division only affects football. In all other sports there is not a Division I or Division II.
The cutoff numbers for the past two years for each classification was 6A – 2,190 or more, 5A – 1,150 – 2,190, 4A – 505 – 1,149, 3A – 225 – 504, 2A – 105 – 224, 1A – 104.9 or less.
Division numbers for each classification in football was 5A DI 1,840 or more, 5A DII 1,150 – 1,939, 4A DI 790 – 1,149, 4A DII 505 – 789, 3A D1 335 – 504, 3A DII 225 – 334, 2A DI 161.5 224, 2A DII 105 – 161.4, 1A DI 55.5 – 104.9, 1A DII 55.4 or less.
However those numbers are not sealed in stone for the next realignment. Former Athletic Director Steve Taylor said the top numbers usually go up in every classification, sometimes by as many as 10-15 students. If that is the case again this year the top number for 3A could jump all the way to 515 – 520 which would keep Denver City in as a large 3A school district.
For the last realignment Denver City turned in 487, Seminole had 793 students, Brownfield was sitting at 465, and Bushland turned in 463.
Now the fun part begins, speculating where everyone will fall. Here are some of the latest rumors – Denver City could be considered a “Bubble Team”, meaning depending on where the new cutoff numbers fall it could keep us in 3A or possibly a jump into 4A for another two years.
Four years ago the top number for 3A was 465 and two years ago that top number went to 479, an increase of 14 students and for the last enrollment the top number was 505. If that number goes up again by 14 students the top number for 3A would be 520, which would leave Denver City as a 3A school once again.
Football is the only sport that is divided into two divisions, all other sports have just one division.
In determining who goes into which classification the UIL also dictates a certain number of schools must be in each classification, which plays a major role in determining who goes where.
According to the UIL rule book, “Conference 6A shall consist of a minimum of 220 schools and a maximum of 250 schools participating in football, not including schools choosing to opt up to 6A. Conference 2A through 5A shall consist of a minimum of 200 schools, to the best extent possible.
Also noted, according to the UIL handbook, there will be 32 districts in all classifications, but in 1A through 5A those districts will be subdivided into 16 Division I and 16 Division II districts in football only. The same thing also happens in the 6A, but not until the top four teams in each district is determined.
Four teams in all classifications will advance to post season play in all sports.
The largest school district in the state of Texas, according to the last realignment is Allen with a high school enrollment of 6,664 and smallest high school is Valentine which had an enrollment of 9 students. Just above Valentine was Marathon with an enrollment of 16 students. The second largest school district in 6A is Plano West with an enrollment of 5,654, a thousand less students then Allen.
Other area school enrollment is Bushland with 479, Shallowater has 464, River Road is 403, Slaton turned in 393, Littlefield is 363, and Muleshoe submitted 352.
Sit back, relax, and before you know it the 2020 season for all sports will begin and everyone will be set for the next two years.
