Tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2024, is the day! The University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) biennium realignments will take place on Thursday, February 1, 2024. Coaches and Superintendents will converge on the regional Education Service Centers to get their packets and find out which district they are in. Since 2013, UIL has helped a bit by releasing the cutoff numbers for each class, as well as division cutoffs for football, however, UIL does not release the districts until February of every even year.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires all schools to turn in enrollments on the last Friday of every October (“snapshot date”), through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). UIL uses the snapshot date to get the enrollment figures and assign public and charter schools to competitive districts and class (conferences) sizes. Currently, UIL has six classifications from 1A to 6A, and 1A to 5A the sport of football is divided into two divisions in the districts. For 6A, when the playoffs begin, that is when the teams are divided into two divisions.
The three school districts in Terry County, Brownfield ISD, Meadow ISD, & Wellman-Union CISD already know what class and divisions they will be in. Brownfield will stay 3A and stay in 3A DI for football and MISD & WUCISD will both stay in 1A and 1A DI for football. It was rumored that the 3A top cutoff number would have been raised from 5 to 20, however, that was not the case, it stayed at 544, but the bottom number was raised by four (4) from 250 to 254. The divisional cutoffs did change in both 1A & 3A. In the 2022 realignments, 3A DI was 360-544, this time it is 369-544. DII for 3A is 254-368. In 1A the top number has not changed in several realignment round and is 104. The divisional cutoff numbers did change from 59-104 being DI to 61.5-104.
In 3A, with the bottom cutoff number being raised and the divisional cutoff being raised, it has caused some changes, specifically for 3A Region I. Notably, Muleshoe and Slaton will drop to DII for football. Comanche will go up to DI and Sweetwater turned in 522 and will drop from 4A to 3A and of course, be in DI football. Also, Anthony has been in 2A for the past two realignments and turned in 2A numbers again, however, they have elected to go to 3A due to travel issues. Also, Brock will be heading up to 4A after turning in 624. Other notable changes is Abernathy and Spearman will fall to 2A and New Home will move up from 2A DII to 2A DI in football. In 1A, Morton & Whiteface moves up to 2A, except Whiteface will stay playing six man football.
Currently, Brownfield’s football district is District 1-3A DI, with Denver City, Kermit, Lamesa, and Slaton. It’s volleyball district is 3-3A with Coahoma, Denver City, Lamesa, Merkel, and Odessa Compass Academy. Their basketball district (this includes spring sports and academic competition ) is 3-3A with Denver City, Dimmitt, Friona, Lamesa, Littlefield, and Muleshoe. The softball district is Brownfield, Denver City, Lamesa, Littlefield, and Muleshoe. Baseball is the same as softball.
Meadow and Wellman-Union share the same football district, which includes O’Donnell and Whiteface. Wellman-Union volleyball district consists of Klondike and Loop. Meadow’s basketball district (also includes spring sports and academic competitions) includes Amherst, Anton, Cotton Center, Morton, Whiteface, and Whitharral. Wellman-Union basketball district (also includes spring sports and academic competitions) includes Dawson, Grady, Klondike, Loop, and Sands.
As coaches and administrators prepare for tomorrow, some of the coaches in Terry County are optimistic. Meadow AD/Head Football Coach Jacob Guzman said, “I expect our district not to change much. I’ve made a few maps trying to figure it out, but I don’t put much stock in that. Regardless of what happens, we’ll be in a competitive district just being in the area we’re in. Tough teams and tough coaches all around us. I wish I could say I had some type of hunch of where we’ll go, but the realignment seems to be the best-kept secret in Texas.” Wellman-Union AD/Head Girls Basketball Coach Josh Bailey said, It’s always interesting to see what new changes will happen, also always good to keep good rivals in a district and create new ones.”
Here are my predictions for tomorrow from 2A to 6A for Region I, and Region’s I & II for 1A.
CLASS 6A REGION I FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SPRING SPORTS, UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 5A REGION I FOOTBALL DI & D2
NOTE: According to some buzz coming out of Austin, El Paso Parkland which falls into 5A DII, may elect to go DI. If this is the case, then there will four 5A DI Football Schools in El Paso and it will shift the Amarillo & Lubbock schools out. Here are both predictions:
Original
Prediction with El Paso Parkland moving up to DI
CLASS 5A REGION I BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 4A REGION I FOOTBALL DI & D2
CLASS 4A REGION I BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 3A REGION I FOOTBALL DI & D2
CLASS 3A REGION I BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 2A REGION I VOLLEYBALL
CLASS 2A REGION I FOOTBALL DI & DII
CLASS 2A REGION I BASKETBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 1A REGION I VOLLEYBALL
CLASS 1A REGION I & II FOOTBALL DI
CLASS 1A REGION I & II FOOTBALL DII
CLASS 1A REGION I BASKETBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
CLASS 1A REGION II BASKETBALL, SPRING SPORTS, & UIL ACADEMICS
