New Sports Alignments Announced For the Next Itoo Years
A historic rivalry was tom apart Thursday as the University Interscholastic League ( UIL) announced its sports realignments for the next two seasons.
La Grange and Smithville, which have been district rivals for about a long as anyone can remember (The Leps and Tigers have played each other evety season since 1972 except for 1996 and 97) were placed in different football districts.
La Grange joined former district rivals Giddings and Caldwell in a new District 114A with Bellville, Madisonville and Sealy.
The Leps lose district rivals Smithville, Cuero and Gonzales.
Smithville was sent west into District 13-4A with Navarro, Gonzales, Jarrell, Lago Vista, Salado, and Wimberley.
“I’ve been doing this long enough that the UIL doesn’t surprise me, but the fact that we went that way (East) without Smithville does surprise me,” said La Grange head football coach Kyle Cooper.
But Cooper was able to keep the matchup alive, scheduling Smithville as a non-district opponent.
La Grange’s non-district schedule will look like this the next two years: They will have scrimmages against El Campo and Franklin (the latter specifically to get work against the Slot-T, Cooper said) and then will open against Cameron, Columbus, Smithville, Taylor and Navasota, before jumping into district play.
And what a district it is as the Leps road to the playoffs will be tougher against these new foes.
“Bellville was the staterunner up and Madisonville is a strong program with a lot coming back,” Cooper said. “Those two are at the front of that district. Giddings, Sealy and, I would include us in this group, are good football programs trying to reestablish themselves.”
In other realignment news for La Grange, their new basketball and volleyball districts will include former rivals Smithville, Giddings and Caldwell and add Bellville and Navasota, and lose Taylor, Austin Achieve and Manor New Tech.
Often over the past two years many games with Austin Achieve and Manor New Tech were non-competitive blowouts, so these new districts will be good for fans.
“I think our kids are excited about it,” Cooper said. “There were some situations before where you know the outcome of the games before they happened. These new district teams are all towns like us, and should add a lot of excitement and rivalry to the district.”
Schulenburg, Flatonia and Weimar, meanwhile were placed in a vastly different football district too.
These three Hwy. 90 schools were shifted south.
Gone are Heame, Thomdale, Thrall and Holland from their football district and in their place are Bloomington, Danbury, Ganado and Kenedy.
“It didn’t surprise me.
Going south just made sense,” said Schulenburg head football coach Luke Hobbs.
Hobbs has scheduled season openers the next two seasons against Hallettsville Sacred Heart. This fall Schulenburg will host the game and Hobbs said he plans to have a David Husmann recognition night for the opener because Husmann coached both schools.
Then games will follow against Rogers, Burton and Brazos before the Shorthorns jump into district play.
Both the next two seasons, the season finales will feature matchups of county-rivals Schulenburg vs. Flatonia.
“I’m excited about playing new people, but it’s going to be a very competitive district,” Flatonia head coach Brent Mascheck said of the realignment. “Ganado went to the state semis last year and Schulenburg, I feel, will be one of the top teams in the state.”
For the next two years, Mascheck has scheduled scrimmages against Rice and Boling, and will open the season against Louise, Hallettsville Sacred Heart, Nixon-Smiley and Three Rivers before jumping into district play.
In Class 1A
The 1A basketball district for Fayetteville and Round Top-Carmine the next two years will be 29-1A and features foes Buckholts, Calvert, Dime Box, North Zulch and Richards.