***UIL Considering Radical Football Realignment Plan***

[KFDM COOP]

UIL considering radical football realignment plan

The complicated system used to provide competitive balance in Texas high school football could get a radical overhaul under a plan being considered by the University Interscholastic League.

The UIL redraws competitive districts every two years. The plan to be formally presented in June would carve all UIL football classifications into two divisions for football.

The split-division system would need approval from superintendents and coaches. It could be in place in time for the 2008-09 school year.

Charles Breithaupt, UIL athletic director, said the proposal would increase competitive balance by grouping more schools of similar size together.

"I think this plan has a lot of merit," Breithaupt told the San Antonio Express-News in a story published Friday. "There might be problems we haven't seen or thought of. But it looks pretty solid at this point. It just makes more sense to put teams into the same division at the beginning of the year instead of the end."

The UIL split the Class 5A postseason teams into two divisions in 1991 and that system grew to cover playoff teams in all classes. Of the three teams in each district that qualify for the playoffs, the largest school is placed in one division, while the other two are placed in a second.

The 5A playoff field was expanded last year to include four teams per district, with the largest two schools entering Division I and the smaller two in Division II.

The format was designed to prevent smaller schools from competing in the playoffs against opponents with significantly larger enrollments.

Results have been mixed. Last season, for example, the "small-school" 5A champion, Cedar Hill, had a larger enrollment than "big-school" winner Southlake Carroll.

Under the new proposal, each class will be split into two, 16-district divisions before the start of the season.

"No matter how you divide the schools, you're always going to have teams in the bottom range who are not going to be happy," Breithaupt said. "But if you look at it globally, we think it's pretty good."

The model was taken from a system used last year at the six-player level. Teams initially bombarded the UIL with complaints, but they eventually embraced the change.

"I thought it worked out great, and so does everyone I've talked to," said Calvert coach Coylin Grimes. "Any time you have something new, people are going to reject it. But they told us it was going to be great for the smaller schools, and they were right."

[Tiger90]

So how would our area look?

[Guest etbu]

Spoke to some area Coachs and still cannot figure this one out.

[TexasHSFootball]

http://www.texashsfootball.com/playoffs/news06/commentary1115.htm

I posted this back in November and nobody paid too much attention. And now look at what is being talked about.

You have to look at the bigger picture.. the big thing this will do is give the smaller schools a chance to compete. 21-3A had WOS, Silsbee, Kirbyville made the playoffs. Hardin-Jefferson, Hamshire-Fannett, Orangefield, and Kirbyville are smallest schools in the their district. Biggest schools are WOS, Silsbee, Jasper and Bridge City. Traditionally out of the district, look at the playoff contenders. That is the root of the problem in about 90% of the districts in the state. The new format would actually make things more competitive.

I would guarantee the 90% of the coaches would worry about being more competitive and making the playoffs than worry about the travel issue. Sure, some parts of the state have long travel like in East and West Texas. Thats part of the reason realignment is held in February instead of June or July. Scheduling and Travel budgets are done in spring months.

This plan design to make the disparity between the schools less evident and more competitive. You are not losing championships but you gaining the opportunity for smaller schools to be more competitive and have a better chance to make the playoffs and go deeper as well.

Instead of splitting the teams by enrollment in the playoffs, it would be split up enrollment by district. The top two in each of the 16 districts would advance to playoffs. You are gaining a playoff team in each classification but losing a playoff spot in district. Bascically resulting in better competition for big and small schools as a whole. You will probably see more smaller districts of no more than 5 or 6 teams.

West Brook in 5A, Kirbyville in 3A, Nederland in 4A would actually have decent shot to go deeper under the format.

[Guest ECBucFan]

I don't think it's really "under consideration" at all. It's a done deal. CB & Co. loves to micro-manage things.... Just get ready to drive and drive and drive and drive....

[Bobcatfan4life]

So if I'm uderstanding this right then something like this would happen next realignment??

3A district

WOS

Silsbee

BC

Jasper

Splendora

Cleveland

3A District

HJ

Kirbyville

HF

OF

Liberty

Tarkington

[Guest etbu]

Like last year Cedar Hill who won the small was actually larger than SLC who won the large school. I hear at the start of the year they will set the districts based on numbers. I think what they are trying to do is to create a six-a and will not have much impact on smaller schools. Thats my take but as we all know when the UIL starts talking nothing makes sense.

[KFDM COOP]

Yea there will be smaller Districts..Districts will be put together by enrollment. Smaller schools with smaller schools, bigger schools with bigger schools. This may happen as early as this upcoming new relignment year for 5A and 4A.

[KFDM COOP]

So if I'm uderstanding this right then something like this would happen next realignment??

3A district

WOS

Silsbee

BC

Jasper

Splendora

Cleveland

3A District

HJ

Kirbyville

HF

OF

Liberty

Tarkington

Yes. More travel BUT smaller schools will have a better shot at playoffs.

[bronco1]

That could end up being a traveling nightmare. I would be willin to bet a lot of schools won't go for it. Coaches would probably be fine, but administrators, teachers, and parents won't like.

[KFDM COOP]

They probably won't but wouldn't a school rather travel some more and make the playoffs or not travel as much and never make the playoffs.

[Cat22]

They probably won't but wouldn't a school rather travel some more and make the playoffs or not travel as much and never make the playoffs.

I doubt anyone in OF would have a problem with it!!

[Guest etbu]

What is going to be interesting is how these new schools  are going to be funded. The supid. in Humble tried to warn everyone over here and now they are ten million dollars in the red for this year. On top of that they want to build a new high school over in Falls Creek but where are the kids going to come from in ten years. Unless we get a huge influx of new kids we are coming down after next year.

[bronco1]

So let me get this straight. The new districts would be based on enrollment within the entire region. If so that would mean Houston or SETX teams playing some Austin area teams. Right???

[KFDM COOP]

Within the same area.

[bronco1]

Within the same area.

I can find regional divisions, what are the area divsions?

[KFDM COOP]

The UIL will sort all that out. Teams from this area will still have teams from their area in the district.

[Guest BigHam]

I can't see things changing too much for WB. They already travel a good bit for the away games. PAM as well...

[bronco1]

Basically it would be combining two area Districts. This might be what the next Districts could look like. This is Districts 21-4A through 24-4A. Maybe, possibly,???

[KFDM COOP]

Yup could look like that. Remember IF this passes this Summer only 2 teams from each district will go to the playoffs. BUT once again there will be small school districts and big school districts.

[Tiger90]

So do we get a 1A, 2A,3A,4A single champion?  If so these supposed  "smaller therefore deemed weaker :" schools will still get beat come playoff time.  So the "better/more talented" team in a bigger district won't make the playoffs and a smaller school will basically take the spot?  Am I missing something here?  WOS was a small 4A football and still made it, as was Newton when 3A, and Kirbyville in 3A.  The supposed small HJ just won state in bball.  If your community has the athletes, it has the athletes.  We are in an unfortunate area.  If many of the schools in this area were out west or up in the panhandle they would be a dominant force.  We have a bloodbath in the greater Houston area due to the talent levels.  

Face value unless I'm not understanding this all here I do not like it.  I would wager we would have 2 seperate 3A districts next year under the current system.

[KFDM COOP]

No, there will still be a big School and small School champion. It's just you won't have a school 10 times bigger playing another.

[Guest Nederland Bulldogs]

I like it!

[eaba26]

how about 1a

would schools like hull-daisetta, west hardin, colmesneil,and others over 150 be in one district and smaller schools like evadale, high island, and sabine pass be in another. i mean chester has 60 kids and play against schools with 180. thats not right.

[KFDM COOP]

Yes.