Bridge City (28) @ Lumberton (7) - FINAL

[Mr. Thornton Melon]

If they're hating on you , you're heading in the right direction. Go Cards !

[AggiesAreWe]

1 hour ago, Split Down The Bayou said:

Likely the case, like you said it's not their goal.

The weaker district thing is true, but a better fit for BC is it not? Idk why people complain about it so much it allows BC to be competitive. It affects no one from the original district. 

When I said "not a deep playoff team", I was expressing that they are a playoff team in 4A-D1 but won't be for long. Trying to give a realistic opinion of BC because it seems like people think they're hot garbage or the best team in the area🤣 Neither of which is the case

Actually, it did affect those 4 teams. Had BC, HJ and Liberty stayed in the district, HF, Jasper, Silsbee and WO-S would not have had to scramble to schedule a 5th (maybe even 4th) non-district game. When you are just a 6 team district, getting a 5th non district opponent is difficult.

With Shepherd and Tarkington moving up that helped fill the district but had they not, that district would have been staring at having a 4 team district. Then having to find two more non district games.

Trust me, having those three schools opting up affected the other 4 schools.

[SmashMouth]

47 minutes ago, setxathlete14 said:

They won't win a single playoff game if they make it. But that isn't their goal. Their goal was just to make the playoffs in a weaker district.

If they win the first seed they could win a playoff game, but that's as far as it goes.

[FALCONS2026]

18 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

If they win the first seed they could win a playoff game, but that's as far as it goes.

I think whoever wins the district is gonna have a hard time with the 4th place team in the first round but the second round should be much easier. You won't catch the district 9 winner until the third round.

[SmashMouth]

Just now, FALCONS2026 said:

I think whoever wins the district is gonna have a hard time with the 4th place team in the first round but the second round should be much easier. You won't catch the district 9 winner until the third round.

Agreed. I was remembering back when we played schools like Wheatley in the first round.

[setxathlete14]

42 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Actually, it did affect those 4 teams. Had BC, HJ and Liberty stayed in the district, HF, Jasper, Silsbee and WO-S would not have had to scramble to schedule a 5th (maybe even 4th) non-district game. When you are just a 6 team district, getting a 5th non district opponent is difficult.

With Shepherd and Tarkington moving up that helped fill the district but had they not, that district would have been staring at having a 4 team district. Then having to find two more non district games.

Trust me, having those three schools opting up affected the other 4 schools.

I wonder if a new rule will be implemented from UIL after this. Certainly should be visited 

[BBfan061]

31 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

If they win the first seed they could win a playoff game, but that's as far as it goes.

It’s a long shot for the 1 seed in this district to beat the 4 seed in bi district. 

[bullets13]

42 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

Difference is, they (L-Train) did it in the district they were assigned, and it wasn't "way back when" either... Just sayin. And it was more than a single "decent" season. The Cards started their Build Back Better campaign after "opting up" then playing down and beating the likes of Buna & Kirbyville and before district even started.

Maybe they should trounce the 4A-D1 district (which is possible) and eventually go back "down" to prove a point and be successful there too. Now THAT would be interesting...

I'm talking about 2007.  Before you were on the site, unless you had a different name then.  The people who were in the football forum back then will remember how silly it got for a minute.

[bullets13]

1 hour ago, Split Down The Bayou said:

It was perfect timing for me, I'd never thought I'd be pulling for BC as an Orangefield alum. I've got family playing for BC now, so naturally I root for them.

On another note "fled" is a very accurate description, but it doesn't bother me as much as I see it bothers others. BC is not near the level of program as WOS, Silsbee, HF (In recent years), and Jasper. Opting up to a District where everyone, including the players, think they have a shot only benefits the team. 

I know what BC is/isn't and some of the claims about them are crazy. BC IS much better than last year, but they are not a deep playoff team from what I've seen so far. Do I think they would beat WOS, Silsbee, HF and/or Jasper? It wouldn't surprise me if they beat one of them, but I don't think they do. However, I don't think it would be blowouts week in and week out like last year.

If/When BC is legit, no-one will have to say it.

If everyone had this approach y'all would've never even seen me in a BC thread.

[FALCONS2026]

3 minutes ago, BBfan061 said:

It’s a long shot for the 1 seed in this district to beat the 4 seed in bi district. 

Time will tell. I think it's more of a toss up than long shot. But I've been wrong before so it wouldn't be the first time I've missed on a prediction. I don't think our district is as bad as everyone else does. I definitely think it's near the bottom, but no way it's the worst in the state. 

[AggiesAreWe]

10 minutes ago, setxathlete14 said:

I wonder if a new rule will be implemented from UIL after this. Certainly should be visited 

Opting up should only be for traveling issues. Should not be for competitive issues.

Many football experts across the state disagreed with allowing schools to do that. 

I agree, there should be a travel, financial hardship to allow opting up. Shouldn't be an open option.

[setxathlete14]

Just now, AggiesAreWe said:

Opting up should only be for traveling issues. Should not be for competitive issues.

Many football experts across the state disagreed with allowing schools to do that. 

I agree, there should be a travel, financial hardship to allow opting up. Shouldn't be an open option.

They took advantage of the loophole i assume 

[SmashMouth]

18 minutes ago, bullets13 said:

I'm talking about 2007.  Before you were on the site, unless you had a different name then.  The people who were in the football forum back then will remember how silly it got for a minute.

Yep, I remember. I was under a different name then. I announced the games back then at Raider Stadium, Lol.

[theSHOW1]

1 hour ago, FALCONS2026 said:

I think whoever wins the district is gonna have a hard time with the 4th place team in the first round but the second round should be much easier. You won't catch the district 9 winner until the third round.

Pine Tree or Lindale most likely. Not a great matchup for anyone in this district.

[Split Down The Bayou]

1 hour ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Actually, it did affect those 4 teams. Had BC, HJ and Liberty stayed in the district, HF, Jasper, Silsbee and WO-S would not have had to scramble to schedule a 5th (maybe even 4th) non-district game. When you are just a 6 team district, getting a 5th non district opponent is difficult.

With Shepherd and Tarkington moving up that helped fill the district but had they not, that district would have been staring at having a 4 team district. Then having to find two more non district games.

Trust me, having those three schools opting up affected the other 4 schools.

I didn't take scheduling into consideration, was mainly talking about seeding/postseason. 

But I imagine that BC, HJ, and Liberty would have been denied had Tarkington and Shephard not moved up, but who knows.

 

[AggiesAreWe]

22 minutes ago, Split Down The Bayou said:

I didn't take scheduling into consideration, was mainly talking about seeding/postseason. 

But I imagine that BC, HJ, and Liberty would have been denied had Tarkington and Shephard not moved up, but who knows.

 

A school has to opt up before the districts are announced.

Snapshot numbers were already announce so most had an idea by realignment time but still you have to officially opt up before the districts are aligned.

[SmashMouth]

2 hours ago, Mr. Thornton Melon said:

If they're hating on you , you're heading in the right direction. Go Cards !

Puff Daddy would disagree. Lol.

[CardinalBacker]

If you opt up to face bigger schools than your classification, that's alpha.  Why did Newton collect all of those 1A/JV trophies?  Because they, unlike BC, weren't willing to opt up.  "We just play who they tell us to" says Newton fan on the way to a blowout win in the second round over some team none of us have ever heard of.   Just a couple years back the Lyins from Livingston tried to cheat their way down for a competitive advantage.  Not us.... we filled out the form opted up. 

 

And I distinctly remember just a few years back when Lum fans were GIDDY about dropping back down to 4A D1... then Vidor felt the same way two years later.  All of those those schools and fanbases were ecstatic... they no longer had to face the larger, more talented schools in 5AD2.  Every year on snapshot day, Lumberton fans celebrate on this very board if they stay under the 4ad1 cutoff number.  Did they "flee" down?  Nope.... and we didn't "flee" up to face bigger schools, either. 

 

The only people calling it a "Loophole" are the ones that either 1) just got beat by BC or 2) are worried they're about to get beaten by BC.   Y'all wouldn't be complaining if we were 0-4 after moving up.  That's beta. 

[CardinalBacker]

2 hours ago, SmashMouth said:

Difference is, they (L-Train) did it in the district they were assigned, and it wasn't "way back when" either... Just sayin. And it was more than a single "decent" season. The Cards started their Build Back Better campaign after "opting up" then playing down and beating the likes of Buna & Kirbyville and before district even started.

Maybe they should trounce the 4A-D1 district (which is possible) and eventually go back "down" to prove a point and be successful there too. Now THAT would be interesting...

Maybe y'all should win games against schools half your size. 

[SetxBC]

2 hours ago, SmashMouth said:

Difference is, they (L-Train) did it in the district they were assigned, and it wasn't "way back when" either... Just sayin. And it was more than a single "decent" season. The Cards started their Build Back Better campaign after "opting up" then playing down and beating the likes of Buna & Kirbyville and before district even started.

Maybe they should trounce the 4A-D1 district (which is possible) and eventually go back "down" to prove a point and be successful there too. Now THAT would be interesting...

Wasn’t BC close to the cutoff number?? I’d like to think they would end up in this district anyway with the growth going on in Orange County. 

[SmashMouth]

6 minutes ago, CardinalBacker said:

Maybe y'all should win games against schools half your size. 

That's a good idea. Nowhere to opt up to do that... Damn the luck. Plus I'm not delusional. Lumberton ain't good. Own it without excuses and the world becomes an easier place to live. 

[SmashMouth]

5 minutes ago, SetxBC said:

Wasn’t BC close to the cutoff number?? I’d like to think they would end up in this district anyway with the growth going on in Orange County. 

'Til then...opt up for an easier ride. Just stating a fact.

[Right99JOH]

Just now, SmashMouth said:

'Til then...opt up for an easier ride. Just stating a fact.

BC hasn't had success on the football field in ages... so let them bask in their glory of beating a down lumberton team and buna and kirbyville 

[AggiesAreWe]

21 minutes ago, CardinalBacker said:

If you opt up to face bigger schools than your classification, that's alpha.  Why did Newton collect all of those 1A/JV trophies?  Because they, unlike BC, weren't willing to opt up.  "We just play who they tell us to" says Newton fan on the way to a blowout win in the second round over some team none of us have ever heard of.   Just a couple years back the Lyins from Livingston tried to cheat their way down for a competitive advantage.  Not us.... we filled out the form opted up. 

 

And I distinctly remember just a few years back when Lum fans were GIDDY about dropping back down to 4A D1... then Vidor felt the same way two years later.  All of those those schools and fanbases were ecstatic... they no longer had to face the larger, more talented schools in 5AD2.  Every year on snapshot day, Lumberton fans celebrate on this very board if they stay under the 4ad1 cutoff number.  Did they "flee" down?  Nope.... and we didn't "flee" up to face bigger schools, either. 

 

The only people calling it a "Loophole" are the ones that either 1) just got beat by BC or 2) are worried they're about to get beaten by BC.   Y'all wouldn't be complaining if we were 0-4 after moving up.  That's beta. 

So if they opted up for the challenge of playing larger schools, then why schedule three 3A schools for non district?

[bullets13]

1 hour ago, theSHOW1 said:

Pine Tree or Lindale most likely. Not a great matchup for anyone in this district.

Forgot they're paired up with that district.  Liable to be four blowouts.  but maybe the 1-4 matchup will be competitive.  I believe you're right about it being PT or Lindale.  I was skeptical of PT, but they've improved a whole lot and have gotten some big results this season.