Shuffling the deck

Class changes highlight latest UIL realignment

 

BY MIKE FORMAN - ADVOCATE SPORTS WRITER

February 01, 2008 - 11:40 p.m.

The closer it got to 9 a.m., the closer the coaches, athletic directors and administrators moved to a table containing a single brown cardboard box in the center of a room at the Region III Education Service Center.

"This hasn't changed in 25 years," Schulenburg's Tommy Bludau said. "It's like the New York Stock Exchange. As soon as the bell goes off, it's like 'Whew.'"

No bell rung Friday but the hopes of athletic programs around the state rose and fell with the release of the University Interscholastic League's biennial reclassification and realignment.

Schools received their district assignments in football and basketball for the next two years and expressions offered a better hint of their fortune than the packets coming out of the box.

Ganado's Mike Rabe and Yorktown's Chuck Black couldn't hide their smiles after learning their schools had been reclassified from Class 2A to 1A. The news was especially satisfying for Ganado, which came to close to becoming a Class 1A school in the last realignment and reclassification.

"This one worked out a little bit better for us so we're happy,"Rabe said. "It's good for our kids mentally to be in the same district with somebody that has the same amount of numbers."

"With the numbers we have there's no doubt in 1A we can be more competitive," Black added.

The enrollment cutoff for Class 1A was 199. Yorktown turned in 196 and joined a district with Woodsboro, Pettus, Runge, Falls City and Charlotte.

"Geographically this district will be good for us," Black said. "We won't have to travel very far."

Ganado will move into a district with Shiner, Louise, Flatonia, Burton and Somerville, which also dropped from Class 1A.

"Those teams are good football teams that were in with," Rabe said. "We'll have to show up to every week and our kids know that. They know how football goes and they'll be ready."

Shiner's Steven Cerny understands the competition will be intense with two former Class 2A teams joining the district.

"Once you play a 2A schedule, your schedule is so competitive and all of our sudden you're going to 1A, you have a little edge there for a while because you just played such quick teams and speed," Cerny said. "It will be a challenge but we'll look forward to it."

Edna will have to ready to compete in a Class 3A district with former foes Cuero, Yoakum, Goliad, Palacios and Gonzales after spending the last two years in a Class 2A district.

"I'm not surprised. The district we ended up in is exactly what I expected so it's absolutely no surprise," said Rob Schoenfeld, who will step down as Edna's athletic director and head football coach when his replacement is hired. "In this area 2A and 3A are very quality, you have good teams in both."

Edna's exit from District 28-2A set off a number of changes that shifted Hallettsville, Rice Consolidated, Schulenburg and Weimar into a district with East Bernard, Brazos Consolidated and Hempstead, which dropped from Class 3A. Industrial and Tidehaven moved into a district with Boling, Van Vleck, Hitchcock and Danbury.

"I'm glad we're in a six-team district, that always makes a difference if you have any injuries earlier on you can get prepared and get those guys back," Industrial's Doug Kuhlmann said. "It's not as long and as grueling district race and it gives you a chance to be in the district running even late in the year."

Bloomington and Refugio went from a seven- to a six-team Class 2A district by picking up Banquete and losing George West and Three Rivers.

"I like a six-team better than an eight-team, especially as young as we're going to be,"Refugio's Jason Herring said. "It gives us more games to get ready before we get in the heat of the district battle. I'd much rather be in a six-team than an eight-team from that standpoint."

Calhoun went from a six- to seven-team Class 4A district with the addition of Corpus Christi Ray, which dropped from Class 5A. But Calhoun coach Richard Whitaker was relieved to remain in Region IV instead of being shifted to Region III with Bay City and El Campo, whose district lost Katy Seven Lakes and picked up Houston Stratford.

"There's a lot of schools adding in the Houston area and that's something we talked about and hopefully that will help us with all the new schools up there," Whitaker said. "We know that we're one of those swing schools and we go wherever we're needed but right now we're in the pendulum that swings south and hopefully we'll stay there. It will be interesting when Victoria splits up. It would be a nice little district with them joining in. We'll see what happens."

Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com.