Realigments, Who benefits? With teams on the move, the UIL's shakeup is a blessing for some and a bane for others
By Lee Goddard, Caller-Times
It took just one day for the Odem football team to go from fighting for a playoff spot in one of the state's toughest Class 3A districts to being a potential 2A powerhouse.
The day was Feb. 4, when the University Interscholastic League completed its two-year realignment.
"The kids are excited," Odem coach David Kleinhans said. "They definitely see the plusses of going down, and are excited about the chances that brings."
The players at Odem aren't the only ones feeling excitement about the o
pportunity of playing in a lower classification. While the UIL realignment didn't make sweeping changes, George West, Woodsboro and Pettus could also see brighter prospects in moving down, while local 4A teams will form a power district, and area 5A teams welcome back an old, familiar foe. Sort of.
Owls on rise
But Odem may be the one team that the realignment most benefited. The Owls, which were barely 3A following the 2000 realignment, had scrapped their way to a second place finish last season in 30-3A, falling only behind state finalist Sinton in the district standings.
Now, with many key players returning from that team, Odem has dropped to 2A, where the Owls could make the playoffs and have an extended postseason run. It was a testament to Odem's potential when Dave Campbell's 2002 Texas Football came out and local coaches were stunned that Odem wasn't ranked in that publication's Top 25.
"Potential hasn't got anybody any points yet," Kleinhans said. "We're really excited to be able to compete against schools closer to our size. Just because some schools have a smaller enrollment doesn't mean smaller athletes. I haven't received letters of a forfeit from our opponents or anything like that. But it's always exciting to play closer to your size."
That was something the Owls could not enjoy, despite making their playoff appearance last season. After the 2000 realignment, Odem was the fourth smallest school listed in 3A. Now the school, with a UIL listed enrollment of 332, is among the top 25 size-wise in 2A.
Longhorns' good fall
The same thing happened in George West, where the Longhorns also had to endure fighting through 30-3A competition. George West was at least off the lip of the 3A-2A cusp with a 382 enrollment for the 2000 realignment. But dwindling numbers made their impact over the past couple of seasons when the Longhorns suffered a series of injuries on the football field.
Now the school is one of the top seven in terms of enrollment in 2A, listed at 339.
George West coach Jay Hellums is at least honest when asked about his team's chances if the Longhorns had to return to 30-3A.
"As a coach, you would like to say, 'Yes (we could compete in 3A)','' Hellums said. "Deep down, I'm not sure we would've been able. Sinton, Mathis, Aransas Pass and Ingleside are so tough. One advantage they have is numbers. When a kid gets hurt they can replace him. We can't do that."
An 'A' for Woodsboro
Nobody's feeling stigmatized at Woodsboro either, after the school dropped from 2A to A. The Eagles had to survive in a district that included perennial power Refugio, as well as annual playoff contenders Karnes City and Kenedy.
Woodsboro coach Max McGeary estimated that most of the teams in his old district had 60 to 90 kids going out for football. At Woodsboro, the turnout is usually in the low 30s, McGeary said, with roughly 20 making varsity.
"That's a big disadvantage in football," McGeary said. "When you play in a situation where your kids play two-platoon football and special teams for four quarters, it tends to weigh on you. This evens the playing field."
Pettus, another former 2A team, will join Woodsboro in making the drop to A. While neither team will be the biggest in its district - that honor is accorded to Ben Bolt and its 168 enrollment, nine more than Woodsboro and 13 ahead of Pettus - McGeary feels his team at least has an opportunity to compete in every game.
More importantly, his players feel that way.
"They're fired up about it," McGeary said. "When you've been in a situation where you have to play Refugio, Karnes City and Kenedy, people have a number of reasons to dread the season and not have higher expectations. Attitudes change, and they can see the light. They know they have a chance now."
Other side of the fall
Of course, the descents by Odem, George West, Woodsboro and Pettus are going to make
things tougher on other coaches. Agua Dulce's Ty Robinson, the school's first-year coach, wasn't too pleased to see a pair of 2As come tumbling down into 32-A, where Ben Bolt is already considered a big school.
"It's never good," Robinson said, "because, good Lord, they're sitting 150, 160 and we're sitting here with 105. Class A's going to be the stepchild because they keep raising the population that gets you into Class A."
Robinson is quick to point out, though, that numbers aren't everything. He cites Burkeville, last season's Class A state champion, as a team that has a 126 enrollment.
But when a school's population is two or three times bigger than its district opponents, there are far more chances of finding a solid 11 to put on the field.
CCISD's challenge
That's the problem facing the CCISD schools as they tangle with 5A foe Victoria Memorial, a consolidated version of what the CCISD faced before the 2000 realignment. Prior to that year, the CCISD schools competed against Victoria High and Victoria Stroman.
In 2000, those schools consolidated to form Memorial, now the fifth-largest school in the state. Compounding the problem for CCISD schools such as Miller and Moody, is that they are essentially 4A-sized schools going against a school that draws almost 3,000 more students.
The CCISD board asked the UIL to leave Miller (1,683) and Moody (1,728) in 5A, and not drop them into the more population-friendly 4A. The final blow came when CCISD lost the Rio Grande Valley teams and picked up massive Memorial.
"One high school was big enough already," Moody coach Steve Castillo said. "The other wasn't too small, either. Now they've got the upper hand on all of our schools. With numbers, one side can concentrate on defense, the other on offense. You get better that way.
"I'd rather see the Valley teams when it comes to football," Castillo added. "We have more of a chance with them than with Victoria."
Building a 4A power
In 4A, it's a different set of numbers that have coaches concerned this fall. The number eight, as in 30-4A being the only eight-team district in the area, is less imposing than the number five, which is the amount of teams from 30-4A that made the playoffs last year.
With the merging of some teams from last year's 31-4A and 30-4A, the new mega-district features Alice, Calallen, Gregory-Portland, Kingsville and Rockport-Fulton, all playoff teams last season. Throw in Flour Bluff, and there's another team that made the playoffs two years ago.
While those teams are well acquainted, playing regular season games and playoff contests against each other, realignment has thrown other teams into districts where they have no familiarity with their opponents.
Learning curve
Odem obviously has some learning to do about Banquete, Premont, Riviera and the rest of the new district, and vice versa. The same applies to Freer, which has a lot of new foes in George West, Three Rivers and three other new district rivals.
Freer coach Bob Ford was ready for the situation.
"This was one of the scenarios that we predicted," Ford said. "There was a possibility we'd go west. Sure enough we did. We knew we'd either stay in the district we were in, or go west."
That's just one of the changes to which players and coaches must adapt after the realignment. For schools like Odem, George West and Woodsboro, it's also a matter of feeling a bull's eye on their back after being the underdog for the past few seasons.
"That's something we've got to focus on," Kleinhans said. "Maybe, in the last few years, we've been the favorite four or five times out of 40. Now, we'll be the favorite. I'm concerned about the mental attitude, and what they read in the paper or what their parents tell them. We have to guard against that attitude because we're not used to being the favorite."
