2022-24 Realignment: 5A Division I

There is plenty of movement in 5A Division I as a number of teams drop down from 6A and others come up from 5A Division II.

Some of the highlights include Aledo and Denton Ryan sharing a district, Lufkin being paired with DFW-area teams, Crosby coming up from 5A Division II, an Austin suburb-College Station combo district, and a couple of schools in South Texas dropping down from 6A.

Here is a look at each of the districts in full.

Region I

District 1-5A Division I

Notes: There’s a major shakeup in this district as only Bel Air and Del Valle return from last year. Last year’s district champion Chapin drops to 5A Division II while El Dorado moves up to 6A. The additions of Horizon, Parkland, Ysleta, and Hanks from 5A Division II means the district grows two teams this alignment to six. None of these six teams won a district title a year ago, so a new champion will be crowned come the beginning of November.

District 2-5A Division I

Notes: Playoff tickets will be at a premium in District 2-5A Division I as six of the seven teams made the playoffs a season ago. Abilene drops down from 6A, while Lubbock Cooper comes up from 5A Division II fresh off a state semifinal run. Palo Duro and Lubbock, which finished sixth and seventh in this district a year ago, drop down to 5A Division II to make way for the newcomers in a district that will be loaded with talent.

Another item of note, Lubbock Monterey, the only team that didn’t go dancing last fall, will be embarking this season with a new head coach after Wayne Hutchison retired following eight seasons at the school

District 3-5A Division I

Notes: District 3-5A Division I will be a gauntlet as not only does it include six playoff teams from a year ago, but two of those are 2020 state champions Denton Ryan and Aledo. There are plenty of changes in this district as The Colony and Denton Ryan slide over from District 5-5A Division I, Burleson Centennial comes over from District 4-5A Division I, and Aledo and Fort Worth South Hills move up from 5A Division II.

With Crowley moving up to 6A, Arlington Heights and Abilene Cooper dropping to 5A Division II, and Granbury shifting over a district, it leaves just the top three finishers in 2021 (Northwest, Azle, and Brewer) and Saginaw as the holdovers from a year ago.

District 4-5A Division I

Notes: This district has a very different look from the previous alignment as Killeen, Ellison, Shoemaker, and Waco all drop down from 6A, Granbury moves over from District 3-5A Division I, Cleburne moves up from 5A Division II, and Lake Belton joins a UIL district for the first time after opening in 2020. That leaves just Red Oak and Midlothian as the holdovers from a year ago.

And with only Midlothian making the playoffs last year, there will be plenty of optimism among the other eight teams as they try to snap playoff droughts, or, in Lake Belton’s case, make the playoffs for the first time ever.

Region II

District 5-5A Division I

Notes: District 5-5A Division I is completely different from the previous alignment as the Frisco schools slide over to 6-5A Division I. That allows the two Carrollton schools and the four Dallas schools to swap 6-5A Division I for 5-5A Division I this alignment. Joining them are Birdville and Richland from 4-5A Division I and Mansfield Timberview, which moves up from 5A Division II.

Only three out of the nine schools made the playoffs a year ago, meaning at least one multi-year playoff drought will be snapped in this new alignment.

District 6-5A Division I

Notes: 6-5A Division I is another district that will be completely different from this past season. Sherman joins from 7-5A Division I, while Lebanon Trail and Frisco come up from 5A Division II. The other six Frisco schools all slide over from District 5-5A Division I, which means they won’t have to square off with perennial power Denton Ryan anymore. Playoff spots will be at a premium as six of these nine schools have gone dancing in the past two years.

District 7-5A Division I

Notes: District 7-5A Division I is a DFW-East Texas combo. Lancaster comes over after winning District 6-5A Division I a year ago, while Forney jumps up from 5A Division II and North Mesquite drops in from 6A. For this realignment, Lufkin is paired with schools towards the north after playing in 8-5A Division I a year ago with teams on the north side of Houston. However, it will be a bit of a trek at times as over 200 miles separate Lufkin and McKinney North.

Highland Park’s move to 6A means there will be a new district champion in this district this year.

District 8-5A Division I

Notes: Porter is the lone holdover in this district from a year ago, signaling a major shift in the regional alignment for the teams in this district. Crosby, Barbers Hill, and Kingwood Park all move up from 5A Division II, while the remaining five teams all slide over from 9-5A Division I. However, that one district switch means these teams will now be in Region II of 5A Division I and will have to face teams from DFW and East Texas on their road to state rather than schools from the Houston area.

Region III

District 9-5A Division I

Notes: 9-5A Division I is a hodgepodge of teams from the previous realignment as Ball is the lone holdover from a year ago. Milby and Wisdom both slide over from 10-5A Division I, while Austin, Madison, Northside, Sharpstown, Sterling, and Waltrip all move up from 5A Division II. However, with only three of these teams making the playoffs a year ago, one multiyear drought is guaranteed to be snapped in this alignment.

District 10-5A Division I

Notes: This district is shaping up to be 5A Division I’s District of Doom after six of these nine teams went dancing a year ago. Magnolia and Magnolia West come over from Region II after playing in 8-5A Division I during the previous realignment. Fulshear is the lone move up from 5A Division II as the other six teams all played in this district a year ago. There will be some more opportunities at the top for the returnees, however, as Paetow and Fort Bend Hightower both depart to move up to 6A.

District 11-5A Division I

Notes: A&M Consolidated and College Station will be gassing up the buses to head to the Austin area for the next two years after realignment dealt them a hand full of travel. They played in Region II a year ago, but they will now battle in Region III for the next two years. Elsewhere, both Leander Glenn and East View come up from 5A Division II. This ought to be a competitive district as seven of the eight teams have been in the playoffs at some point during the past two years.

District 12-5A Division I

Notes: 12-5A Division I also has a new look to it as Canyon, Lehman, and Seguin are the lone returners from a year ago. Boerne Champion moves up from 5A Division II, while Hays, Smithson Valley, MacArthur, and Wagner all drop down from 6A. With half of these teams switching conferences from the previous alignment, it will be interesting to see how things shake out in this district.

Region IV

District 13-5A Division I

Notes: South San Antonio and Laredo Nixon drop down from 6A while Medina Valley comes up from 5A Division II. The remaining six teams all shift over one district after competing in District 14-5A Division I during the previous alignment. That shift sets up future bi-district matchups against Corpus Christi and Victoria-area schools for the next two years.

District 14-5A Division I

Notes: The majority of teams from 15-5A Division I slide over a district for this alignment. The only changes see Flour Bluff and Gregory-Portland drop down to 5A Division II with Miller rising from 4A Division I to replace them. The only other change of note in this district is the head coach of Corpus Christi Carroll after Juan Rodriguez was reassigned this past offseason.

District 15-5A Division I

Notes: With several teams from South Texas dropping down from 6A, the teams from 16-5A Division I were split into two districts for this alignment. PSJA North, Edinburg Vela, and Juarez-Lincoln all drop down from 6A, while Rio Grande City slides over from 14-5A Division I. That leaves Palmview, McAllen, Memorial, and Rowe as the teams that were in 16-5A Division I a year ago. This combination of multiple districts from a year ago should create a competitive district this alignment with five of its eight teams making the playoffs a year ago.

District 16-5A Division I

Notes: Donna North and Harlingen South drop down from 6A and join five teams that all competed in 16-5A Division I a year ago. With only two of these seven teams making the playoffs a year ago, the opportunity is there to snap some playoff droughts over the next two seasons. Another change of note is that Brownsville Lopez will face this new challenge with a new head coach after hiring McAllen Rowe offensive coordinator Shaun Tarantola in late December.

Take a look at the breakdown of 6A Regions I and II HERE and 6A Regions III and IV HERE

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