Fans of Austin-area football should be screaming “the gang’s all here” after Thursday’s UIL realignment printouts hit every independent school district in the state.
The grouping of Cibolo Steele, Converse Judson, Schertz Clemens, and Smithson Valley High Schools — four of the area’s perennial 6A powerhouses — remained intact and moved from District 26 to District 27. Canyon, New Braunfels, and San Antonio East Central, too, made the cut.
The parity, however, may come from the one-team swap the realignment created. While Wagner High School’s enrollment numbers (2,147) dropped it into Class 5A and District 13 with eight other SAISD schools, San Marcos moved from Class 6A District 14 to District 27.
San Marcos, also, may be the team to shake up the ‘Big 4’s” control from the inside.
Since 2014, the first year of the four-team powerhouse’s pairing, Steele has won the district three times. Smithson Valley won once in 2017. The four teams have finished first through fourth ever year except 2016, when New Braunfels claimed District 26-6A’s final playoff berth and Schertz Clemens missed the postseason.
San Marcos football. Photo courtesy Texas Redzone Report
San Marcos, however, is a dark horse after finishing 10-4 overall and 5-0 en route to winning District 14-6A in 2017. The Rattlers have also won 16 total games and nine in their district and reached the bi-district and area rounds during the two years at the Class 6A level.
The Rattlers beat East Central 28-0 during their season opener and lost to New Braunfels in 54-42 shootout last season on Sept. 15. Canyon lost 27-20 to them a year earlier.
San Marcos should return leading rusher, third-leading receiver and expected senior Jamon Johnson, second- and third-leading tackler Therrance Soto and Tashumbrae Brown, Jr. Brown and Soto also combined for four of the Rattlers’ 12 interceptions.
The Rattlers’ pedigree under Head Coach Mark Soto will leading them into a new Class 6A district. Clemens, Judson, New Braunfels, Smithson Valley and Steele jockeying for postseason-sealing wins should make this one of the most difficult pairings to navigate. There should six teams in the mix for the district’s four playoff berths.
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Marcus Matthews-Marion is the managing editor of TexasHSFootball, covering prep football throughout the Lone Star State and collegiate and professional football throughout the country. Follow him on Twitter, @TheMJMatthews, and read more of his content here.
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