The first step in the University Interscholastic League’s next realignment took place late last week with what is known as Snapshot Day.
It is the day in the school year where a high school’s enrollment number determines what classification and division, when it comes to football, they will be placed for the following two seasons.
In the three-step realignment process, the next will come in December when the cutoffs for each classification are released. Then in the first week of February, the UIL will announce which teams are placed together by district.
While that portion of realignment usually brings about the most surprises, Snapshot Day did revealed some things which will have an effect on the Texoma high school scene.
As a refresher, here are the classification cutoffs that are currently used:
6A: 2,190 and above
5A: 1,150-2,189
4A:505-1,149
3A: 225-504
2A: 105-224
1A: 104.9 and below
If you check out the corresponding list of Grayson County schools, you should immediately notice the biggest potential change. Van Alstyne’s enrollment is at 517, which would put the Panthers in Class 4A. VA will be very interested in the cutoff numbers. If they don’t change, or change very slightly, the Panthers will move up.
However, the cutoff number usually moves up by a decent amount. The cutoff between 3A and 4A for the 2016 realignment was 479 before going to 504 this past time. Since 6A was added in 2014, the diving line as increased at least 15 students. Van Alstyne could easily be one or two students on either side of the line.
Van Alstyne is the only school that is in the position to be changing classifications. Everyone else is solidly between the cutoffs. But when it comes to football, there will be at least one change in divisions and another that will be waiting to see the cutoff numbers as well.
As a refresher, here are the football division cutoffs that are currently used:
2A Division I: 161.5–224
2A Division II: 105–161.4
3A Division I: 335–504
3A Division II: 225–334
4A Division I: 790–1,149
4A Division II: 505–789
5A Division I: 1,840–2,189
5A Division II 1,150–1,839
First, Tioga’s rapid growth has it on the move into Class 2A Division I for the next two years. It is the second straight realignment the Bulldogs have moved up, after going from six-man to 2A Division II in 2018. It would be expected to see Tioga join the current Division 5-2A (I) grouping of Valley View, Tom Bean, Collinsville, Celeste and Trenton.
But there are two issues there — Valley View could moved to 3A, since the Eagles were just 10 shy of the cutoff last time, and Collinsville’s drop in enrollment puts the Pirates only five students above the current threshold to stay 2A Division I, so Tioga and Collinsville could essentially end up trading places.
In Class 3A, there were two potential divisional questions and one of them was answered. Despite continued growth in Gunter, the Tigers are slated to stay in Division II for at least two more seasons after submitting a number that is 13 students below the current cutoff — and the line almost never is lower than the previous one.
The Howe Bulldogs have straddled the line in recent realignments and could be in a similar spot depending on what the UIL sets the cutoff at this time around. Howe turned in a total of 356 students, which is 21 above the last threshold, as opposed to being six over the line last time.
Both Sherman and Denison will be in Class 5A once again and also split into different divisions once again — meaning the Battle of the Ax will be at the beginning of the season once again.
Sherman’s number wasn’t available by press time but head coach J.D. Martinez says once all the campuses are counted the total will be around 2,000 students, which is not as big of a jump in enrollment like what happened from 2015 to 2017, so the Bearcats won’t have to sweat out a potential move to Class 6A — if Sherman had grown at the same rate it would have been 95 students away from the current cutoff.
The question for Denison in the next realignment is in regards to its district opponents. Denison, Lovejoy, Lake Dallas and Princeton will all solidly be in Division II. The Frisco schools — Frisco, Reedy, Memorial and Lebanon Trail — as well as Denton Braswell were all within 300 students of the cutoff between Division II and Division I last time and Reedy, Lebanon Trail and Braswell were within 100 students.
If all five of them go up a division, Denison might be looking at almost an entirely new district based on which direction the UIL might send them. Two potential districtmates — Anna and Melissa — remain in Class 4A Division I for at least one more cycle. Anna surpassed 1,000 students for the first time and is at 1,023, a jump of 100 since the last realignment, while Melissa added 145 students and is at 970.
Putting the Yellow Jackets with those two schools might come as early as 2022, more likely in 2024 but certainly not this time around.
By Jason Della Rosa, Herald Democrat @ https://www.heralddemocrat.com/sports/20191029/snapshot-day-provides-early-picture?fbclid=IwAR0IXncwtRlu_xvVRCCaXYRYSQbpDf9f50nFnmYPBxOKYSacj_cgTUVElCQ
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