SAN ANTONIO – The University Interscholastic League (UIL) released its new reclassified and realigned districts for high schools across Texas on Monday with several San Antonio-area schools moving up or down based on campus population.
Pieper, Southwest, Southwest Legacy and Wagner are being moved up to Class 6A in this latest round of reclassification. Schools in Class 6A have an enrollment of 2,215 students or more this school year.
“Today’s my first day at Pieper and Comal ISD,” said newly named Pieper head football coach Eddie Salas. “Thank God I’ve had a lot of experience.”
Pieper and Wagner will join District 27-6A which includes Steele, Canyon, Judson, East Central, San Marcos and Clemens.
“They’re playing some of the top Class 5A schools every year like Smithson Valley, Boerne, Boerne Champion and all these schools that can compete at the 6A level,” Salas said when explaining why Pieper is ready to move up to Class 6A. “I think they’re seasoned and they’re ready and it’s time to keep taking it to the next level.”
Southwest and Southwest Legacy will now compete in District 30-6A.
“We’ll adjust,” Southwest football head coach Alex Franco said after learning of his school’s new classification. “We got away with playing both ways quite a bit because we were playing teams that were playing both ways, but now we have to get more kids ready and get some more kids involved.”
The new District 30-6A now features four Laredo high schools, Del Rio High School and Eagle Pass High School.
“When I first got to Southwest, we were 6A, so I’m excited to compete at the highest level — not just in the state but in the country,” Franco said.
Medina Valley High School will be dropping from Class 6A to Class 5A due to the opening of Creek View High School, Medina Valley ISD’s second high school, this fall. Schools in Class 5A have a student enrollment ranging from 1,305 to 2,214.
For football, Medina Valley will be in District 14-5A Division I with Jay, MacArthur, Southside, South San, Eagle Pass Winn, Laredo Martin and Laredo Nixon.
Two-time defending state champion Smithson Valley, Boerne Champion and Seguin are the only constants in District 13-5A Division I.
The shakeup came as a surprise to Smithson Valley football head coach Larry Hill, who said he had thought he’d seen it all.
“We knew there would be folks added in, but I thought it might be a couple of (Austin) schools,” Hill said. “I didn’t realize it would be as many.”
Smithson Valley, Boerne Champion and Seguin will now have to face a handful of Austin-area schools with the additions of Austin Anderson, Austin McCallum, Bastrop Cedar Creek, Kyle Lehman, Lockhart and Manor.
“We’ve got a lot of research, got to do a little deep digging on some of these teams,” Hill said. “Don’t know know much about them, haven’t bumped into them and some of them we haven’t played at all. We’ve got work to do, but maybe they do, too.”
New Braunfels Long Creek will join District 13-5A Division II with New Braunfels, Alamo Heights, Veterans Memorial, Boerne, Liberty Hill and Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch.
“We’re extremely excited,” Long Creek football head coach Adam Harvey, who will guide the Dragons in their first year of UIL playoff eligibility, said. “We’ve got a tough league, but we’ve been telling our kids, ‘It’s time to spot the ball,’ and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Longtime Alamo Heights head football coach Ron Rittimann echoed a similar sentiment about the gauntlet District 13-5A Division II will be sure to present.
“There’s always some kind of surprise and shock and you hope you’re not part of it, but it seems to be that we’ve been a part of it for the last three realignments,” Rittimann said. “This will be a whole new district course again, which has happened to us every year, but we look forward to it. It’ll be a great challenge with some great football programs.”
In football, Medina Valley ISD’s Creek View High School will compete in District 14-4A Division I with Floresville, La Vernia, Pleasanton, Kennedy, Somerset and Uvalde.
Schools have an opportunity to appeal their realigned classes and districts before a Feb. 12 deadline. High schools will begin finalizing their athletic schedules on Feb. 24.
More recent Big Game Coverage on KSAT: