For Lake Highlands, no news was good news on the release of the UIL realignment for the next two years. LH was not put back with the big Plano and Allen schools, wasn’t sent out East with Tyler Lee and Longview and will remain in Region II.
In bi-district playoffs for the next two years LH, as part of District 9-5A, will face the Garland schools plus McKinney Boyd which comprise the new 10-5A.
The non-district schedules won’t be confirmed for a while, per UIL rules. The schools have to wait until all appeals of the realignment are exhausted before signing game contracts. In addition to LH continuing to play Mesquite, Horn and Garland in non-district, early word is the Wildcats will also keep playing South Garland in the preseason scrimmage.
For the first time since 1990, the 5A cutoff number went down, not up. That didn’t stop Carrollton Creekview and Molina from dropping. Creekview is back with its CFBISD sister schools Newman Smith and R.L. Turner in District 9-4A where they are matched with Frisco schools. Molina is part of District 11-4A with fellow DISD 4A schools.
Highland Park and Pearce remain in Class 4A. The new 10-4A lineup: Highland Park, McKinney, McKinney North, Pearce, Rockwall, Rockwall-Heath, Wylie and the new Wylie East.
The UIL did the Plano schools no favors. Plano wanted out of Region I into the more travel-friendly Region II. But Plano and Allen are still in Region I in 8-5A. Not only that, they now play the Lewisville schools – Lewisville, Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus and Hebron – instead of McKinney Boyd and Jesuit. About the only positives for Plano and Allen are that they will have fewer non-district games to schedule, going from six teams to eight, and losing all-male Jesuit means a balanced schedule in girls sports.
Having one less girls team in all sports is something LH and the RISD contended with when it last shared a district with Jesuit in 2004-05. By the way, Jesuit football coach Bob Wunderlick said he expected this alignment two years ago when the Rangers, who really have 4A numbers but play 5A, were shockingly put in with the huge Plano and Allen schools.
