SMHS ATHLETICS
Bi-Annual UIL Realignment cycle is where schools from across Texas submitted their enrollments this past week.
Starting on Halloween and lasting till Nov. 6, schools must submit their enrollments to the UIL, who then takes the numbers in order to reconfigure the districts which will be released on Monday, Feb. 2.
San Marcos officially submitted an enrollment of 2,333, which would put the Rattlers firmly in Class 6A.
While San Marcos being placed in Class 6A was a no-brainer, the question of what direction the Rattlers will go for their new district has been more of a puzzle.
Since making the jump to 6A back in 1968, San Marcos’ district alignment has gone two ways. Up north to Austin or down south to San Antonio.
From 1968-1981, San Marcos primarily was put with schools from San Antonio. But in 1982, San Marcos was placed in an all-Austin ISD district for the next four years, creating the cycle of the Rattlers being rotated in between San Antonio and Austin for their district alignment. In the last four years, San Marcos has been paired with the San Antonio schools.
This year’s realignment could see a major shakeup, mainly in Region IV where San Marcos resides.
The early enrollment numbers have shown a decrease in the number of schools with the enrollments larger than 2,275, the cutoff for the minimum amount of enrollment to qualify for 6A in last year’s realignment, in the Rio Grande Valley, which could force the UIL to create one district in the Valley instead of two in the last realignment.
There has also been an increase of schools with enrollments larger than 2,275 in both the Austin and San Antonio area including longtime San Marcos rival Buda Hays. With the possibility of the cutoff number for 6A being lowered, as many as 50 schools between Austin and San Antonio could be playing in the high classification of UIL athletics.
For San Marcos, realignment could see a number of district scenarios.
One such scenario would be San Marcos being sent up to Austin. With eight districts needing to be filled in Region IV, and the possibility of the Rio Grande Valley being forced into one district with Laredo, Del Rio and Eagle in another, six districts will need to be split between Austin and San Antonio.
District 25 would include the five Round Rock schools, Georgetown East View and Hutto while District 26 would feature Austin Vandergrift, Cedar Park, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, Leander, Leander Rouse, along with Austin Westlake, Dripping Springs and Lake Travis.
District 27 would be filled by Austin High, Austin Akins, Austin Bowie, Austin Del Valle, Buda Hays, Buda Johnson and San Marcos.
Down in San Antonio, District 28 would be Cibolo Steele, Converse Judson, New Braunfels Canyon, San Antonio East Central, San Antonio Southwest, San Antonio Southwest Legacy, San Antonio Wagner and Schertz Clemens.
District 29 would feature six of the San Antonio Northeast schools along with San Antonio Brandeis and San Antonio Clarks. District 30 would see a district comprising eight San Antonio Northside schools. District 31 would comprise Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and four Laredo schools while District 32 would feature the Rio Grande Valley schools.
With enrollment numbers slowly coming in and some school districts holding their enrollment figures close to the chest, realignment is still a mystery for San Marcos’ future district until everything is unveiled Feb 2.
Realignment is a fickle beast that gives out surprises any which way you can think of. While San Marcos realignment destiny is about 80% drawn out, don’t be surprised to see a curveball.
Though San Marcos competes in one of the toughest districts in District 29, the Rattlers have shown to hold their own, seeing success not seen in many years. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
