After The Dust Has Cleared

The UIL realignment picture is now clear, a lot more so than the roads around Amarillo anyway. The grand 10-team experiment of District 2-5A is now over, and nobody anywhere seems to be shedding any tears over its impending demise. Amarillo and Lubbock schools are up here (as is San Angelo Central for football _ figure that one out) while the Midland and Odessa schools are down there. So we can put an end to the talk about who's better, West Texas or the Panhandle, when it comes to football anyway.

Old timers to the south thought the breakup of the Little Southwest Conference two years ago was akin to the Beatles breaking up, and now they're placated for the next two years. I do question how much they'd want defending state champion Abilene High back in their district for two years. But that might be as long as it lasts.

Considering that the low number for Class 5A dropped to 2,065 this past year, it's highly unlikely that it would drop again in 2012. For argument's sake, let's say it rises to 2,100, which could be a conservative estimate. Amarillo High is currently at 2,089 students, and is relatively landlocked on the west side of town. There doesn't appear to be a big spike in enrollment for AHS, which turned in a lower number this year than in 2008. AISD athletic director Brad Thiessen has even hinted that Amarillo High at the very least may drop to 4A in 2012, and Tascosa could also be on the bubble.

Put aside for a second the possibility of District 3-4A volleyball in which a fifth-place team could win most other districts in the state in any classification, and there are some tantilizing (or terrifying) possibilities depending on your point of view. If Amarillo High drops, that would probably force the Lubbock schools back with the Midland and Odessa schools and Central for an eight-team district, which would likely be nine teams if Tascosa stays up.

That would force Abilene High and perhaps Abilene Cooper (depending on some creative boundary drawings?) into a Metroplex district, signaling the end of the LSWC for good. So while we can celebrate the reduced travel which this realignment brings from the Panhandle to the Concho Valley, it could be just a stay of execution. Let's enjoy this dance while we can.