Southlake Carroll going national

Two-time defending Class 5A Division II state football champion Southlake Carroll is negotiating a home game with California power Concord De La Salle for 2007 said Dragons coach Todd Dodge. Carroll was named mythical national powers in ’05 and ’06 while De La Salle earned a national reputation with its national record 151-game winning in which it was named USA Today national champs in 2000, 2001 and 2003. De La Salle’s streak was stopped in ’04.

Southlake Carroll would play Shreveport Evangel in a 2006 non-district. Evangel also is a nationally prominent program. Dodge wants to play high profile games only at home. Carroll has had three regular-season games broadcast live the last two years and likely will have games against Evangel and De La Salle broadcast.

Carroll has reached a 5A state record 4 state finals with three championships.

UIL realignment announced

Highland Park stays 4A

Highland Park, which won the 2005 4A Division II state football title, squeaked its way back into the state’s second-largest classification by 27.5 students. UIL realignment is based on an average daily student enrollment in grades 9-12. Highland Park turned in an enrollment of 1,957.5, with the half-student coming from a UIL formula on how to count hurricane displaced students who may leave.

Staying in 4A is critical to the year-round, all-sport success of Highland Park, which would suffer competitively as one of the smaller 5A schools rather than as one of the largest 4A schools.

Highland Park remained in 4A in the last realignment by a slimmer margin in ’04 when the 5A cutoff was 1,925 students and Highland Park had 1,921. In the mid 1980s, Highland Park opted to compete in 5A in the first few seasons its enrollment fell within the 4A limits but decided to drop down to 4A because it wasn’t able to compete as well.

Highland Park remains in a somewhat familiar District 10-4A with Mesquite Poteet, West Mesquite, Richardson Pearce, Forney, Greenville, Terrell and first-year Rockwall Heath.

Dallas ISD happy, Arlington ISD gets powers

DISD officials were happy to learn their District 14-5A would remain all DISD with Carter, Bryan Adams, Molina, Skyline, Sunset and W.T. White. There was a chance the UIL could have grouped them with Duncanville, Cedar Hill and DeSoto, powerhouses in several sports including football and basketball.

But it was Arlington ISD schools who’ll get the I-20 trio as Arlington, Bowie, Sam Houston, Lamar and Martin get the three large single high school independent districts.

East Texas again

Mesquite, North Mesquite and Mesquite Horn figured they’d stay with Longview, John Tyler and Tyler Lee, three big schools in East Texas with no other 5A schools closer. The MISD was right. But it’s a 6-team district with Rockwall moving into an otherwise all Garland district.

Remember it’s 4 for 5A

Next season, the top four teams in Class 5A advance to the state playoffs. All other classes will remain with three qualifiers.

Back with Homer

Rockwall coach Scott Smith has his Yellowjackets in with all seven Garland schools. Smith’s first head coaching position was with Garland and he led the Owls to the 1987 state playoffs. Smith said he’ll like working with Johnson again, but added Rockwall’s one vote on all district matters might not carry much weight.

“I don’t need to go to the meetings,” Smith said. “They can just tell what they decided.”

Celina in trouble

A difference in classification can make all the difference and no one knows better than Celina, which was moved up to 3A from 2A.

Celina won the ’05 2A Division II state title but knows all too well what moving up to 3A means. The Bobcats won four-consecutive 2A state titles (1998-2001) but were elevated to 3A for ’02 and ’03 and lost early in the state playoffs.

Celina moved back to 2A in ’04 and lost in the regional final before coming back for the ’05 championship.

Toughest schedules

It’s a toss-up for toughest schedule between Mesquite and Horn.

Mesquite’s 5-game non-district gauntlet

Plano, Plano East, Carter, Abilene, Midland Lee

Horn has

Richardson Berkner, Arlington, Wylie, South Garland, Skyline

Ups and downs

Wylie, Hebron, Keller Central and Mansfield Timberview moved up to 5A from 4A … Carter again requested to play in 5A despite 4A enrollment numbers. Carter wants to play at the higher competition and it also allows the DISD to have a complete DISD 6-team district.

Pearce, Denton Ryan, Samuell, Keller Fossil Ridge, The Colony and Waco dropped to 4A from 5A … Defending 3A state champ Tatum drops to Class 2A with a lot of returning talent … Good news for Class 3A Canton, eliminated by Tatum in the ’05 playoffs and returning star QB G.J. Kinne.

For the UIL realignment website:

http://www.uil.utexas.edu/2006align/index.html

Comments (0)

Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Write the displayed characters
Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.
	Add Comment