UIL realignment offers minor local changes

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UIL Biennial Realignment

Pearsall remains in 14-4A, DII; Dilley, Cotulla added to 8-team 13-3A, DII league.

With 2024 and a new year came the anxious anticipation from Texas high school coaches awaiting the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment results and ensuing chaos that comes with the redistricting and classification process.
Although changes abound statewide, locally, Pearsall, Dilley and Cotulla escaped relatively unscathed from the usual madness that can come with the biennial process.
PISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Ruben DeLeon was pleased with the outcome for the Mavericks as the team remained in very similar District 14-4A.
“I’m happy with it considering some of the scenarios that were out there,” he said.
The Mavericks welcome back Bandera, Devine and Carrizo Springs to a five-team district that saw San Antonio Young Men’s Leadership Academy swapped out for San Antonio Memorial as the only change.
Numerous online scenarios had Pearsall moving to a revamped field that would include playoff powerhouses Wimberley and Navarro. Others saw the Mavericks perhaps having Lytle, Hondo and Crystal City, schools that had dropped in classification two years ago, move back into Class 4A.
Memorial comes down from Class 4A, Division I to join the Mavericks while YMLA drops in classification to Class 3A, Division II and now joins Dilley and Cotulla.
The Wolves and Cowboys will see familiar faces this season in a restructured District 13-3A, Division II.
The biggest changes for both will be in their pre-district scheduling as they now sit in an eight-team district field that will include Karnes City, Natalia, Nixon-Smiley, Poth, YMLA and Stockdale.
“Overall, it went well,” CHS Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Esteban Rodriguez said. “We didn’t really expect an eight-team district, that will only allow for three non-district games for us.”
The Cowboys will also be dropping from Class 3A, Division I and into Division II in 3A.
Unfazed by the changes, DHS Athletic Director and Head Football Coach David Silva said the recent realignment lined up with what he predicted.
“It’s really what we kind of thought would happen,” he said of the changes.
Silva already has a tentative but pretty solid schedule lined up for next season. The Wolves will open at home against Sabinal for Parent’s Night before hitting the road against Comfort and Randolph. After an open week, the Wolves will open league play at home against Natalia, at YMLA, home against Stockdale and Karnes City for homecoming and at Nixon-Smiley. Dilley will host Cotulla on November 1 in their annual IH-35 clash before going back on the road for the finale at Poth.
Pearsall also has a tentative schedule lined up that is also fairly locked in save for game dates and times.
The Mavericks will open the year at San Antonio Edison, host Crystal City, go to Cotulla, host Poteet and travel to Lytle. The team is working on securing a neutral site location for a Week 6 contest against Zapata. Pearsall will then open league play at home against Bandera, travel to Devine, host Memorial before finishing league play at Carrizo Springs.
A tentative schedule for Cotulla was not available at presstime.