Biggest Takeaways from UIL Realignment for Concho Valley Schools

SAN ANGELO, TX — Here’s a look at the top storylines that came out of Monday’s UIL realignment for our Concho Valley schools.

We’ve already covered the impact realignment had on Central and Lake View here, and the surprising move for Wall and TLCA with new Hill Country rivals here.

You can find all of the new districts for our area schools here.

Grape Creek Going Way West

The Grape Creek Eagles will get a tour of far West Texas the next two years after being placed in District 3-3A Division II with Anthony, Alpine, Crane, Stanton and Coahoma.

Anthony is a whopping 425 miles west of Grape Creek on the other side of El Paso, while Alpine is 235 miles away and Crane is 140 miles away.

The two district rivals that return from last year, Stanton and Coahoma, are at least somewhat close. Stanton is “only” 95 miles away, and Coahoma is 90 miles up the road.

Texas is a gigantic state, and these kinds of things happen. It’s not the first time Concho Valley schools have been placed with far-flung schools like Anthony and Alpine.

But this is a nightmare situation for Grape Creek in terms of travel, and the Eagles are currently without a head coach, so this isn’t exactly an appealing schedule for someone to sign up for.

From a competitive standpoint, however, Grape Creek’s 7-5 record last year is the second-best in this district. Coahoma went 9-3 last season, and Crane was 6-5. The other three schools — Anthony (2-9), Alpine (2-9) and Stanton (1-9) — all struggled.

Ballinger Back in Concho Valley District

Ballinger has spent the last two years with some unfamiliar teams to the east like Hamilton, De Leon and Hico.

Now the Bearcats are returning to a Concho Valley district with Reagan County, Christoval, Sonora, Ozona, Colorado City and Forsan.

It’s a great district for the Bearcats with reasonable road trips and more traditional rivals from our area.

Ballinger is also escaping a district that featured a Hamilton team that reached the state final last year.

Ozona had the most success of all these schools after going 10-1 last year, but Sonora is the only other one that had a winning record at 7-4.

Ballinger, coming off a 3-7 season, should have a good chance to compete for a playoff spot in this district.

Brady-Mason Renew District Rivalry

After dropping from 3A Division II to 2A D-I, there was a lot of interest in where Brady would land.

Considering the Bulldogs are located right near the geographical center of Texas, there was no shortage of options for which way they could go.

Brady ultimately fell in Region II with Mason, San Saba, Coleman, Bangs and Johnson City in the new District 7-2A Division i.

Brady and Mason, who are about 40 miles apart and have played more than 60 times, are sharing the same district for the first time since 2007.

The district, which is an ideal one for Brady in terms of travel, should be a competitive one.

Brady went 7-4 last year and will be up against a Mason team that went 10-4 and reached the state quarterfinals — though the Bulldogs beat the Punchers 24-22 last year.

Other solid teams include San Saba (6-5), Bangs (6-5) and Johnson City (5-6), along with a Coleman team that went 2-8 last year but has fielded successful teams in recent seasons.

Water Valley-Robert Lee Rivalry Split Up

One of our area’s best district rivalries the last two years was Water Valley and Robert Lee, which included a state quarterfinal clash last season between the Top 10 programs.

They were sent to different districts on Monday, however, though they’re lined up for a potential first-round playoff meeting.

Robert Lee is now in District 7-1A Division I with Bronte, Baird, Paint Rock, Highland and Santa Anna.

Robert Lee will likely be the preseason favorite to win that district.

For Water Valley, the Wildcats are now with Sterling City, Menard, Eden, Irion County and Veribest in District 8-1A Division I.

Water Valley may still be the favorite to win district again, but the Wildcats will have to contend with a Sterling City program that won the state title in 2020 and an up-and-coming Menard program that went 11-1 last year.

This district could produce some exciting games the next two years.

There’s the possibility that Water Valley and Robert Lee could schedule each other in nondistrict, but they may also choose to avoid it because of the chance they’ll meet in the playoffs.

Richland Springs Leaves Region IV

The Richland Springs Coyotes have moved from their longtime home in Region IV to Region II.

Their new home in District 8-2A Division II includes familiar foes in Rochelle, Lohn, Cherokee and Brookesmith.

District 7-2A will also be affected as it draws 8-2A in the first round of the playoffs. 7-2A includes Blackwell, Loraine, Trent, Olfen and Panther Creek.

Richland Springs, which is home to nine state titles, is always a threat to make a run to the state final, just like it did last year. Now the Coyotes' path there will simply look a little different.