Byron Nelson and Northwest
set to take on new
district slates by Steve Gamel
J
Byron Nelson is now in District 4-6A
each school. The goal is to maintain a fair and competitive field of play throughout with Keller, Keller Fossil Ridge, Keller the state. Therefore, based on enrollment Central, Keller Timber Creek, Northwest numbers, some schools may move up Eaton, and Southlake Carroll. Meanwhile, while others will move down Northwest, which is once to keep schools of similar size again in Class 5A Division I, is The goal is paired together. in a larger eight-team district Crowley, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, Granbury, Saginaw,
and White Settlement Brewer. The UIL, the state’s governing body for extracurricular
to maintain a fair and competitive field of play throughout the state.
activities of Texas public
schools, unveils new districts every two years based on enrollment figures for 20 | 35 WEST | March 2020
from the previous realignment. Keller,
Central, Fossil Ridge, Timber Creek, Eaton, and Southlake were all in the Bobcats’
district last year. The only missing team
is Guyer, which was moved to a different
district. The trick for the Bobcats will be to find a way to have better results against these familiar opponents. Nelson has
missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, combining for just four wins in
ust like every high school football team in the state, Byron Nelson and Justin Northwest found out which districts they will be apart of for the next two years when the University Interscholastic League announced its biennial reclassification and realignment slate on February 3.
with Abilene Cooper, Azle,
For Nelson, there aren’t many changes
New schools that just opened are also thrown into the mix based on their enrollment figures.
Naturally, this forces many coaches and administrators to play the guessing game on where their programs will end up, and it all comes to a head on realignment day.
district play.
Meanwhile, Northwest’s football team is looking for its third straight playoff
appearance and knows very little about its new opponents. None of the other
seven teams were in Northwest’s previous district, but all but Heights and Brewer made the postseason.
Southlake Carroll, in particular, went four
rounds deep a year ago and is considered the easy frontrunner. But there is also
Abilene Cooper and Azle, who advanced three and two rounds deep, respectively. Where Northwest fits in that mix is the biggest question mark.
For all sports except football, Northwest’s district will be slightly different. District
6-5A features Colleyville Heritage, Denton, Denton Ryan, Grapevine, Birdville,
Richland, Lake Dallas, and Saginaw. www.35WestMagazine.com
