Class 5A football splitting into two divisions next realignment

The UIL announced on Wednesday the decision to split Class 5A high school football into two divisions, which will go into effect in 2018.

Class 5A superintendents voted 144-77 in favor of a split format in football.

Teams will be placed in divisions based on enrollment for the entire alignment period, instead of the current format that divides them in the playoffs, which is currently utilized in Classes 4A to 1A.

The current plan in 4A and below places teams in 16 Division I and 16 Division II districts, with four teams in each district advancing to the playoffs.

Aledo athletic director Tim Buchanan was asked last summer about the possibility of a change, to which he responded, “What’s good for the students? Schools should play schools of similar size.”

Next realignment day will take place February 2018. The current 5A enrollment range is 2,149 to 1,100.

Divide the current 255 Class 5A schools down the middle and here’s the result for area teams:

Division I

Summit 2,147

Lake Ridge 2,130

Coll. Heritage 2,098

Northwest 2,079

Birdville 2,076

Crowley 2,065

South Hills 2,063

Mansfield Legacy 2,045

Richland 2,039

Arlington Heights 2,021

Chisholm Trail 2,005

Eaton 1,964

Granbury 1,959.5

Brewer 1,926

Saginaw 1,907

Grapevine 1,813

Trimble Tech 1,785.5

Cleburne 1,775

Azle 1,762

Timberview 1,758

Division II

Boswell 1,727

North Side 1,688

Centennial 1,686

Seguin 1,680.5

Burleson 1,671

Aledo 1,594

Joshua 1,457

Everman 1,436

Wyatt 1,371

Carter-Riverside 1,350

Southwest 1,291

Polytechnic 1,255

Eastern Hills 1,186

Western Hills 1,176

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Class 5A football splitting into two divisions next realignment."