New 5A football-only districts bring many new matchups to Tarrant County teams

Mansfield Timberview football met the Highland Park Scots in early tune-up games the past two years, now these teams are in the same district for 2018-19.

Thursday’s UIL realignment created District 6-5A Division I with Highland Park, Timberview, Mansfield Legacy, Lancaster, and Dallas ISD schools Adams, Samuell, Sunset and Wilson.

Mansfield teams and Lancaster have gone 12-2 in the playoffs against Dallas ISD teams since 2014. Dallas South Oak Cliff won first-round games in 2014 and 2015.

The UIL, which organizes extra-curricular activities for the state’s approximately 1,200 public and charter schools, conducts a biennial realignment of competitive districts to account for population shifts and the opening of new schools.

In 3-5A Division I, the three Eagle Mountain-Saginaw schools and two Fort Worth ISD teams are grouped with Azle, Granbury, White Settlement Brewer and Crowley.

Saginaw Boswell, Crowley, FW South Hills and FW Arlington Heights are the most consistent playoff qualifiers.

In 4-5A Division I, gone are Fort Worth ISD opponents for Grapevine, Colleyville Heritage and Birdville, and joining them are Denton schools Ryan and Denton High, and Carrollton schools Creekview, Smith and Turner.

Perennial powerhouse Aledo is in 5-5A Division II with Arlington Seguin, Burleson Centennial, Burleson, Everman, Cleburne, Joshua, Midlothian and Waco University.

District 4-5A Division II is Justin Northwest and Fort Worth schools Carter-Riverside, Eastern Hills, North Side, Polytechnic, Southwest and Wyatt.

Fort Worth ISD officials indicated that they will file an appeal to move Young Men’s Leadership Academy into 4-5A Division II. Filing deadline is Feb. 11.

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 6:33 PM with the headline "New 5A football-only districts bring many new matchups to Tarrant County teams."