Travel issues key for Fort Worth’s top winners and losers following UIL realignment
We’re still six months away from the start of another high school football season, but some schools might want to think about joining a Fuel Rewards program given the distances a few teams will need to travel to get to games this fall.
In many cases, the new district UIL realignment announced last Monday has created new rivalries, fairer match-ups and shorter rides, but for other other schools it also has brought some unintended consequences like much longer travel time.
Here is a look at the Star-Telegram’s top three Fort Worth-area winners and losers following UIL realignment:
Winners
1. District 3-6A
No more late nights from Abilene and San Angelo Central for Euless Trinity, LD Bell, Haltom and Weatherford. Two hours to Abilene and three to San Angelo, but the four schools from Dallas-Forth were realigned with Paschal, North Crowley, Boswell and Chisholm Trail.
It’s also good news for Paschal and North Crowley, who left the Arlington district after 10 years.
The new 3-6A is no cake walk and it doesn’t mean they’ll make the playoffs next season, but Paschal and North Crowley are going to see better days.
2. 5A Division 1 Region 1
Denton Ryan, which has reached the state semifinals in each of the past four seasons and the 5A D1 state title game in December, moves to Region 2 and is in the same district as Frisco Lone Star.
That means some DFW teams are clear from playing Ryan until the semis.
District 3 is comprised of Azle, Crowley, Granbury, Saginaw, Brewer, Northwest and Arlington Heights, while District 4 has Colleyville Heritage, Birdville, Richland, Burleson Centennial, Midlothian, Red Oak, Legacy and Summit.
3. Grapevine
It’s no gimme, but the Mustangs have to be a favorite to win their region next season. They were realigned into 4-5A Division 2 with Carrollton Creekview and six FWISD schools.
They’ll still have to win their district, which includes some great talent like North Side’s all-state receiver Da’Wain Lofton, but history says a team like Grapevine will win against the FWISD schools.
Other favorites in Region 1 are Lubbock Cooper and Abilene Wylie in District 3.
Losers
1. Lake Worth
The Bullfrogs had an easy commute during the current realignment. They had three district road games: two at Clark Stadium in Fort Worth, the other at Castleberry. That’s 92 miles round-trip. The season before, it was 106.
They’ll surpass those two marks combined just in Week 11 of the 2020 season.
The UIL realigned Lake Worth into 4-5A D1 with Burkburnett, Decatur, Gainesville, Springtown and Wichita Falls Hirschi, which it visits in the final regular season game.
The Bullfrogs’ five new opponents are a combined 750 miles round-trip; Burkburnett (260), Hirschi (240), Gainesville (130), Decatur (80) and Springtown (40).
2. New Travel Costs
Mansfield and Lake Ridge were realigned into 6A Region 2 in District 11. It’s the new district of doom with Duncanville, which has been state runner-up the past two seasons. They stayed with Cedar Hill and DeSoto, but now Waco and Waco Midway get into the mix.
That’s 90 minutes to both schools.
In District 3-5A D1, Abilene Cooper gets into DFW with Azle, Crowley, Granbury, Saginaw, Brewer, Northwest and Arlington Heights.
Worse for Cooper, but for half of those teams, it means a drive over two hours to play a football game.
3. District 6-4A Division 1
Kennedale had shared a football district with Lake Worth since 2012. The Wildcats were also in the same district since then with Diamond Hill-Jarvis and Castleberry.
Lake Worth is gone, leaving Kennedale and Castleberry with six Fort Worth ISD schools.
It’s not a knock on anyone, but Kennedale has always been a top 4A school in DFW. The Wildcats went to the state title game in 2017.
Meanwhile DHJ was once on a 77-game losing streak. Carter-Riverside has lost its last 27 games.
In 2019, the Wildcats had margin of victories that included 66, 62, 49, 48 and 46 points. However, expect great match-ups for the other three playoff spots.
