Kilgore no longer in Longview-area district
Sabine to 2A; Longview to 4A; WR, Overton no real changes; LC 6-man now in district play
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

If the Kilgore High School sports teams play any of the Longview-area schools in 2008-09 or 2009-10 school years, they'll be non-district games.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) announced its biennial realignment plan this morning, and KHS, which was firmly entrenched in Class 4A, will stay there, but the Bulldogs won't play typical district rivals like Pine Tree, Marshall, and Hallsville, although those schools might be scheduled as non-district opponents.

The Bulldogs will play in Class 4A Region 2 District 14, and the other schools in the district are Henderson (which had been expected to drop to Class 3A, but didn't), Jacksonville, Lindale, Nacogdoches, and Whitehouse.

That means KHS head football coach Mike Vallery will likely have to schedule five non-district games.

Longview High School did make its expected change from 5A to 4A, and is grouped with Hallsville, Pine Tree, Marshall, Mount Pleasant, Sulphur Springs and Texas High (Texarkana) to form District 13. Former Longview rivals John Tyler High School and Tyler Lee High School are now grouped in Class 5A Region 2, District 11, with Desoto, Mesquite, Mesquite Horn, and North Mesquite. Lufkin is in 14- 5A with the Conroe-area schools.

The realignment is conducted inhouse by the UIL and announced to all school districts and coaches at the same time, so no one gets a possible scheduling advantage. Alignment of districts is based on enrollment numbers.

Schools can appeal UIL decisions.

To be a Class 5A school, for instance, in the next two school years, a school would need to have submitted an enrollment to UIL officials of 2,085 students or higher. Class 4A schools are schools that have enrollments of 980 to 2,084 students. Class 3A schools have 430 to 979 students. For schools to be classified 2A, their student range is 200 to 429 students, and Class 1A is 199 students and below.

Another school district in the area that is affected by change is Sabine High School, which was already one of (if not the) smallest 3A schools in the state. Sabine has been moved to 2A, and will compete in 2A sports for the next two school years in 2A Region 3, District 18 in a large district. Sabine's district rivals will be White Oak (also dropping from 3A), Harmony, New Diana, Elysian Fields, Union Grove, Harleton, and Winona.

The West Rusk High School Raiders will breathe a sigh of relief: that very difficult district in which they've played the last two seasons, which included Arp, Troup, Elysian Fields, and Tatum, has been broken up. The Raiders will remain in 2A, and play in District 19 against Arp, Elkhart, Frankston, Garrison, Troup, Central Heights and Woden, although Central Heights and Woden don't have football programs.

It's a little more tricky for Overton High School, a Class 1A school whose districts differ for football and basketball. In football, Overton will be in Class 1A, Region 3, District 20, and will take on Alto, Cayuga, Cushing, Grapeland, Cross Roads, and Carlisle. In basketball, the Mustangs will also play in District 20, but against Beckville, Big Sandy, Hawkins, Carlisle and Waskom.

Leverett's Chapel plays six-man football, and will begin its third season this fall. This will be the first time, though, since football was reinstated that the Lions will play in a district. The Lions will be in Region 4, District 15, and take on Iredell, Morgan, Oglesby, and Walnut Springs.

See more on the UIL realignment in Sunday's Kilgore News Herald sports section.