Schools await call from UIL

By TODD HVEEM
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
The 10 Cy-Fair ISD high schools once again will form one district when the University Interscholastic League releases its realignment and reclassification at 9 a.m. Monday.
But there is one question that remains to be answered.
Will the Cy-Fair schools compete in Region II or Region III?
There are a lot of rumors out there,'' said Cy Falls athletic coordinator/head football coach David Raffield. I think moving back to Region III would be great. It would save us a lot of money.''
It also makes a lot of sense.
We like the matchups we had in 2004-2006 (when we were in Region III),'' Raffield said. We made it to the state finals in 2006 coming out of Region III. It is a very competitive region, but the biggest factor has to do with travel. Right now, we are playing first-round (playoff) games in Austin and Round Rock. Then, for third-round games, we have to go to Waco or Dallas.
In 2006, the furthest we went was Galena Park before the state semifinals (in San Antonio),'' he added. We would like to do that again.''
Cy-Fair ISD's 10 football teams will not be placed into two different zones like the volleyball, basketball, soccer and baseball teams.
We will have one non-district game and nine district games,'' Raffield said. It will be quite a grind. It is not to our advantage (to only have four playoff teams). But it is what it is.''
The UIL staff started to work on realignment in October 2009 -- shortly after high schools turned in their enrollment figures.
School size comes first, followed by geographical distribution of schools,'' said UIL policy director Mark Cousins. In a state the size of Texas, our staff also focuses on trying to minimize travel for schools as much as possible. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, and the staff remains cognizant of the stress that travel can have on school budgets and the students who participate in UIL contests.''
Cousins said the biggest changes will be with the Class 1A and 2A football alignment. The largest half of the schools in the conference will be Division I and the smallest half in Division II. Two teams from each district will advance to the playoffs.
The alignment is something that is continually discussed among the staff as we try to think of new ideas that can make the system more equitable for our wide range of member schools,'' Cousins said.
UIL athletic director Cliff Odewald said schools can appeal if they are unhappy with realignment.
The first appeal process is to ask the district to which the school was assigned and the district to which the school desires to be assigned for approval to switch,'' Cousins said. If the school receives unanimous approval from the schools in both districts, the appeal is automatically granted and the switch is made.''
Odenwald said it is impossible to please everybody.
The biggest day of the year for schools in Texas is the day we release the districts,'' he said. Some will be pleased and others will be displeased no matter what. But when you work in a state the size of Texas, districts have to be made with respect to what is best for those schools and their travel time.''