Teams looking ahead to new homes
In two weeks, UIL expected to shake up alignment of local districts
Two local football teams that broke through to big stages in 2015 will have to aim for even bigger stages in the future. In less than two weeks those teams - and the rest of the state - will know exactly what their new path looks like.
George Ranch won a Class 5A, Division I state championship this season. Ridge Point won a Class 5A, Division II regional championship. When the UIL releases its biennial reclassification and realignment on Feb. 1 the rest of the Houston-area Class 5A schools will get some good news.
George Ranch and Ridge Point officially will move up to 6A.
Ridge Point football coach Brett Sniffin has embraced every challenge since taking over. Planting a flag in the state’s highest classification will be no different.
“We’re looking at it as fun,” Sniffin said. “We’re going to play teams we have not played before. That’s always exciting.”
With Fort Bend Bush moving up also, it seems obvious that Ridge Point and Bush will join the other six Fort Bend ISD class 6A schools in a single eight-team district. George Ranch’s draw does not seem so easy.
The UIL has several options with George Ranch. It could put the Longhorns in with Fort Bend ISD and make it a nine-team district. It could add the Longhorns to an expected seven-team district with Katy to make it eight.
George Ranch also could find itself grouped with three Alief ISD schools, four Spring Branch ISD schools or even schools like Alvin and Strake Jesuit that do not have any other Class 6A schools in their school district.
After leading his team to the state title, George Ranch coach Ricky Tullos said it was not going to matter where his team ended up.
“We’re going to continue to be who we are,” Tullos said. “That’s doing little things right and trying to develop young men to be better people as they get older. No matter who we’re playing or where we’re playing, none of that matters. We’re going to do our job and try to be better than anybody we play.”
Although moving up in classification means bigger enrollment numbers, it does not necessarily mean a team has the same number of kids as the schools that already were in the higher classification.
Sniffin said he expects Ridge Point to be on the lower end of the enrollment numbers in 6A. The biggest thing the Panthers likely will have to adjust to is on the offensive and defensive lines. They’ll have skill players who can go toe-to-toe with the skill players on the other teams. Developing depth along the lines will be the key, Sniffin said.
The good news for George Ranch and Ridge Point is that teams moving into the highest classification are rarely left for dead. In just the last two years Dawson and Friendswood proved they could compete for district titles and win playoff games in their first couple of tries at Class 6A.
On a bigger scale there is Lake Travis. The Cavaliers won five consecutive Class 4A state championships from 2007-2011. The following season Lake Travis moved up to Class 5A. In 2013 it went all the way to the state semifinals. In 2015 the Cavaliers went to the Class 6A, Division II state title game.
“You can always show examples of people who have done it successfullly,” Sniffin said. “As long as we continue to grow and do the right things, be good football players and take care of our business we should keep having success.” Corey Roepken is a freelance writer. He can be reached at croepken@gmail.com and twitter.com/ripsports.