Class 5A

Midway's long awaited jump to Class 5A finally came to fruition Thursday on UIL realignment day.

Midway, which has long been in 4A, was placed in District 8-5A with Belton, Copperas Cove, Killeen, Ellison, Harker Heights, Shoemaker and Temple for the 2012-2014 athletic calendar beginning this fall.

We're told Midway's three nondistrict opponents will be Bryan, A&M Consolidated and North Crowley this fall, with seven district games.

Midway highlighted a morning that included a few surprises. University and Waco High were aligned northward in an eight-team District 8-4A that includes Burleson, Burleson Centennial, Cleburne, Crowley, Everman and Joshua.

Check back with Wacotrib.com for more updates throughout the day.

Class 4A

With Midway gone to Class 5A, Waco High and University will burn up I-35 heading toward Fort Worth.

The Lions and Trojans were placed in the eight-team District 8-4A with Burleson, Burleson Centennial, Cleburne, Crowley, Everman and Joshua.

"I think it's a competitive district," University coach Matt Carroll said. "It's a district we feel we can compete in week in and week out, so we look forward to it. It came out the way we wanted it."

With the district number staying the same, Waco High and University will still be in Region I. But the travel figures to be a little less taxing without San Angelo Lake View in the district.

"We don't have to take a four-hour trip, that's a good thing," Waco High coach Danny Ramsey said.

Class 3A

Waco's prime 3A district underwent minimal change. The new District 17-3A includes the usual suspects, with China Spring, Lorena, Robinson, Connally and La Vega drawn into the same league again. The only change was Gatesville being replaced by West.

"Coming over here we knew that was a possibility," West coach Sam Gillispie said. "We've been in that district before with La Vega, Connally, Robinson, China Spring and Lorena. It's teams that aren't new, we've had to play them before. It's like I told our coaches and administrators, we've got to play them some time. We might as well play them in district."

Gatesville was kicked into a more westward 8-3A with Brownwood, Burnet, Lampasas, Liberty Hill and Llano.

Fairfield, Mexia and Groesbeck stayed together in 19-3A, which was reformed into a five-team district that also includes Palestine and Rusk. Madisonville (18-3A) and Palestine Westwood, which dropped down to 2A, both moved out.

Hillsboro didn't get any favors by being lumped into a five-team 7-3A. The Eagles kept Alvarado, Glen Rose and Venus as district foes but added 4A drop-down Stephenville, a perennial state contender in 4A that just came in under the cut for 3A.

Class 2A (football)

Division I

Clifton and Whitney stayed together, but that's about the only similarity in the district they were in last time and the one they're in now.

They will still have to face Godley, but Grandview, Maypearl, Palmer and Red Oak Life are all new faces in District 12-2A Division I. The biggest change is that Clifton and Whitney moved all the way from Region I last time to Region III.

The other district involving area teams features Cameron Yoe, Marlin, McGregor and Troy matched with Florence, Little River Academy and newcomer Salado, a 3A drop-down.

They will compete in District 13-2A Division I, a shift from Region III to Region IV.

Division II

There's only one district involving Central Texas schools in this division, and it's 11-2A Division II, which features Bruceville-Eddy, Crawford, Hearne, Moody and Riesel, which both moved up from 1A to 2A, and Rosebud-Lott, along with Buffalo, Centerville and Hearne.

"We knew (moving up ) was coming," Riesel coach Ronnie Wilson said. "It could be worse. The travel's better for us. We're not driving two and a half hours. You've got to respect the teams we're in with, but at least with seven teams it gives us a shot. Losing one game won't kill you as bad as it did in a five- or six-team district."

Class 2A (basketball)

The Central Texas teams are all in Region III, except for Whitney

Bruceville-Eddy, Clifton, Crawford, Hamilton, McGregor, Moody and Troy are aligned together in District 21-2A, while Cameron Yoe and Rosebud-Lott are in with Florence, Jarrell, Lexington, Little River Academy, Rogers and Salado in 22-3A.

Marlin joins Riesel and Teague in 23-2A, and they will meet Blooming Grove, Buffalo, Corsicana Mildred and Rice.

Whitney moved districts but not regions. The Wildcats join Godley, Grandview, Keene Smith, Maypearl, Rio Vista and Tolar in 10-2A, and will stay in Region II.

Class 1A (football)

Division I

Mart made the move from Region II to the more Waco friendly Region III in a five-team 12-1A district that also includes Axtell, Bosqueville, Leon and Valley Mills.

Axtell will drop back down to 1A after spending the last two years in 2A, while Valley Mills will move further eastward toward Waco.

"I think overall the district is going to be really competitive," Bosqueville coach Clint Zander said. "I think Mart is definitely the front runner and the rest of us are going to be fighting for spots two and three."

Itasca was moved into 6-1A with Cayuga, Dallas Gateway, Italy, Kerens and Malakoff Cross Roads.

Division II

Hubbard's district, which moved to 9-1A in Region III, shifted slightly northwest with the subtraction of Chilton and Bremond and the addition of Meridian.

The rest of the district includes Dawson, Frost and Wortham.

Meridian, meanwhile, sheds its current district of Ranger, Cross Plains, Baird and Gorman but keeps the five-team look. That means teams are forced to take a bye week within the district calendar, which not all coaches are excited to do.

"Especially when you're the district champ, you get the first round playoff bye," Hubbard coach Craig Horn said. "If you draw that Week 10 bye, there's two weeks that you're not playing football, and you're going to get a pretty quality opponent in the second week of the playoffs."

Bremond and Chilton make up half of the new 12-1A, which is an abnormally small four-team district that also includes Lovelady and Normangee.

Class 1A (basketball)

The six-team District 19-1A Division I in Region III drew in all area schools with Axtell, Bosqueville, Bremond, Chilton, Mart and Rapoport. Valley Mills, which joined several of those schools in a football district, was moved west into 12-1A with De Leon, Goldthwaite, Hico, Meridian and San Saba.

Itasca was lumped into 14-1A Division I along with Italy, Grand Prairie Advantage Academy, Dallas Triple A Academy, Dallas Gateway and Arlington Summit International Prep.

District 18-1A Division 2 includes Blum, Covington, Iredell, Kopperl, Morgan and Walnut Springs. District 19-1A Division 2 is an all area grouping that kept some older rivalries with Abbott, Aquilla, Bynum, Coolidge, Frost, Mount Calm and Penelope.

The six team District 28-1A Division 2 is made up almost entirely of Central Texas schools with Cranfills Gap, Evant, Jonesboro and Oglesby joining Star and Lometa.

Six-man Division I

Central Texas teams appear a little more spread out this time.

Evant is all alone in District 10 and will meet Gordon, Gustine and Lingleville, while Blum, Covington, Kopperl and Walnut Springs comprise District 11. Those two districts will compete in Region III.

Abbott, Aquilla and Bynum stayed together, but Penelope has been replaced by Avalon in District 13.

"I'm a little bit surprised," Abbott coach Terry Crawford said. "I wasn't expecting Avalon to come into our district. We had a nondistrict game already scheduled with them, but overall I'm happy. We got rid of a strong power in Penelope and bring in Avalon. I enjoy the program they've got going on over there, so I'm pleased."

Penelope moves into a District 14 that also includes an area team in Coolidge, along with Buckholts and Mount Calm.

Six-man Division II

All of the area schools are in Region IV.

Oglesby is with Cherokee, Prairie Lea and Star in District 14, while the all-area District 15 keeps Cranfills Gap, Iredell, Jonesboro and Morgan together.

Check back with Wacotrib.com for more updates throughout the day.

New UIL alignments
for football and basketball

District 8-5A
Belton
Copperas Cove
Harker Heights
Killeen
Killeen Ellison
Killeen Shoemaker
Midway
Temple

District 8-4A
Burleson
Burleson Centennial
Cleburne
Crowley
Everman
Joshua
University
Waco High

District 7-3A
Alvarado
Glen Rose
Hillsboro
Stephenville
Venus

District 8-3A
Brownwood
Burnet
Gatesville
Lampasas
Liberty Hill
Llano

District 17-3A
China Spring
Connally
La Vega
Lorena
Robinson
West

District 19-3A
Fairfield
Groesbeck
Mexia
Palestine
Rusk

FOOTBALL District 11-2A — Division I
Crockett
Elkhart
Franklin
Palestine Westwood
Teague
Trinity

FOOTBALL District 12-2A — Division I
Clifton
Godley
Grandview
Maypearl
Palmer
Red Oak Life
Whitney

FOOTBALL District 13-2A — Division I
Academy
Cameron Yoe
Florence
Lago Vista
Marlin
McGregor
Salado
Troy

FOOTBALL District 4-2A — Division II
Ballinger
Cisco
Coleman
Colorado City
Hamilton
Hawley

FOOTBALL District 11-2A — Division II
Bruceville-Eddy
Buffalo
Centerville
Crawford
Hearne
Moody
Riesel
Rosebud-Lott

FOOTBALL District 5-1A — Division I
De Leon
Goldthwaite
Hico
San Saba
Santo

FOOTBALL District 6-1A — Division I
Cayuga
Dallas Gateway
Italy
Itasca
Kerens
Malakoff Cross Roads

FOOTBALL District 12-1A — Division I
Axtell
Bosqueville
Leon
Mart
Valley Mills

FOOTBALL District 9-1A — Division II
Dawson
Frost
Hubbard
Meridian
Wortham

FOOTBALL District 12-1A — Division II
Bremond
Chilton
Lovelady
Normangee

Six-man District 10 — Division I
Evant
Gordon
Gustine
Lingleville

Six-man District 11 — Division I
Blum
Covington
Kopperl
Walnut Springs

Six-man District 13 — Division I
Abbott
Aquilla
Avalon
Bynum

Six-man District 14 — Division I
Buckholts
Coolidge
Mount Calm
Penelope

Six-man District 14 — Division II
Cherokee
Oglesby
Prairie Lea
Star

Six-man District 15 — Division II
Cranfills Gap
Iredell
Jonesboro
Morgan

BASKETBALL District 10-2A
Godley
Grandview
Keene Smith
Maypearl
Rio Vista
Tolar
Whitney

BASKETBALL District 21-2A
Bruceville-Eddy
Clifton
Crawford
Hamilton
McGregor
Moody
Troy

BASKETBALL District 22-2A
Academy
Cameron Yoe
Florence
Jarrell
Lexington
Rogers
Rosebud-Lott
Salado

BASKETBALL District 23-2A
Blooming Grove
Buffalo
Corsicana Midlred
Marlin
Rice
Riesel
Teague

BASKETBALL District 12-1A — Division I
De Leon
Goldthwaite
Hico
Meridian
San Saba
Valley Mills

BASKETBALL District 14-1A — Division I
Arlington Summit Int'l Prep
Dallas Gateay
Dallas Triple A Academy
Grand Prairie Advantage
Italy
Itasca

BASKETBALL District 18-1A — Division I
Cayuga
Dawson
Hubbard
Kerens
Malakoff Cross Roads
Wortham

BASKETBALL District 19-1A — Division I
Axtell
Bosqueville
Bremond
Chilton
Mart
Rapoport Academy

BASKETBALL District 18-1A — Division II
Blum
Covington
Iredell
Kopperl
Morgan
Walnut Springs

BASKETBALL District 19-1A — Division II
Abbott
Aquilla
Bynum
Coolidge
Frost
Mount Calm
Penelope

BASKETBALL District 28-1A — Division II
Cranfills Gap
Evant
Jonesboro
Lometa
Oglesby
Star