SPORTS
UIL releases cutoff numbers for realignment
Released on Friday, the University Interscholastic League put out the official cutoff numbers for conference realignment for the 2024-2026 school years.
Even with a few schools worried about possibly moving up, no area schools changed classification now with the numbers out.
Bowie was never worried about moving up from 3A to 4A, reporting 493 kids and the cutoff for 4A classification being 545. The school was even farther away from dropping down to division II in football, with the 3A division I cutoff number at 369.
Almost as big of news is the departure of state powerhouse Brock, which ended Bowie playoff runs in several sports over the years as the Eagles move up to 4A.
Nocona was ecstatic this time two years ago when it dropped down from 3A to 2A by one student. The Indians have reaped the benefits in almost every sport last year and already this year. Surely Nocona would not get so lucky again.
Well, the school turned in even less than it did two years ago and will stay in 2A for another two years. The cutoff number for 3A was 254 this time and Nocona turned in 234.
Saint Jo was another school that was worried about moving up. The Panthers have been the biggest 1A school in the area and have used that advantage to post great results in recent years in almost every sport.
Moving up to 2A would not just be an increase in competition, but also would mean Saint Jo football players and coaches would be transitioning from six-man football to traditional 11-man for the first time in many years.
Luckily, the Panthers were a few kids under the cutoff number once again. Saint Jo turned in 100.5 and the 2A cutoff was 105.
With the Panthers’ athletic director Mark Stevens retiring at the end of the school year, the next hire will have the benefit of utilizing Saint Jo’s number advantage for at least two more years before people have to worry again about the possibility of moving up.
Every other area school was not worried about moving up from 1A to 2A. However, for Gold-Burg and Forestburg, the two schools were worried about moving up in the football classification from division II to division I.
Forestburg was close, reporting 57 and the cutoff number being 61.5. Gold-Burg was well under reporting 49.
For area schools Bellevue and Prairie Valley that don’t play football, neither were worried about having to move up from 1A to 2A. Both would have to nearly double its enrollment numbers just to start to worry about the possibility as Bellevue turned in 52 and Prairie Valley turned in 45.
The final stage in realignment won’t come until Feb. 1, 2024, when the UIL releases district alignments for 2024-2026.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News. To see enrollment numbers for all schools in the state, go to this link https://www.uiltexas.org/press-releases/detail/uil-conference-cutoff-numbers-for-2024-2026-reclassification-realignment.
Saint Jo hosted its own volleyball tournament Sept. 10-12.
In its first match, the Lady Panthers bested Sam Rayburn in a b est-of-three match 2-1 (25-11, 23-25, 25-14.) In the opener, senior Tatum Morman staked the Lady Panthers to a 4-0 lead with help from Kamron Skidmore and Olivia Johnson kills. The Lady Rebels would come back and tie the game at seven.
Savannah Hill’s kill broke serve and allowed Abby Carter to string together seven points. An ace and a Hill kill helped keep the drive alive. Hill later rolled off six points in a row, helped by two aces, to go up 23-10. Sam Rayburn broke serve but Saint Jo finished the game with a single Morman point.
Sam Rayburn came right out of the gate firing in the second game leading 4-0. A single Carter point, thrown down by a Hill block, and Hill’s four-point skein put the Lady Panthers up 8-6. Sam Rayburn tied the game at eight.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Forestburg’s volleyball team gave visiting Chico a solid test Sept. 8, but the Lady Dragons rebounded from a third-set loss to pull out the 3-1 win (25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 25-19).
The Lady Longhorns got out to a quick start with aces from freshmen Madi Wadsworth and Lacie Shotwell staking the squad to a 4-1 lead in game one. Wadsworth later broke a 4-all tie with a kill.
Addy Conway rolled off four straight points, helped by a Wadsworth kill to give Forestburg an 11-9 lead. Chico took a 16-14 lead but a Brenna Briles ace and Jocelyn Rich’s two points forced Chico into a timeout down 17-19.
The respite worked as it would be Forestburg’s last lead of game one, the Lady ‘Horns not having another serving point.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
After splitting the first two games with Vernon Northside, Bowie’s volleyball team turned things out and wound with a 3-1 match win (25-17, 15-25, 25-17, 25-17).
Molly Enlow used two aces amidst a four-point string to give the Lady Rabbits a 5-1 lead in game one. Senior KP Rutherford’s pair of points extended the lead to 8-3.
Northside cut the deficit to 10-11 before Rutherford’s kill broke serve.
Bella Culwell’s point, aided by an Ellie Mowery kill, put Bowie up 13-10. Northside tied the game at 13 before Rutherford came through with another pair for a 17-14 lead. Lillie Maddox also had a deuce for a 20-15 lead and force a Lady INdian timeout.
Northside broke serve but a Sophie Maddox block and Lillie Maddox three-point string gave the squad game point at 24-16. The squads exchanged side outs to end the game.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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