The University Interscholastic League released its 2026-2028 reclassification and realignment for football, basketball and volleyball, shifting the landscape of Texas high school athletics for the next two years.
The Pilot Point Bearcats football program moves from District 5 to District 6 in 3A Division I Region 2, with familiar foes Whitesboro, Pottsboro, Dallas A+ Academy and Dallas Life Oak Cliff and a new face in Gunter.
“There were a lot of different ways things probably could have gone for us, but as it turned out, we stayed pretty much the same,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach. “Obviously, losing Palmer and Dallas Madison, and adding Gunter to the district, makes it a very competitive district from top to bottom.”
The Gunter Tigers make the move up to 3A Division I after winning five state championships in the last decade in 3A Division II, and Worrell said he’s excited to see what they can bring to the district.
“They're a good football team, and they can compete at any level, and they’re going to add that to an already talented group of teams in our district,” he said. “It's going to be another week that we have to prepare for and play our best.”
Another result of the realignment is the Bearcats move from a seven-team district to a six-team district, increasing the number of non-district games from four to five and reducing the number of district games from six to five.
The even number of teams also allows each of the district’s teams to have their bye week at the conclusion of their non-district games versus a randomized bye week in districts with an odd number of teams.
In volleyball, the Lady Cats moved from Region 2 District 10 to Region 1 District 8 in 3A Division I, where they lose Ponder but will continue to compete with familiar programs— Boyd, Callisburg, Paradise, Valley View and Whitesboro.
The Bearcats and Lady Cats basketball teams also made the move from Reiar gion 2 District 10 to Region 1 District 8 in 3A Division I, with Boyd, Callisburg, Paradise, Valley View and Whitesboro, while S & S Consolidated replaces Ponder.
“We lost a quality Ponder team and didn’t add anyone, but our volleyball district schedule is still the toughest district in 3A in the state of Texas, and with our basketball district also losing Ponder and adding S & S, it’s going to be highly competitive there on the boys’ and girls’ side,” Worrell said.
The Aubrey Chaparrals football program moved from Region 2 District 7 to Region 1 District 4 in 4A Division I alongside Lake Dallas to face a cavalcade of new opponents in Alvarado, Carrollton Ranchview, Decatur, Godley, River Oaks Castleberry and Springtown.
“It looks like it could be another extremely competitive district once again for the next two years,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “We lose [Frisco] Panther Creek and Celina, and we picked up Springtown, Decatur, and Alvarado, so it’s going to be very tough, and we know that going in.”
The change also moves the Chaps from a seventeam district to an eightteam district, reducing the number of non-district games by one and adding an additional district game to the season, which is a first in Ivy’s 29-year coaching career.
“We're not very familiar with these schools, but I think that’s intriguing and exciting,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to see some new schools, go to some new stadiums and play, and I think that'll be really good for our players, our coaches and our community.”
The Lady Chaps volleyball program remains in 4A Division I Region 2 District 9 alongside Gainesville, Lake Dallas, Sanger and Van Alstyne, while Krum and Ponder move in to fill the void left by Celina, Frisco Panther Creek and Prosper Richland.
The Chaps and Lady Chaps basketball programs also remain in 4A Division I Region 2 District 9 with Gainesville, Lake Dallas, Sanger and Van Alstyne and newcomers in Krum and Ponder.
“We are pretty familiar with a lot of those schools because we played them outside of district,” Ivy said. “Including Ponder, and they're a state-ranked program most years, so we know they'll be good, but I feel really confident about our districts, and I think we will be extremely competitive in those sports as well.”
The Tioga Bulldogs football program remains in 2A Division I Region 2 District 6, with familiar schools Alvord and Nocona, while Chico, Muenster, and Olney move in to replace Tom Bean, Trenton, Whitewright and Wolfe City.
“We're in a smaller district, and we went West, so we have some teams that we're not familiar with, which is exciting to get a play some new opponents, including the best 2A team in the state of Texas in Muenster in our own district,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “The level of competition in our district and in the region has without a doubt gone up.”
The realignment also moves the Bulldogs from a seven-team district to a six-team district, increasing the number of non-district games from four to five and reducing the number of district games from six to five.
The Bulldogs basketball programs remain in 2A Division I Region 2 District 13 with familiar programs Collinsville, Era, Muenster and Lindsay, while Tom Bean and Whitewright move in to replace Alvord, Chico and Slidell.
The Lady Bulldogs volleyball program remains in 2A Division I Region 2 District 10 alongside Collinsville, Sam Rayburn, Tom Bean and Whitewright, with newcomer Lindsay replacing Trenton.
“Our district definitely got tougher,” Tioga head volleyball coach Trevin Robinson said. “We’re probably the second toughest 2A Volleyball district in the state. We already have two teams who met each other in the regional finals and you add Lindsay who went 36-9 and lost to the team who finished second in Division II, [but] tougher schedules help prepare you for a playoff run, so we are excited to add another good team to our district.”
