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Lake Travis Cavaliers head coach Hank Carter speaks to his team late in the fourth quarter of the annual Battle of the Lakes rivalry against the Westlake Chaparrals at Chaparral Stadium in West Lake Hills, Oct. 24, 2025. The Cavaliers won the game 31-10.<\/p>\n
Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Texas high school football<\/a> equivalent to the opening bell on Wall Street takes place Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n When the University Interscholastic League\u00a0releases its biennial district realignment<\/a> at 9 a.m. for the 2026-28 cycle, it will set off a statewide frenzy of teams trying to put together a schedule for the next two years. And though school officials <\/a>can anticipate or guess what will happen with district assignments, each of the six coaches the American-Statesman<\/a> talked to for this article said the same thing: nobody knows. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n What we’re expecting for Central Texas schools when the UIL announces its biennial realignment and reclassification changes for the next two years on Monday, based on schools’ enrollment numbers and expected classification cutoffs:<\/p>\n Who’s jumping up to Class 6A: Cedar Park, East View, Hays, Leander and Rouse<\/p>\n Who’s dropping down to Class 5A: Manor<\/p>\n Who’s moving in football only: Connally and McCallum to Class 5A Division I<\/p>\n \u201cI have no clue where they\u2019re going to place us,\u201d Hays coach Mark Torres said with a chuckle.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Relive the Central Texas chaos that was the UIL’s 2024 biennial realignment<\/a><\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean that there\u2019s no preparation, though. Coaches try to line up opponents for the first four weeks for each potential district-size scenario, which for most Central Texas schools can range from six to nine teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou always have to go in with a plan,\u201d former Rouse coach Josh Mann, who took the Belton job Friday, told the Statesman earlier in the week. \u201cYou look at (media projections) and do your own homework to try and get an idea what the districts will be. But the biggest thing is you want to go in with at least two or three nondistrict games in hand. \u2026 And when it\u2019s announced, you have to be prepared for the chaos that happens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A potential ‘district of doom?’<\/p>\n This realignment will be particularly interesting for the Austin area:<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n