Teams see changes in UIL realignment
By Melissa McCaghren
Slatonite GM
The Slaton Tigers, Roosevelt Eagles, Wilson Mustangs and Southland Eagles will be seeing some new faces or fewer District games when they start the 2022-23 high school sports year.
The University Interscholastic League released its realignments for the 2022-24 biennial.
UIL realigns every two years to accommodate changes in school population and other factors.
Slaton, who is in 3A, Division I, District 1, will be playing Brownfield, Denver City, Kermit and Lamesa for District.
The teams stay the same as the past two years; however, Shallowater has been realigned with District 2.
Though there are now only four teams in District the Tigers face, Head Coach Lawrence Johnson has set a tentative schedule for the upcoming year, which will include an extra regular season game so there are still 10 total. Teams the Tigers will currently play in addition to the District teams set to include Snyder, Abernathy, New Deal, Roosevelt, Post and Friona.
The Tigers finished their season fourth in District last year before losing to Bushland in Bi-District.
The basketball alignment has not changed. The teams will play Abernathy, Childress, Idalou, Lubbock Roosevelt and Shallowater.
Roosevelt, will be in a District that features Abernathy, Coahoma, Idalou, Littlefield and Stanton.
The Eagles, Class 3A, Division II, District 4, added Littlefield, while Reagan County has moved to another classification.
Roosevelt made school history in 2021, becoming the first team to play in the State rounds of competition. The team were State Semifinalists, losing to eventual silver medalist Gunter in Abilene.
The biggest change occurred for the Mustangs and Southland Eagles.
Both six-man teams, Class 1A Division II are now in the same District 4.
They will play each other as well as Lamesa, Klondike, Loop and Welch Dawson.
Wilson loses Sands from its old District, which included Klondike and Loop.
Southland completely moves from its old District, which included Jayton, Guthrie, Patton Springs and Motley County.
Both teams are looking to advance next season when they compete in District.
The 2022-23 football schedules will be posted closer to the season after they are confirmed.
