Popped Into Place
Editor's Note: On Thursday, February 18, Miller High School's reclassification appeal to the University Interscholastic League was successful. The Bucs will compete in 3A during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years. Miller joins West Oso, Lyford, Orange Grove, Raymondville and Robstown in 31-3A.
31-4A will have seven teams for the next two years: Alice, Calallen, Flour Bluff, Kingsville King, Moody, Ray and Tuloso-Midway.
I had an unusual dream over the weekend.
Walking through an upscale neighborhood near a large urban center on a beautiful day, I was shot in the head. I felt pain, but it wasn't excruciating. The bullet penetrated my skull's left side, but stopped; I could reach up and feel the round, flat end of the protruding projectile.
Chalk it up to my hard-headedness.
Amazingly upright, I spotted a mansion known to me as the office of Morehead, Dotts & Associates. This was more of a house than the house they occupy in reality on Santa Fe Street in Corpus Christi. It was huge, white stucco and three stories with lots of glass.
I moved as quickly as possible, but my legs were rubbery and I felt they'd give way at any moment. MD&A principal Fred Dotts saw me coming up the walk and opened the door.
"What in the hell happened to you?"
"Fred, I've been shot. I need you to call an ambulance and call my wife."
"Sure, but sit down over here."
I wasn't bleeding, but didn't want to take any chances on his white leather sofa. I found the nearest wall and inched down, my knees gently buckling.
Sitting there on the floor, it really sunk in. "I've been shot. Guess I can check that off my list."
Seemingly seconds later, Jana walked through the door. Paramedics followed close behind.
"Let's go to the hospital, baby. And, here's the UIL realignment you wanted to read about in the Caller-Times."
That's my girl.
Turns out I wasn't shot at all. Just nachos for lunch on Friday followed by pizza too close to bedtime. Perhaps I learned my lesson.
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University Interscholastic League realignment is a big deal. Every two years, the UIL determines which high schools play in which districts during the upcoming two-year span. Based primarily on student enrollment ranges, the UIL shapes rivalries and geographic reach. To no small degree, the short-term success of programs hangs in the balance at realignment. Some teams move into saltier competition. Others find a safe or safer haven. Many find the beat goes on despite who and where they're playing.
Some fans may feel as though they've been shot.
The football-crazy Lone Star State marks biennial realignment with much fanfare. But with 20 UIL state titles in this part of the world since 1967, baseball people take a strong interest, too.
I recall the Caller-Times Pearl Harbor headline on Tuesday, February 2:
MILLER, T-M STAY 4A
It was widely speculated that Miller, Corpus Christi's original high school, would drop to 3A because of low enrollment. That didn't happen. Instead, the Bucs found themselves in eight-team 31-4A with Alice, Calallen, Flour Bluff, Kingsville King, Moody, Ray and Tuloso-Midway.
That's a pretty sporty baseball district. Everyone knows about Calallen and Moody, who've combined for five state championships and drawn 41,000+ for six playoff games at Whataburger Field since 2007. They are nationally-renowned (and usually nationally-ranked) programs. T-M is on the rise under coach Mike Davila and Alice and Ray have enjoyed deep forays into the playoffs.
As a result of 31-4A's composition, Gregory-Portland was dispatched north and west in 30-4A. The Wildcats are destined for a loop with Beeville Jones, Floresville, Port Lavaca Calhoun, and two new 4As, Victoria East and West. Vic East and West come into existence this fall as 5A Victoria Memorial splits and closes a decade after Victoria High and Stroman consolidated to create it.
G-P, Beeville Jones and Calhoun are currently in District 30 with Miller, Moody, Rockport-Fulton and Ray.
Area schools reclassified were R-F (4A to 3A), Falfurrias (3A to 2A) and Kenedy (2A to A). Fal has a great baseball tradition; the Jerseys are leaving rival powers Sinton and Robstown to drop down.
Then the UIL separated the Pirates and Cotton Pickers.
Can't tell the players without a scorecard, so here's a look at the Coastal Bend baseball shift in the top three classifications with some background information:
Current Districts
27-5A
#Converse Judson
$Corpus Christi Carroll
Corpus Christi King+ (4A in 1967)
San Antonio East Central
San Antonio Highlands
San Antonio Wagner
#South San Antonio
#Victoria Memorial
30-4A
Beeville Jones
Corpus Christi Miller
$Corpus Christi Moody++ (5A in 2004; 2007)
#Corpus Christi Ray
#Gregory-Portland
Port Lavaca Calhoun
#Rockport-Fulton
31-4A
#Alice
$Calallen+++ (2000/2005/2008)
Flour Bluff
#Tuloso-Midway
Kingsville King
#Laredo Cigarroa
Laredo Johnson
Laredo Nixon
31-3A
Aransas Pass
West Oso
#Falfurrias+ (3A in 1991)
Ingleside
Mathis
Orange Grove+ (1994)
#Robstown++ (4A in 1991/92)
$Sinton+++ (1988/89/2002)
$2009 district champion
#2009 playoff participant
area teams in bold
2010-12 Districts
28-5A
Corpus Christi Carroll
Corpus Christi King
San Antonio East Central
San Antonio Highlands
San Antonio Southwest
South San Antonio
30-4A
Beeville Jones
Floresville
Gregory-Portland
Port Lavaca Calhoun
Victoria East
Victoria West
31-4A
Alice
Calallen
Flour Bluff
Kingsville King
Corpus Christi Miller
Corpus Christi Moody
Corpus Christi Ray
Tuloso-Midway
30-3A
Aransas Pass
Goliad
Ingleside
Mathis
Rockport-Fulton
Sinton
31-3A
West Oso
Lyford
Orange Grove
Raymondville
Robstown
Other area teams with state championships:
Riviera-Kaufer+++ (A in 1979; 2A in 1985/86)
Kenedy+ (3A in 1983)
Odem+ (3A in 1984)
Victoria Stroman+ (5A in 1985)
Freer+ (3A in 1990)
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So, if you like your school's 2008-10 district, enjoy it for a few more months!
If you don't, there's change around the bend...