Ever since the University Interscholastic League (UIL) released enrollment numbers and classification designation in early December, speculation has run rampant about where both Abilene High School and Cooper High School would end up on Realignment Day.
Predictions ranged from both heading to Metroplex districts to one going north and the other going to the east. However, when the dust settled Thursday morning and the UIL announced district realignment for the next two years, the districts that Abilene High and Cooper were placed in looked very much like what most pundits predicted from the start of the process.
Abilene High – which dropped from Class 6A to Class 5A with an enrollment of 2,163 students – will be a part of District 2-5A (Division I) and will join Amarillo High, Amarillo Caprock, Amarillo Tascosa, Lubbock Cooper, Lubbock Coronado and Lubbock Monterey in that district for football only.
Cooper is also in District 2-5A, but on the Division II level where it will join Abilene Wylie, Amarillo Palo Duro, Lubbock High, Plainview, and Wichita Falls Rider in that district for football only.
“I’m not surprised by the district assignments; I felt like this might be the result,” Abilene ISD Executive Director of Athletics Phil Blue said. “Abilene High and Cooper are pretty familiar with these schools because they’ve competed against them in both district and non-district contests in previous years.”
The Eagles have played Amarillo Tascosa in non-district the last several years, and they’ve also faced off against Lubbock Coronado and Lubbock Monterey in previous seasons.
“I’m not surprised by the district,” AHS head football coach Mike Fullen said. “The travel to Amarillo will be a little bit of an issue, but it’s nothing we aren’t used to having to do every year. We’ve played these schools before so we’re familiar with most of them. We know what the travel will be, and we’re looking forward to some exciting Friday nights in this district.”
The Cougars have played Wylie in a non-district game in three of the last four seasons (the 2020 game was lost to COVID) with Cooper winning all three games. They will now be district opponents in the revamped District 2-5A.
“I wasn’t surprised by the district alignment; it’s what I thought it would be,” Cooper head coach Aaron Roan said. “Even with the non-football district re-alignment, it looks like what I thought it would look like.”
The UIL’s Realignment Day also includes district realignment for all other sports outside of football. In that realignment, Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie will be in District 4-5A — the legendary district that included Permian, Odessa High, Midland Lee, Midland High, Abilene High, Cooper, and San Angelo Central that gave rise to the term “Little Southwest Conference” – along with Lubbock High, Lubbock Cooper, Lubbock Coronado, and Lubbock Monterey.
