Aledo’s championship window is wide open, more takeaways from 2024 UIL realignment day

Realignment is here, and several Fort Worth-area teams will have different district play opponents for the 2024 high school football season. Here are the biggest takeaways from the 2024 UIL realignment.

To see all of the Fort Worth-area districts, click here.

Aledo’s championship window is wide open

The biggest news of the cycle involves DeSoto, the Class 6A D2 2023 State Champion. Head coach Claude Mathis and the Eagles’ enrollment fell below the Class 6A cutoff, but the program opted to stay in Class 6A and continue to play against the largest schools in Texas.

Obviously, the Class 6A D2 state champs can handle the pressure. The Eagles had a perfect season in 2023 and beat Duncanville, the Class 6A D1 State Champion.

So, what’s the big deal? DeSoto staying in Class 6A keeps Aledo’s state championship window wide open and ensures the Bearcats will avoid actual threats to their state championship victories in Class 5A D1.

Aledo submitted an enrollment eight students shy of the Class 6A cutoff. The Bearcats will continue to face and throttle regular season opponents and extend their 119-game district win streak.

Aledo does have some new, respectable district opponents: Richland, Denton, Birdville and Keller Fossil Ridge. The Bearcats’ fresh competition, however, will provide more of the same with Aledo being a level above the Class 5A competition.

Get ready for more Aledo blowout victories.

How will Euless Trinity fare in District 4-6A?

Realignment puts together two high school football powerhouses in District 4-6A: Southlake Carroll and Euless Trinity.

Is Euless Trinity still a powerhouse that can rival Southlake Carroll? The Trojans finished with a mediocre 7-5 record in 2023 and were booted in the area round of the Class 6A D1 playoffs following an overtime contest with Midland Legacy.

The year before, Euless Trinity was bumped out of the playoffs in the bi-district round by Keller and finished with a subpar 4-7 record.

In the 2021 season Euless Trinity had a strong, undefeated district play run, but the team was booted in the regional round following a 59-21 loss to Allen. That same Allen team went on to lose 47-21 to Southlake Carroll in the next round.

Is Euless Trinity a fresh opponent for Southlake Carroll? Yes. Are the Trojans any sort of threat to head coach Riley Dodge’s Dragons in District 4-6A? Absolutely not. The reality is that Euless Trinity is not the program it once was, and Southlake Carroll remains a state title contender.

Souhtlake Carroll’s fiercest opponent in District 4-6A will, once again, be Byron Nelson. The Bobcats will have their work cut out for them defending the district crown.

North Crowley’s next step

North Crowley lost 52-10 to Duncanville in the Class 6A D1 State Semifinal to end an outstanding 2023 season. The realignment brought a few changes to North Crowley’s regular season schedule.

Mansfield should provide the Panthers’ with the most significant challenge out of the team’s joining District 3-6A, and Mansfield Lake Ridge and Mansfield Legacy are also joining the group.

All three schools were part of Duncanville and DeSoto’s district in 2023, and are escaping the wrath of the Dallas-area powerhouses. Will the Mansfield ISD schools thrive in a different, more friendly environment? They’ll still have to deal with North Crowley.

Crowley, a program that is rising under the guidance of head coach Carlos Lynn, will also challenge the Panthers for the district championship. The Eagles’ success all depends on how how many improvements are made over the off season and if the team keeps trending in the same upward direction.

Although North Crowley has some challengers, its opponents are a class below its level.

Similarly to the 2023 season, North Crowley will likely have to wait for late season playoff matchups to be challenged with a lack of serious competition in District 3-6A. An interesting thing to look forward to will be which teams North Crowley will schedule in its non district slate.

North Crowley secured two 50 plus point wins against Arlington and Arlington Sam Houston to start the 2023 season. To prepare for dominant programs such as Duncanville, will North Crowley schedule Texas high school football powerhouses to start the 2024 season?

Competitive, entertaining Fort Worth football

District 4-5A D1 football will involve Fort Worth Arlington Heights, Chisholm Trail, Fort Worth North Side, Fort Worth Paschal, Fort Worth Polytechnic, Fort Worth South Hills, Fort Worth Trimble Tech, Fort Worth Wyatt and Saginaw.

The grouping will put some of Fort Worth ISD’s top football teams against each other. Paschal, a school moving from Class 6A to Class 5A, will have an opportunity to compete for the top spot in the district against a more level playing field.

Fort Worth Wyatt and Arlington Heights will also be strong contenders for the district crown. Fort Worth North Side, Fort Worth Polytechnic and Trimble Tech will all have room to improve while facing beatable competition.

The last cycle of District 4-5A teams had to deal with Colleyville Heritage, a team that cruised by all district play competition. Fort Worth Wyatt put up a fight, but Heritage secured mostly blowouts en route to a deep playoff run.

With the Panthers in District 3-5A D1, the district crown will be wide open for the taking for Wyatt, Heights and Paschal. This provides Fort Worth-area and Fort Worth ISD football fans with what it deserves: competitive, balanced football.

New rivalries to keep an eye on

Argyle, Colleyville Heritage and Mansfield Timberview are three teams to watch in Distrcit 3-5A D2. All three programs are coming from different district in 2023, and all of them were successful. Which one will have the upper hand in the new groupings?

Decatur will be a force in District 5-4A. Keep an eye on Fort Worth Southwest, an up and coming team, as a potential challenger. Quarterback Jahbori Cooper-Suttice is returning to the Raiders for his senior season and was a 2023 Fort Worth-All Area honorable mention.

Brock is moving up to Class 4A, and the Eagles will have new rivals in the 2024 season with Paradise staying in Class 3A D1. Brock’s greatest challenger will likely be Graham, a team that won 10 games last season and had wins over Springtown and Glen Rose.

Brock, even with the rise in classification, will continue to be a Texas high school football powerhouse. They’ll be challenged with tougher competition, however, come playoff time.