Realignments were announced on Thursday morning for the 2022-2024 school years.
Several moves took place along with some of our county teams moving into new districts.
In Class 3A, the Littlefield Wildcats moved down to 3A Division II for football and will be in district 4, where they will be facing off against Abernathy, Coahoma, Idalou, Lubbock Roosevelt and Stanton.
Littlefield Head Coach Jimmy Thomas said he didn’t know if they would go that far south but they did.
“I knew it would be a tough and competitive district anyway we went,” he said. “Our focus the whole off-season is about putting the focus on us, getting stronger and faster. Our kids have worked really hard and we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Olton Mustangs remain in Class 2A Division I and will be in District 2 with Floydada, New Deal, Post, Sundown and Tahoka.
“I knew that we would have a 50/50 chance of going North again or coming back South,” Olton Head Coach Ross Lassiter said. “The two districts are very similar in my opinion and there are tough teams in both districts. We are glad to be back in the Lubbock area for travel purposes and we look forward to reestablishing some old rivalries that we had a few years back.”
The Sudan Hornets stayed in Class 2A Division II and will be in District 3 where they will battle with Bovina, Hale Center, Lockney, Ralls and Crosbyton.
Sudan Hornets Head Coach said realignment was close to what he expected. “The only difference is I thought Bovina and us would be where Ropes and New
Home are, and they would be where we are,” he stated. “I feel like it will be a very competitive district and I am glad we are able to keep Bovina, with them being a natural rival. We are excited about getting to see some new people as well.”
The Springlake-Earth Wolverines and Anton Bulldogs moved up to Six-Man Division I and will now be District opponents in District 3 along with Kress, Lorenzo and Petersburg.
Head Coach Israel DeLeon talked about where his team ended up, saying, “I was not surprised with the way the district lined up. I expected Anton to move into our district and I was not sure what the district could do with Chris and Nazareth. Overall we are pleased with travel and think we aligned well.”
Anton Head Coach Matthew Hoover said It was kind of a surprise for him.
“I really thought we would go South,” he said. “I think it will be good for us and be very competitive.”
Amherst stayed in Six-Man Division II and stayed in District 2 with Cotton Center, Lazbuddie and Whitharral and they will be welcoming Hart into the district as well.
Head Coach Daniel Hinojosa said that it doesn’t matter where they ended up, it was going to be a tough district wherever they landed.
For basketball, in Class 3A the Wildcats and Lady Cats remain in District 3 with Brownfield, Denver City, Dimmitt, Lamesa, Friona and Muleshoe and they will be adding Stanton to make it an eight-team district.
In Class 2A, Olton and Sudan will be sharing District 4, another eight-team district, which also includes Floydada, Hale Center, Lockney, New Deal, Ralls and Smyer.
Sudan Nettes Head Coach Benny Lockhart said it was a big surprise.
“It’s very different than anything we have had in the past,” he said.
Sudan Boys Coach Steven Gray added, “I have learned to not be surprised when it comes to realignment. It is a different district for us and will be a challenge. It is kind of unusual that none of the teams in our district this year were paired with us next year. There are a lot of good teams in the new district and hopefully we will be ready for the challenge next year.”
Olton boys Head Coach, Bobby Workman talked about the new district, saying, “Coming back to the South district wasn’t a major surprise for us, we are right in the middle of the two and knew that it could go either way. I think the most surprising part was that it is an eight-team district.”
He added, “I’ve never been a part of a district larger than six teams so it will be a new challenge. I’m excited the way it played out and look forward to seeing some familiar faces again! Travel will be a little easier for our fans, and it will be competitive each night.”
Fillies Head Coach Brittany Huseman said, “I was definitely surprised with the new alignment. I was expecting a few changes but nothing as drastic as a completely different district. We are moving into a very competitive district and we will have to be ready to go every single night just like this year. It is going to be a big change switching from a five-team district to an eight and starting before Christmas but I am excited to see how it all plays out.”
In Class 1A, Springlake-Earth went North to District 4 and will be battling with Nazareth, Happy, Hart, Kress and Lazbuddie. Amherst and Anton will be in District 7 with Cotton Center, Meadow, Morton, Whiteface and Whitharral.
Wolverines Head Coach CJ Castillo, talked about the move, saying, “I was surprised by the alignment. Adding two tough opponents like Nazareth and Happy is a good thing. They will be tough just knowing the history of their programs. Kress, Lazbuddie, and Hart will be familiar teams but we hope this can make us better by having such a tough district. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Lady Wolverines Head Coach Jeri Been Goodman was surprised by the move.
“I Really thought we would stay the same or go with Whitharral and Whiteface,” she explained. “I’m not real excited about being with Nazareth, but might as well be with the best to get better. Kress and Hart are only losing one senior each and Lazbuddie is young. We will just go out there and do our best.”
“I am totally surprised by our new district alignment,” Anton Lady Dogs Head Coach Tami Wilson said. “I’m also excited about it. We are in a good District and I look forward to next season. I believe we will compete very well in basketball and track and I’m excited about it. I like the opportunity of getting to play different schools in West Texas. It’s always a challenge and its always competitive.”
Coach Daniel Hinojosa said, This move for basketball is a big deal. Morton is good, Whiteface is good, Whitharral is good, Meadow is good, three of those schools are normally good in basketball. We will be OK, so it will be a very good district.”
In volleyball, Class 3A Littlefield will be sharing District 2 with Shallowater, Childress, Idalou and Tulia.
And, in Class 2A volleyball, Olton will be in a four-team District 2 with Plains, Post and Ropes.