Skip to main content

UIL Realignment moves Buckeyes to Region III in District 17-3A



LOGOS of the six schools of District 17-3A.

By JOE DODD

The University Interscholastic League's bi-annual realignment produced its usual surprises when it was released yesterday morning in Austin. The big surprise for the Gilmer Buckeyes was a move from Region II to Region III as a member of District 17-3A.

Joining Gilmer in District 17-3A will be Bullard, Gladewater, Spring Hill, Tatum and Chapel Hill. The six schools combined for an impressive 50-23 record during the 2007 football season. Four of the six teams made the playoffs last season, including Gilmer and Tatum who were state finalists; Gilmer in 3A and Tatum in 2A.

“Somebody very good is not going to make the playoffs in our district,” said Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor, who will bring a 34-game district winning streak into the season. “It's going to be tough,” admitted Traylor.

The last district game that the Buckeyes lost was in 2000 to Tatum, who joins Gilmer in the same district for the first time since 2001. “We lost Mineola, White Oak and Sabine, and picked up Bullard, Chapel Hill and Tatum,” stated Traylor.

The Buckeyes' pre-district schedule is just as difficult, as all five teams made the playoffs last season. Gilmer will open the 2008 season against the Jasper Bulldogs in the Trinity Mother Frances East Texas Football Classic. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs last met in the 2004 Class 3A Division II State Championship game which Gilmer won 49-47. “I think that will be a real good test for us,” said Traylor. “We'll find out real quick what we're going to be like.”

The remaining pre-district schedule includes Rains, Liberty-Eylau, Kilgore and Daingerfield. The 10 teams on the Buckeyes' schedule posted a combined 84-47 record in 2007. In addition to Gilmer's district winning streak, the Buckeyes' streaks of 25 consecutive home wins, 24 straight regular season wins and seven undefeated district championships in a row, will be seriously challenged this fall.

The biggest change for the Buckeyes will come in the playoffs. After two years with the largest enrollment in their district, Gilmer's student population will be second to Chapel Hill's, and means that Gilmer could go to the small school bracket if the Bulldogs make the playoffs.

No matter which division the Buckeyes play in, Traylor says their first round opponent from District 18 will be difficult. “If you get Carthage or Jasper in the first round, that's just like playing Liberty-Eylau,” said Traylor.

Gilmer’s reported high school enrollment for purposes of this realignment of 698 places it almost exactly in the middle sizewise in terms of 3A schools.

The lower 3A cutoff number went up from 2006 to 2008 by 15 students from 415 to 430 and the higher number went up 30 students from 949 to 979.

Other interesting realignment developments included Big Sandy’s return to 1A back in the district with Union Hill and the inclusion of two of Gilmer’s previous district opponents, Sabine and White Oak, in the 2A district which has as its members all Upshur County 2A schools except Ore City.
2008-10 Reclassification and Realignment Information
Conference 5A: 2085 and above, 254 schools
Conference 4A: 980-2084,
243 schools
Conference 3A: 430-979,
180 schools
Conference 2A: 200-429,
225 schools
Conference 1A: 199 and below
163 (11-Man) schools
Conference 3A
The following districts have byes: 6, 15, 23, 30
REGION 3
DISTRICT 17
Bullard
Gilmer
Gladewater
Longview Spring Hill
Tatum
Tyler Chapel Hill
Conference 2A
REGION 3
DISTRICT 17
Daingerfield
Hughes Springs
Jefferson
Linden-Kildare
Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill *
Ore City
Queen City
* Basketball only
DISTRICT 18
Big Sandy Harmony
Diana New Diana
Elysian Fields
Gladewater Sabine
Gladewater Union Grove
Harleton
White Oak
Winona
Conference 1A 11-Man
REGION 3
DISTRICT 17
Big Sandy
Detroit
Gilmer Union Hill
Hawkins
Maud
Simms Bowie

UIL Web site

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Gilmer came to be known as the Buckeyes

By JOE BLOUNT Long before the birth of Christ the buckeye was known to have medicinal value. The nutlike seed, found abundantly on shrubs here in East Texas, first got its notoriety as a curative agent from the Greco-Roman culture. Their god of medicine was Aesculapian. Even today botanical scientists place the buckeye within the genus Aesculus, recognize it as a member of the horse-chestnut family and are still highly puzzled by its many and varied phytochemicals. “Phyto,” as you may recall from biology, simply means “from plants.” There are a great number of antioxidants and maintenance chemicals found in the buckeye’s pulp. There are also many toxic compounds and several of the substances are downright poisonous. Early Greek docs would skin the buckeye and boil the endosperm, producing a brew that was taken internally. Most often, just as the case may still be today, the cure inevitably turned out to be worse than the disease. So now, we see that the buckeye is poisonous. We also b
Post a Comment
Read more

Gilmer Buckeyes to play for the state championship tonight

By JOE DODD The top ranked and undefeated Gilmer Buckeyes will try to win the school’s second state championship when they face the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs today at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The matchup between the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs in the final state title game this decade is a fitting tribute to the two most dominant teams in class 3A since 2000. Gilmer has won more games this decade than any other class 3A team, going 111-17 since 2000. Abilene Wylie is close behind with a 106-26 record. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs will be playing in their third state final in the last 10 years. Both teams won a state title in 2004. Gilmer and Abilene Wylie have combined for nine semifinal appearances this decade, including the 2007 Class 3A Division I semifinal that pitted the two teams against each other for the first time. That game wasn’t decided until the Buckeyes’ Lamar Harris scored on a 34-yard pass
Post a Comment
Read more

Buckeyes in title game against Abilene Wylie

The Gilmer Buckeyes (14-0) will take on the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs (12-1) on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. The game will be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in University Park, a municipality within the city of Dallas. This is the UIL Class 3A Division I state championship game. It is the second time in the last three years Gilmer has qualified to play for the state title in Division I. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets at the gate are $10. Advance tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. They went on sale Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Gilmer ISD Admiministration Building on Trinity St. and sales will continue through 3 p.m. Thursday. General parking is $5 with several lots avail­able. Gilmer is the visiting team and will be wearing white. Joe Dodd’s preview of this game with comments from the coaches will be published in Saturday’s Mirror. BUCKEYE TICKET LINE: 841-7777 LUNCH WITH THE COACH: Noon Wednesday, Buckeyes Booster Club meets
Post a Comment
Read more