By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

The University Interscholastic League delivered multiple surprises Monday during the reveal of its biannual redistricting and reclassification.

One of the biggest came in Class 6A, where the balance of power shifted east across the Austin–San Antonio corridor.

Westlake and Lake Travis were placed in a district with the five Round Rock ISD schools – Round Rock, Stony Point, Westwood, McNeil and Cedar Ridge – while Dripping Springs was sent south with Hays, Buda Johnson, Del Valle and the three Austin ISD schools: Austin High, Bowie and Akins.

Another major shift saw the Leander ISD schools – Vandegrift, Cedar Park, Vista Ridge, Rouse and Leander – grouped with Hutto and East View in District 24 in Region III.

It was one of the most significant storylines of the realignment cycle, splitting long-standing rival groupings and redrawing playoff paths for several of the area’s top football programs.

Westlake, Lake Travis embrace move to Round Rock

For Lake Travis, the move represents unfamiliar territory after nearly two decades competing alongside Austin ISD and west Austin programs.

“We’re going in with Round Rock, which is great,” Lake Travis head coach Hank Carter said. “In 19-plus years at Lake Travis, we haven’t done that yet. It’s something different, but the competition is going to be great.”

Lake Travis remains paired with Westlake, preserving one of Texas’ premier football rivalries, but the Cavaliers will no longer share a district with Dripping Springs or Austin ISD schools.

“I knew there would be some shakeup,” Carter said. “There are more 6A schools in the Austin area now. I don’t know that anybody would have picked this exact district, but we’re fired up for it.”

Leander ISD lands in Region III

Leander ISD’s move to Region III was one of the day’s biggest surprises, as many projections had the schools aligned with Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs.

The shift reshapes postseason paths for programs that have spent most of the last decade in Region IV.

“This is like Christmas morning,” Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders said. “We’ve been waiting on this for months. It was a surprise to see Region III, but we’re excited.”

The new alignment places Class 6A newcomers Cedar Park, Rouse and Leander together with Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, Hutto and fellow 6A newcomer East View.

“It’s kind of fun having almost the whole Leander ISD group together,” Sanders said. “Our kids know each other. There are great teams in this district, and we’re ready to roll.”

Hutto, which will have a new head coach in 2026 following the departure of Eli Reinhart after one season, leapfrogs neighboring Round Rock to join the Leander ISD-heavy district.

Cedar Park coach Michael Quintero said the geographic grouping adds intensity to every week.

“Our kids know each other,” Quintero said. “They grew up playing youth ball together, so every game feels like a rivalry. Being in a district together definitely raises the stakes.”

Quintero added that, despite the attention surrounding realignment, preparation remains unchanged.

“You don’t have control of the district,” he said. “You still have to get kids ready. That’s what we focus on.”

Dripping Springs heads south, breaks from traditional rivals

Perhaps the most jarring shift came for Dripping Springs, which will no longer share a district with Westlake and Lake Travis after spending its entire 6A tenure alongside the two neighboring programs.

“I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Dripping Springs coach Galen Zimmerman said. “I thought we’d at least be with one of them. That west side of Austin getting split up was surprising.”

Zimmerman said the separation changes the dynamic for a program that has grown alongside its neighbors.

“If you want to be one of the top programs in the area or the state, you’ve got to play those programs,” Zimmerman said. “Our kids know their kids. They grew up playing together. It’s going to be different not seeing them in district.”

While Dripping Springs heads south, Zimmerman noted the Tigers could still see familiar faces in the postseason, as district pairings create potential first-round matchups with Westlake or Lake Travis depending on enrollment splits.

“That’s definitely possible,” Zimmerman said. “So even though we’re not in district, those games might not be going away.”

UIL is always unpredictable

UIL realignment rarely unfolds exactly as expected, and the 2026–28 cycle proved no different.

“You never know what you’re going to get,” Carter said. “UIL has a tough job. At the end of the day, you line up and play who’s on the schedule.”

Hutto and East View leapfrogging Round Rock schools – and their move to Region III – was unexpected. So, too, was Westlake and Lake Travis shifting into a Round Rock-based district.

The one alignment that largely matched projections was District 27-6A, which retains San Marcos, Comal Canyon, Cibolo Steele, Converse Judson, Schertz Clemens and San Antonio East Central. The district will be joined by Class 6A newcomers Comal Pieper and San Antonio Wagner.