Raiders get new districts

Thursday’s morning’s UIL realignment has all Raiders sports teams facing both familiar and new opponents. 

In the school’s last UIL realignment before it becomes a junior high, Rider football has moved to District 2-5A Division II, while basketball and volleyball remained in District 5-5A, but moved into a seven-team district.

Football will continue to face Abilene Wylie and Plainview in district, but gain Abilene Cooper, Amarillo Palo Duro and Lubbock High in the new district. 

“We are looking forward to our new district, including playing some teams that we’ve played in the past in non-district like Palo Duro and Abilene Cooper,” said football coach Marc Bindel. “We are working hard to compete at a high level against these teams.”

Boys and girls basketball plus volleyball keep Aledo, Azle, Granbury and Brewer and now face Justin Northwest and Saginaw. Wichita Falls High School has moved down to Class 4A and therefore is out of all Rider districts for the first time since the mid-’90s. 

Boys basketball coach Cliff McGuire said having a seven-team district “makes it easier to find games because you don’t have to find as many.” He also mentioned how he was glad to have a bye week in the district because the odd number of schools always guarantees someone’s not playing. 

Both McGuire and girls basketball coach Kendall Webb mentioned how it is mostly the same challenges they have been fighting the past two years. 

“District is going to be tough,” Webb said. “We  have battled with Aledo, Azle, Granbury and Brewer these past four years, and now you get Northwest and Saginaw, which have some young talent.”

During the last realignment, both Justin Northwest and Saginaw stated how they wanted to join Rider’s district, but were ultimately denied. Now they’ll be with the Raiders for the next two years in several sports. 

Check back later with this story as The Rider Chronicle hopes to have updated football information. 

REGION I-5A DIVISION II FOOTBALL 

District 1: Canutillo, El Paso, El Paso Andress, El Paso Burges, El Paso Chapin, El Paso Jefferson 

District 2: Rider, Abilene Cooper, Abilene Wylie, Amarillo Palo Duro, Lubbock, Plainview 

District 3: Argyle, Carrollton Creekview, Denton, Frisco Emerson, Frisco Independence, Frisco Memorial, Lake Dallas 

District 4: Colleyville Heritage, Grapevine, FW Arlington Heights, FW North Side, FW Poly, FW Southwest, FW Trimble, FW Wyatt 

REGION I-5A BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL 

District 1: Canutillo, El Paso, El Paso Andress, El Paso Burges, El Paso Chapin, El Paso Jefferson 

District 2: Clint Horizon, El Paso Bel Air, El Paso Del Valle, El Paso Hanks, El Paso Parkland, El Paso Ysleta 

District 3: Amarillo, Amarillo Caprock, Amarillo Palo Duro, Amarillo Tascosa, Plainview 

District 4: Abilene, Abilene Cooper, Abilene Wylie, Lubbock, Lubbock-Cooper, Lubbock Coronado, Lubbock Monterey 

District 5: Rider, Aledo, Azle, Granbury, Northwest, Saginaw, Brewer 

District 6: Everman, FW Arlington Heights, FW North Side, FW Poly, FW South Hills, FW Southwest, FW Trimble Tech, FW Wyatt 

District 7: Argyle, Colleyville Heritage, Denton, Denton Ryan, Grapevine, Lake Dallas, Birdville, Richland 

District 8: Arlington Seguin, Burleson, Burleson Centennial, Cleburne, Joshua, Mansfield Summit, Mansfield Timberview, Midlothian, Midlothian Heritage