UIL realignment moves Moran football south

By Sam Waller

The Moran Bulldogs are moving south for the next two football seasons following biennial realignment.

Moran was placed in District 14-1A Division II with Paint Rock, Panther Creek, and Rising Star.

The UIL announced alignment Feb. 3 for the next two years for football, volleyball, and basketball.

The new football district has road trips of 83 miles to Panther Creek and 113 miles to Paint Rock.

“Travel is really the only negative,” Bulldogs football coach and athletic director John Hughes said.

Moran moves from District 9 with Lueders-Avoca, Paint Creek, Throckmorton, and Woodson in Region III to Region IV.

Moran will conduct preseason scrimmages with Trent and Lueders-Avoca.

Hughes has arranged a seven-game nondistrict schedule with the season opener at Benjamin, followed by home games against Baird and Aspermont. After road games at Mullin and Blanket, the Bulldogs will host Rochelle and visit Vernon Northside before taking an open date.

A significant change came in volleyball, where Class 1A schools were aligned into their own districts instead of competing in districts with 2A schools.

The Lady Bulldogs will play in 14-1A with Gorman, Rising Star, and Strawn.

“With only four teams in the district instead of nine, I’m going to have to reach out further to create a schedule,” Lady Bulldogs coach Jo Hise said.

Hise said facing more teams from similar-sized schools should help.

“We won’t have that high level of competition by playing Albany, Hawley, and Ranger in district,” she said. “We won’t be as anxious about playing bigger schools, but sometimes being anxious works.”

In basketball, Moran is in District 13-1A with Baird, Eula, Cross Plains, May, and Rising Star.