The University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment was released Monday for football, basketball and volleyball. A few Polk County schools will have new district opponents for the 2026-2028 athletic seasons.
Corrigan-Camden and Big Sandy saw the most change, while Livingston and Onalaska are largely the same. Goodrich and Leggett will have no changes in basketball, but several in volleyball that have separated the two schools.
With Hardin-Jefferson electing to drop down into Class 4A Division II, Livingston will now add a non-district game in week four, which is the only big change in football.
Livingston now has its schedule set for who they will play. The Lions will begin in non-district with Rusk for the opener on the road, then move on to play Anahuac, Kirbyville and Houston Austin. Splendora and Woodville are the scrimmages.
“I had gotten wind of how hard it is to schedule here, which it is, because there's not a lot of 4A’s close,” Livingston coach Tucker Carter said. “That is why we are playing a couple of 3A’s. I started reaching out early.”
Carter said he was contacting coaches to agree upon non-district games back in October. He felt many athletic directors were likely nervous about realignment, because of possible fluctuation between classifications. Livingston has now become a more popular destination for non-district football, as it opens a new stadium in 2026.
Playoffs will look different for the group as well, moving further away from the former District 9-4A that featured schools such as Tyler Chapel Hill and Kilgore in the first round.
“I don't think anybody is complaining to not get the ‘district of doom’ in round one,” Carter said of the new alignment. “They are in a different region.”
The only changes for Livingston basketball and volleyball is the loss of Tarkington, which fell to Class 3A.
Corrigan-Camden adds Lovelady and Iola to its football district schedule, and Hearne will drop out. However, Coach Brett Ratliff says the biggest change will be the district moving into Region 4.
“That is the first time, I think, Corrigan has ever been in Region four,” he said. “That is kind of a unique change for us when it comes to the playoff structure and things like that. It is going to be exciting to see a different group of opponents when we get to the playoffs.”
The two additions in football should strengthen competition.
“You've got Leon, which is stout as can be last year, and Centerville, who is really solid. Then, you start adding a Lovelady, who has made it to the quarters or the semis several years in a row, and include Iola, which made it three rounds deep last year. It is a tough district and I am excited about the level of competition.”
Basketball at Corrigan will see a complete change in the schedule. It holds many common opponents to what football will face.
Ratliff said road distances will not be impacted much, where the team will now travel on U.S. 287 rather than TX 103, as it had in previous years.
Volleyball has also made drastic changes, but Ratliff feels competition will be the equivalent of what the school has faced recently. Rival Groveton is the only holdover from the previous two years.
“Realignment always brings excitement,” he said. “You wait for this day every two years to see some changes. Change is always a good thing. It shakes things up and gets people excited in the community and our kids excited. We set up some new non-district teams as well.
“With us being a 2A and playing up to the 3A level or even a 4A school, we don't have trouble finding games. We're going to open up with Hardin, then we are going to play Colmesneil week two. Week three, we are going to play Shelbyville and then finish up non-district play with Alto. We are pretty minimal with travel and in good shape.”
Going from the school with the most change to a school with the least amount, Onalaska will add Tarkington to its district, while volleyball stays the same.
“We've played Tarkington every year, even since they've moved up.” Onalaska coach Nicholas Tyerman said. “Now that they are back down, it's not going to be much of a big deal.
“They should give us a good look, and their coach does a good job to make things competitive. They will make us adjust and have to do things to get us prepared for the playoffs.”
Tyerman said his staff did not anticipate many changes within the district.
“It is almost exactly what I thought. The only thing that I thought could happen was maybe Crockett go north and then we had Hardin back, like it was before. We were the only six-team district in the area, and with Tarkington being the one to drop down, it makes it an easy thing for UIL to add them to our district.”
Only one sport will feel the recent changes at Big Sandy, where it drops one school and adds three others. Wildcat basketball will grow from a six-team district to eight. Gone is the long trip to Danbury, and in its place will be Colmesneil, West Sabine and Hemphill. They will also change regions.
“I feel like being in Region 4 was better for us,” Big Sandy athletic director Ryan Alec said. “That's not to say that we can't compete in Region 3, there are just a lot more tougher teams in that region. It's been about six years since we've been in Region 3. We were able to make the regional finals in Region 4 (in girls basketball).”
Alec said he believes the district has been strengthened by the additions.
“When you take four teams to the playoffs, we have been in a six-team district for the past six years. Now, you're having to beat four teams and makes it a little tougher. I feel like whoever comes out of the district will be battle-tested and ready for the playoffs. I, for one, like that, and you don't ever want to go into an easy district schedule. I just think that makes you better moving forward.”
Leggett and Goodrich will play the same district hoops schedule as in recent seasons, but the UIL has made a decision to split the two Class 1A programs in volleyball. Leggett has moved to a five-team district, while Goodrich has a spike league of just four. The rival schools, just 15 minutes apart and in the same county, will be separated.
“I was thinking they were going to put us in a district with Richards, because we had to travel so far,” Leggett coach Ra’Shod Jefferson said. “I wish it could have just been like our basketball district, with Goodrich, Leggett, Chester and Spurger.”
There is a chance that Leggett will appeal the volleyball alignment.
“We're already a small school,” Jeffferson said. “Goodrich – I think they should appeal because they have to travel so far. We have been together for so long. We look forward to it every year.”
Jefferson said he couldn't remember a time when Goodrich and Leggett were not in the same district, saying it has been that way for generations.
“That's not good; I don't like that,” Goodrich athletic director Cordell Carter echoed. “That rivalry still needs to be there, so I guess we just have to play each other in a non-district game now. I was hoping they were going to move Burkeville and Brookeland (in basketball) and move in Apple Springs and Kennard, because they are closer to us. It is a two-hour drive to Burkeville and Brookeland. It is a 45-minute drive to Apple Springs and Kennard.”
