District rivalry returns for Burnet and Marble Falls with realignment
The Marble Falls Mustangs are now members of District 13-4A Division I and will face some old rivals in 2022, including Burnet. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
Marble Falls and Burnet high schools are once again district rivals after the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment. The league released the districts for football, basketball, and volleyball on Thursday, Feb. 3, for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
In football, Marble Falls and Burnet are members of District 13-4A Division I. The two schools will compete in District 24-4A in basketball and volleyball.
Marble Falls is moving from Class 5A to 4A after falling below the classification cutoff in numbers released in December by the UIL. Burnet will remain a 4A school.
The last time the two programs competed in the same athletic district was about a decade ago.
The other schools joining Burnet and Marble Falls in District 13-4A Division I football are Comal (Fischer) Canyon Lake, Comal Davenport, Lampasas, and Taylor. The district is in Region IV.
District 24-4A for basketball and volleyball includes Georgetown Gateway, Jarrell, Lago Vista, and Lampasas. It is in Region III.
Marble Falls Independent School District Athletics Director and head football coach Brian Herman said the best part about being in Class 4A is facing opponents similar to Marble Falls.
“It’s exciting for us,” he said. “More importantly, the geography and location is more like ours. It’s nice to be one of the bigger schools in enrollments (in Class 4A), but more importantly are the similarities you have with what we are.”
Herman said he “was a little surprised” by the football district in that Canyon Lake, not Fredericksburg, is a member. He is still finalizing the 2022 football schedule.
“There’s not as many district games,” he said.”That means each one will be important.”
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Athletics Director Kurt Jones said he and his coaches weren’t surprised when they saw the new districts.
“It turned out pretty much the way we thought it would,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a super-competitive district. It’ll be a toss-up in any direction on how the games will go.”
The Burnet football team will face some familiar foes. Canyon Lake, Lampasas, and Taylor were in the Bulldogs’ 2020-22 district. Marble Falls and Comal Davenport are the newcomers.
Davenport High School opened in August 2020. The Wolves played a varsity schedule in 2021 and finished with a 6-4 record but didn’t advance to the playoffs since the school wasn’t in a district. The 2022 season will be the Wolves’ first with district competition.
Jones said Burnet is still working to finalize the 2022 football schedule.
In District 24-4A for volleyball and basketball, while Marble Falls is dropping into Class 4A, Lago Vista is moving up to it from Class 3A.
And with the exception of Georgetown Gateway, it’s all new volleyball and basketball district opponents for Burnet, though it’s played some of them in non-district contests.
“Everybody is really familiar to us,” Jones said of the volleyball and basketball district. “I think it makes sense. There are some good rivalries there. I think it’ll be highly competitive like the football district.”
Herman said the non-football district made sense for the same reasons as the football district.
“They’re all neighbor schools,” he said. “It’s nice to be competing with our neighbors.”
Burnet won district titles in volleyball and girls’ basketball this year, while the boys’ basketball team is 5-1 and in contention for the district title. Though he wouldn’t speculate on the number of district crowns the Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs can capture the next two years with this realignment, Jones did give the athletes and coaches credit for their commitment and dedication to competing at high levels.
“We feel pretty positive and pretty excited about everything happening right now,” he said.
Realignments for other sports as well as academics will be announced at a later date.