Here is what Corpus Christi coaches had to say about 2024 UIL Realignment

For nearly every coach and athletic director in the Coastal Bend the 2024 University Interscholastic League realignment announcement on Thursday offered some change, and in some cases dramatic change.

While the area's Class 5A schools were shocked in football, the basketball/volleyball alignment played out as expected.

Here is how a few coaches and athletic directors from the Coastal Bend reacted to Thursday's announcement:

Craig Charlton, Ray athletic coordinator/football coach

This will be my 10th year at Ray. We've been in a district with 11 teams. With 10 teams and nine teams. The first year we were Class 6A. Since then it has been in a pretty big district. It is refreshing to be able to pick up some games and play some different schools.

We've gone from doing zones to everything else. Now we get a chance to develop some kids, before we start district play and get after it.

Steve Campbell, Calallen athletic director/football coach

It was pretty predictable as far as the proximity of schools and our district. There weren't a whole lot of choices for our district. We knew Alice was moving up and Kingsville was moving down with La Feria. It shrunk to a five-team district. We were more proactive in setting our schedule and this is the first time we were able to stick to it.

J.R. Castellano, Alice athletic director/football coach

We definitely got a curveball on a 3-2 count. We definitely planned to be with (Gregory-Portland) and (Corpus Christi ISD) and Victoria West. We had worked out a couple of non-district games, but they threw us down south in a five-team district and we were scrambling around looking for three or four non-district games.

We are looking forward to playing different blood down south and bringing back old rivalries in non-district in the Coastal Bend. Every year is a new year. You graduate kids and it is a whole different team. We are very excited to continue the tradition and put a competitive product on the field year-in and year-out and let the chips fall where they may.

Sharyland Pioneer, (Mission) Vets, Roma and all them, I just know that they are competitive teams. We will start doing our homework on them. It is going to be a tough district for us, but we will be competitive week in and week out.

Michael Troutman, Sinton athletic director/football coach

Cuero moved back into our district and that is a great, tradition-rich program. We had three different scenarios we were looking at. We had a feeling that Cuero was going to come back to Region IV. You have to play the game.

Our pre-district schedule is set up to prepare us.

Brent Davis, Gregory-Portland athletic director/football coach

I think it is great. The travel, being in with Corpus Christi, will be good for us. I did not expect a six-team district. I thought it would be a seven, or maybe even an eight.

They sent West to the north and Alice to the south. I'm excited about what we got. It worked out really well for us.

Ruben Garcia, Kingsville athletic director/football coach

I think it is crazy that we are in a four-team district. I wasn't expecting that. I thought we'd at least be in a five team.

I'm excited about our kids being able to compete. We talk to our kids all the time that it doesn't matter who we line up against, we are going to play whoever is on our schedule, go hard for four quarters and hopefully come out on top when it is all said and done. I think we can compete with pretty much everybody on our schedule. That is the mentality we preach. I am really excited to get out there and prepare for football, but I'm also excited for our other sports — especially our girls sports.

We're in the playoffs the next two years, but for us, we want a district championship and then a bi-district championship.

Ben Bitner, Veterans Memorial athletic coordinator/football coach

It went pretty much how we thought. Most likely we were going to go to the (Rio Grande) Valley and most likely we were going to be in an eight- or nine-team district. Not a lot of surprises. Our kids know that all the games matter. Everything starts early and we are going to have to be good early and get better every week. Every game is going to matter and it is going to be a wild deal.

There are a bunch of playoff teams if you look at our nine-team district. It is going to be fun, it is going to be competitive and I'm looking forward to it.

Kris O'Neal, Tuloso-Midway athletic director/football coach

As we move forward, we are going to continue to challenge our program. Our district schedule is what we thought. We look forward to continuing our progress. T-M is going to make being successful a priority at all levels. We think football sets a standard.

Words and actions have to go together. We are asking kids to do something, but they see they are getting the same commitment back from the district, the coaches, the programs ... we are going to invest in the kids. We want to have that reciprocity where they invest in each other and the program. That is how you improve and we know that. The wins will take care of themselves if your work ethic is there.

Cal Neatherlin, Carroll athletic coordinator/football coach

I am almost flabbergasted. I wasn't expecting it at all. We thought Alice would be in there for sure. It just changed the dynamics and now in a six-team district, four of those teams get in the playoffs. We are big time excited for sure.

We felt like we were going to compete for the playoffs, regardless, but now we feel like we have a really good chance. These young kids will be excited. The problem now is finding games you weren't expecting to have to find games that will challenge you, but not kill you, so you are ready for the five games in district.

Clynt Elwood, Flour Bluff interim athletic director/football coach

I think it is good and there are some quality teams in our district, and we are going to have our hands full. They will be very physical and well-coached. We are going to have to be ready to play. Our guys know from year-to-year and in any district the expectations never change. The foundation is there.

Traveling the last two years was good for us and good for our kids to understand and know what is coming. Hopefully that will work in our favor.

Justen Evans, Miller athletic coordinator/football coach

With the UIL, you just never know what they are going to do. You spend a year speculating and everybody does these projections and what have you, and you don't know what they're going to do. CCISD is going to be together with G-P. It is going to be a tough district because those teams are getting better.

At the end of the day you still have to go win football games.

More: Miller to face state powerhouse DeSoto in Week 3 of 2024 high school football season

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Here is what Corpus Christi coaches had to say about UIL Realignment