Editor’s note: This is the 4th article in a string examining participation quantities of West Texas high school activities and just how the region’s athletics choices, specifically for women’ recreations, compare into rest of the condition. Parts I and II related to football examined their state of soccer in western Tx with a focus on facilities, vacation for club soccer and possible league and arranging choices to the current system.
“It is disheartening that Plainview ISD will continue to lack a soccer system that the children could form in and for that reason our kids are forced to surrender their particular goals of 1 time playing in college, ” Partin composed. ”As you plan to develop the Plainview ISD Athletic system, kindly do not forget about those kids in Plainview that love football and would help any soccer system in just some interest shown in their development.”
Miller reacted and stated that considering money, football and wrestling were discussed because of the board at that time but weren't pursued.
“Funding is also even worse today, but i'll let the board know of your thoughts which need, ” Miller typed. ”i'm for this mainly because sports will attain those students who may have had limited success within other activities. Another way to help keep them thinking about college. At this time money is limiting us and we’ve must decrease numerous roles inside the area yet again.”
The e-mail trade, that has been furnished into Avalanche-Journal by Plainview ISD after an open files request, is the most current concrete mention of including soccer to Plainvew — one of two area 5A schools without football.
Cooper is the various other area 5A college presently without football, nonetheless it features posted task positions for soccer coaches and intends to introduce a program in two years.
West Texas by the figures
You will find 55 5A football teams in area we, in comparison to 58 5A baseball teams.
But, Abilene Cooper, San Angelo Lake see and Lubbock High play when you look at the only three-team area.
Why? Because Plainview, Cooper and Hereford will be the only 5A schools which do not provide both recreations.
Current Plainview athletic manager Ryan Rhoades stated that conversations to start out football occurred before he attained the school in 2013 and also maybe not been brought up since.
In a Feb. 5, 2015 e-mail from Cooper sports manager John Windham to Cooper superintendent Keith Bryant, Windham provided “the figures and quality levels of children who said they would want to consider playing UIL football in highschool if supplied.”
“Now this can be very unscientific. These are just children that arrived by the office in (center college) and signed the list. In the (high-school) I made an announcement for ninth and 10th quality students interested to come to the commons and meet with me personally. Here are the range pupils per grade amount that finalized.”
Inside the email, Windham said here number of students showed interest: sixth grade (18 kids, 27 girls), seventh class (22 young men, 19 women), 8th level (20 boys, 37 women), ninth grade (44 guys, 33 women) and tenth level (21 males, 14 girls).
“The entire reason our company is beginning football could be because of the move up in classification (to 5A), ” Windham stated in a phone meeting. “The prolonged development in our athletic participation numbers overall inside whole school allows us the chance to offer football.”
But, there does not seem to be a groundswell across 4A area we to start a football programs either — if they be prepared to grow and progress a classification or otherwise not.
In 4A, which also has 3A soccer groups playing up — mainly from Central Tx — like Cameron Yoe and Florence, you will find only 27 football groups in Region We and nothing from Avalanche-Journal’s protection location.
No schools that offer 3A baseball play up in West Tx and eight of the 27 schools in Region I tend to be charter schools.
Brian Gosset