Katy ISD will once again have its own UIL Class 6A district in all sports with its seven largest schools—Katy, Cinco Ranch, Mayde Creek, Morton Ranch, Seven Lakes, Taylor and Tompkins.

The UIL announced its biennial realignment on Feb. 3, and there was no change for Katy ISD’s biggest schools. They remain together, and alone, in District 19-6A, just as they were for the previous realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.

Tompkins is the biggest school in Katy ISD with an enrollment of 4,018, followed by Seven Lakes (3,767), Katy (3,466.5), Cinco Ranch (3,257), Taylor (2,915), Mayde Creek (2,892.5), Morton Ranch (2,567.5), Paetow (2,179) and Jordan (1,586.69).

Prior to the 2018-2020 and 2020-2022 realignments, the last time a district consisted of just Katy schools was 2008-09 and 2009-10. After the 2008-2010 realignment, Katy schools had been aligned with Houston Memorial and then Strake Jesuit.

Katy ISD coaches and athletic administrators appreciate their own district. It makes it easier for one more Katy school to get into the playoffs.

“It helps us keep a non-district game, which we were able to find,” Katy football coach Gary Joseph said, referring to the last realignment when he wasn’t able to find a fourth non-district opponent until well into the spring. “It’s good Katy will have good representation in the playoffs. When we have DEC (district executive committee) meetings, we don’t have to get people from all over. It’s basically just our schools and our athletic director, so from that standpoint it works out good.”

In Class 5A, Paetow football, which jumped up to Division I instead of Division II because of a boost in enrollment, has new district foes in a nine-team District 10. Paetow is joined by Angleton, Fort Bend Hightower, Fort Bend Kempner, Houston Milby, Houston Wisdom, Manvel, Richmond Foster and Rosenberg Terry.

“Our first two years (as a varsity program in 2018 and 2019), we were trying to figure out where we’re at and where we’re going,” Paetow football coach B.J. Gotte said. “I think we’ve got that solved. Now we’ve got to continue to elevate our schedule to get us prepared for what looms years after that.

“This will be a lot more challenging for our kids. Our non-district (schedule) is more challenging, and this new district is just as challenging as the one we were in. Our kids are excited and now we have a roadmap, per se, of where we’re going.”

Previously, Paetow was aligned with Bryan Rudder, Cleveland, A&M Consolidated, Huntsville, Montgomery, Lake Creek and Lamar Consolidated in District 10-5A, Division II.

“You’re trading one set of challenges for another,” Gotte said. “You had A&M Consolidated and Huntsville at the top of that other district, and you trade that for Manvel and Foster. You had Lamar Consolidated in the other district, and you trade them for Hightower. It’s not any less challenging, that’s for sure.”

In basketball and volleyball, Paetow remains in District 19-5A along with familiar foes Brenham, Bryan Rudder, College Station, A&M Consolidated, Magnolia, Magnolia West and Waller.

All Katy schools will compete in Region III.

Jordan High School, Katy ISD’s ninth high school that opens in August, falls into Class 5A, Division II.

Because Jordan High is opening on an even year (2020) and beginning with ninth and 10th grades, Jordan’s individual sports will go varsity right away, but team sports will wait until the fall of 2021, when the school has ninth, 10th and 11th graders. The only sport that is not able to be placed in realignment on the “middle” year, or halfway between the two-year realignment, is football.

Football for Jordan High won’t be aligned by the UIL until 2022, which will be Jordan’s first varsity football season. Until then, the district will try to mix and match schedules for Jordan to play football, just not under the UIL umbrella.

As far as non-district scheduling for football programs went following the UIL’s release of its latest realignment on Monday morning, Katy High secured Clear Springs, Cypress Woods, Dickinson and The Woodlands as its opponents. Clear Springs and The Woodlands were non-district foes in recent years, while Dickinson and Cypress Woods are new faces.

“The first three games, I’d already pre-arranged,” Joseph said, referring to the projected season opener against Clear Springs, followed by Cypress Woods and Dickinson. “Adding The Woodlands, they’ve always been a really good program in the Houston area. But I was also waiting to see if we were going to have a fourth game before I looked for one. I thought maybe they’d add another team to our district, but it worked out fine.”

Another intriguing non-district matchup is Paetow versus Morton Ranch in Week 2. Paetow High’s zoning pulled from Morton Ranch and Katy when it opened in 2017.

“To be honest, at the time, we’d had some schools that I had previously set up to play us in non-district and they had backed out on us,” Gotte said. “We were looking for games, and I sent (Morton Ranch) Coach (Ron) Counter a text that said, hey, if you know anybody that’s interested, let me know. He said, ‘We’ll play you.’ That’s how it came about.

“It’ll be a great test for us because we’re slowly working our way to that 6A district. To go up against a team that’s as talented and as well-coached as them is going to be a challenge for us.”

The complete scrimmage and non-district opponents for Katy ISD’s football teams for 2020-2021:

Cinco Ranch: Scrimmage: George Ranch. Non-district: College Park, Aldine Davis, Brazoswood, Clear Falls.

Katy: Scrimmage: Klein Collins. Non-district: Clear Springs, Cypress Woods, Dickinson, The Woodlands.

Mayde Creek: Scrimmage: Aldine Davis: Non-district: Conroe, Cypress Lakes, Aldine Nimitz, College Park.

Morton Ranch: Scrimmage: Alief Taylor. Non-district: Cypress Lakes, Paetow, Alief Hastings, Montgomery Lake Creek.

Seven Lakes: Scrimmage: Dickinson: Non-district: Houston Memorial, Klein High, Aldine Davis, Houston Heights.

Taylor: Scrimmage: Ridge Point. Non-district: Cypress Springs, George Ranch, Cy-Fair, Klein Cain.

Tompkins: Scrimmage: Bridgeland High. Non-district: Magnolia, Clear Springs, Klein Collins, Clear Creek.

Paetow: Scrimmage: Cypress Springs. Non-district: Barbers Hill, Morton Ranch.