UIL released the new district realignment last Thursday. This move resulted in Prosper volleyball, basketball, and football being moved into class 6A. Although this upgrade in class doesn’t come as a surprise to most, the district that Prosper was placed in raises some eyebrows.

The dreaded district 

Prosper is welcomed into class 6A with a district that features Allen, Plano West, Plano East, and Plano, which is not the happiest of welcomes. These four schools hold the highest enrollment in the state of Texas, not to mention their athletic teams aren’t too shabby either. A nice challenge should be beneficial for Prosper, however this alignment just doesn’t seem fair. There shouldn’t be an excuse for the four highest enrolled schools to be in the same district as a team that just entered 6A. In addition to the four giants in District 9, Prosper will also go up against three other schools. Dallas Jesuit, McKinney Boyd, and McKinney should be strong, balanced competition for Prosper to face.

Who’s in? Who’s Out?

There were some other schools who saw their landscape change as well. Mansfield Lake Ridge, who defeated Prosper in the third round of the football playoffs, saw themselves upgrade to 6A. Lake Ridge was placed in District 7 that features Mansfield, Mansfield Summit, De Soto, Grand Prairie, and a few others. As for teams who barely missed the bump to 6A, the Highland Park Scots (2180 enrolled), the 2016 & 2017 5A State Football Champions, will maintain their place in 5A. This comes as a surprise to many that the back-to-back State Football Champions will be able to beat up on 5A competition for another two years.

What this means for Prosper athletics

This move to 6A changes the entire Prosper athletic landscape. After excelling in all facets of athletics for the past two years, it may take the next few to find our place in the 6A class, and that’s the sad truth. The ‘dreaded district’ may be unfair, but the best Prosper can do is try their hardest to match the opposition. Focusing on the positives, playing 6A competition opens up 6A opportunities. Prosper’s spotlight will be larger, our athletes will be scouted more, and it will be better for the school as a whole. Although this move has people scratching their heads, in a few years, those same people may say this was the best thing that happened to Prosper athletics.