(02-29-2024 12:50 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 12:00 AM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  It's tough for the best high schools to recruit in the valley well-enough to compete with the biggest 6A and 5A programs in the major metros. People complain about the professionalization of college sports? Well, it's already happened in much of Texas HS football, too, and non-financial inducements have been going on at least since some guys at a diner in Celina tried to recruit me in 1989.

Celina is now a 4A school. With the Tollway moving north, it won't be 4A for much longer.

Yep. This will be Celina's last two years in 4A..and only because the cut line keeps going up. They have 1177 students according to the UIL. 1314 is the cutoff between 4A and 5A. (2275 is the cutoff between 5A and 6A) That would put them into the largest class in some states. Prosper just opened high school #3. Over on 75, nearby Anna is following Melissa into 5A. Just insane growth.

Back to the topic at hand, HS football in the Valley is similar to that in El Paso. It's emphasized and well-supported. But the teams just can't compete with the other metro areas and are knocked out in the second or third round of the playoffs, once they run into teams from other areas. As Bryan mentioned, recruiting is bigger than ever in the larger metros.