Groesbeck ready to move forward into new district
The Groesbeck football team won’t have to go against a two-time defending state champion in district play this year, but the six-team district will still be a challenging one.
The UIL realignment, announced Monday morning, will have the Goats in the sixteam District 8-3A, Division I with Fairfield, Teague, Malakoff, Kemp and Eustace.
Along with Groesbeck, Teague is the only other holdover from the previous district, which included two-time state champion Grandview. But while Grandview is gone, Malakoff moves in. They lost to Grandview in the state championship game in 2018.
The addition of Fairfield, which dropped down from Class 4A, also adds strength to the district. Fairfield was ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A midway through 2019.
Groesbeck coach and athletic director Jerry Bomar said he was somewhat surprised at how the district shook out.
“I’m never shocked by the UIL, the way they do these things,” Bomar said. “I was pleasantly surprised. We were ready for a change. I learned a long time ago there’s no such thing as an easy district. We’re very happy to be in this district. We’re excited. I think any time there’s a change, everybody has optimism. We’re glad to be in it.”
Bomar noted the strengths of the other teams in the district.
“Those are very good teams,” he said. “They’ve done a lot of good things here recently, and they’ve been very strong. But this is 3A, DI football. On this level things
change, sometimes year to year.”
Bomar said he expects his team to be much improved from last year, when a very young Goats squad finished with a 2-8 overall record and was winless in six district games.
“For us, we’re not going to be anywhere near like we were last year ever again. That’s a fact of life,” Bomar said. “These are really good schools, good programs. We’re going to have to up our game, which we were going to do no matter what district we’re in.”
TeaguecoachDonnieOsborn also noted that the district will be a challenging one.
“We have some top teams in the district again,” Osborn said. “We got rid of Grandview and Whitney and picked up Malakoff and Fairfield. I think the top two teams in that (district) group are Malakoff and Fairfield. They’ll both be really good. We’re going to have to find a way to step up. I think they are beatable.”
Bomar said he expects Groesbeck to compete well in the new district.
“The district is always tough. Nobody gets a free pass anymore,” he said. “You go play. You don’t lose the game before you ever play it. We know it’s going to be a challenge. We’re just trying to get our program to where we can compete with these people. And I think we can.”
Teague coach Donnie Osborn said he was surprised the district would consist of six teams. The previous district had seven teams.
“The only thing that surprised us was the fact it’s a six-team district, Osborn said. “We’ve been in a seven- or eight-team district the last six years.”
Fairfield coach John Bechtel, whose team also is coming from a seven-team district, said the six-team format makes it a little bit easier.
“ It’s an easier schedule with six teams than seven. You just have a little bit more time to get ready,” he said.
Bechtel and his Eagles are looking forward to competing in the new district.
“It’s just an exciting time. You get new teams that you play,” he said.
While Groesbeck’s football team will be in a mostly new district, the other athletic teams will continue to play familiar foes.
All other teams will play in the eight-team District 20-3A. There will be five holdovers from the previous seven-team district — Teague, Palestine Westwood, Buffalo, Crockett and Elkhart. Fairfield and Franklin will be added to the district.
Fairfield has had success in a number of sports. The Lady Eagles girls basketball team is currently No. 11 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A rankings.