Mission High staying in 4A

EDINBURG - So much for all the rumors.

After a year of speculation, Mission High will stay in Class 4A for the next two years. For much of the 2007 season, there was talk that the Eagles were going to leave District 32-4A and move up to 5A. However, the school’s enrollment number of 2,070 missed the 5A cutoff by 15 students.

Mission High coach Tom Lee said he had been expecting to stay in 4A “for about the last month.”

“We got word from the people at (the UIL) that the numbers were going to be real high, that we better start making plans to be in the same district we were in,” Lee said. “We had some schedules set differently that we had to make some alterations to, but we’re pretty excited about being in 4A.”

With Mission High staying, plus the addition of new school Juarez-Lincoln, District 32-4A has eight teams competing for four playoff spots. The simplicity of the schedule seemed to please the other coaches.

“That makes it a lot easier,” Mission Veterans coach Carlos Longoria said. “We can control when we have our open date, instead of being at the mercy of your schedule.”

Lee also said he was satisfied with staying in 4A, although he conceded that some “old Mission people” could be disappointed.

“They wanted us to get back into 5A, but the chips fall this way and we’re not going to feel bad about it,” Lee said. “We’re going to move forward.”

Staying in District 32-4A also means that Mission High and Mission Veterans can continue their rivalry.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity to keep playing Edcouch-Elsa, a traditional team,” Lee said. “Obviously, Mission Veterans right across the road. We’re very excited about where we’re staying and the season next year.”

If Mission High had moved up to 5A, Longoria said he was going to try to schedule the Eagles for either a scrimmage or non-district game. But with the two teams still in the same district, no such accommodations were needed.

“I think it will be good for the city of Mission and the Mission CISD,” Longoria said. “I like to have Coach Lee, and have them in our district. It will be good for us.”

With Mission High staying in 32-4A, the biggest change to the district is the addition of Juarez-Lincoln. The Huskies, led by coach Aaron Garcia, formed a non-district schedule that includes Hidalgo, sister-school La Joya-Palmview and Corpus Christi Miller.

Joe Solis, the coach of reigning district champion Edcouch-Elsa, sounded excited about the makeup of the district. He took time to welcome the Huskies to the district, and also express that he wasn’t surprised that Mission High didn’t move up.

“They had always talked about being on the bubble, that they could go either way,” Solis said. “I think them being back is going to make the district more competitive. I never really thought they would go up to 5A.”

Brian Sandalow covers high school football for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.