Lions to butt heads with College Station schools in new football district

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

Lockhart has toured Texas recently with its UIL (University Interscholastic League) football realignments, and the next two years will be no different as the Lions will now travel as far east as College Station to face a pair of opponents.

Lockhart has been moved up to 5A Division 1. Its nine-team District 12 foes for 2024-25 will include previous district foe Cedar Creek, but the other seven opponents will each be new. They include Kyle Lehman, Buda Hays, Pflugerville Hendrickson, Pflugerville Weiss, Austin Anderson, College Station High School, and College Station A&M Consolidated.

Lockhart now has 2,078 students between grades 9-12.

“In the off-season, we knew we were probably going from 5A Division 2 to 5A Division 1,” LHS Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Todd Moebes said. “We knew we would be at schools with a higher enrollment.”

Moebes expects his 2024 football schedule to be released later this month or by early March.

The Lions have reached the 5A D2 state playoffs in back-to-back season, going 8-4 in 2022 and 4-7 last season.

There will be a trio of especially strong new opponents with both College Station schools as well as Pflugerville Weiss.

The College Station Cougars won its district last season, going 11-2 overall, beating Boerne Champion and Magnolia in the playoffs before falling to Smithson Valley in the 5A D1 quarterfinals. A&M Consolidated, which lost to College Station High in the regular season, went 10-4 overall but reached the 5A D1 semifinals before also losing to Smithson Valley. The Tigers defeated Wagner, Fulshear, and Cedar Park in the first three rounds.

“I think there are programs that in recent years have been very, very talented,” Moebes said. “It is a very strong district for that reason.”

Pflugerville Weiss (Wolves) was 9-2 overall. Pflugerville Hendrickson (Hawks) was 3-7 and was handily beaten by each A&M school in the new district.

Austin Anderson (Trojans) went 4-6 overall, Buda Hays (Hawks) went 4-6, Kyle Lehman (Lobos) was 2-8, and Cedar Creek (Eagles) was winless at 0-10. Lockhart has split with Lehman over the last two seasons in non-district play, and has taken two from Cedar Creek.

Distance-wise, Lockhart will have to travel about 108 miles one-way to College Station, 45 miles to Pflugerville, 43 miles to Austin Anderson on the north side of that city, 25 miles to Cedar Creek, 23 to Buda Hays, and only 16 to Kyle Lehman.

“It is very comfortable compared to the district we were in,” Moebes said. “We had state-ranked teams in the district we just came from.

“I’ve coached football in different parts of Texas and I know that there are some lower class schools that when you get on the field can compete against some 6A programs.”

Moebes added that the new opponents seem to have very athletic and skilled players with excellent coaching. He will not receive films of those schools until close to the season.

The basketball Lions and spring sports will remain in the eight-team District 25 with the following schools: Buda Hays, Cedar Park, Kyle Lehman, Leander, Leander Glenn, Leander Rouse, and Liberty Hill.