UIL Legislative Council amends playoff structures, adds titles with split classifications
The UIL is introducing split divisions for volleyball, softball, baseball, soccer and basketball starting in the 2024-2025 high school athletics season.
The UIL Legislative Council passed a proposal introduced on Tuesday that creates two state championship brackets per classification. The amendment follows the structure of the current Class 6A football playoff structure and will introduce 33 additional state championships per season.
To earn a playoff spot, teams will still need to finish in the top four of their district. The two advancing schools with the largest enrollments will be placed in Division I while the schools with the lower enrollments will advance to Division II.
The amendment will not affect Class 1A schools in the following schools: volleyball, softball and baseball. These schools will keep the same playoff formats.
Class 6A football has already been using the split division format. In 2023, DeSoto won the Class 6A D2 state championship while Duncanville won the Class 6A D1 state championship.
DeSoto and Duncanville finished first and second, respectively, in District 11-6A in 2023 and were split based on enrollment.
Enrollments numbers and the district realignments for 2024 through 2026 can be found on the UIL website. All schools will remain in the district placements according to the 2024 through 2024 realignment.
The split divisions amendment could mean that state tournaments are limited to championship games.
UIL executive director announces retirement
Dr. Charles Breithaupt, at the UIL Legislative Council meeting on Tuesday, announced that he will retire following the 2024-2025 school year.
Breithaupt has served as the UIL executive director since 2009 and joined the UIL in 1992 following a 17 year career in public education as a coach, athletic director, assistant principal and high school principal.
His long list of accolades includes a Coach of the Year award from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in 1991, a Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2003, a Southeast Texas Coaches Hall of Honor induction in 2001 and, in 2005, a Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor induction.
