Cooke County — The wait is over and the scrambling began early Thursday morning with the release of the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment. Schools around the state learned who their district opponents will be for the next two years in football and basketball.

Most projections held true for schools around the area, but Gainesville got thrown a curve ball.

The Leopards will be joined in the new look District 9-3A along with rival Sanger, Bridgeport, Decatur, and Krum. With only a five team district Gainesville had to begin scrambling early Thursday to find a couple of extra games. Gainesville, already scheduled to play Decatur in the pre-district had to fill that slot along with week five, which was the previously scheduled bye week. With a five team league, the Leopards now have their bye week during the district schedule.

Gainesville has tentatively replaced Decatur with Iowa Park in the pre-district and picked up Vernon in week five.

“I feel we will have a good chance to compete in football and the basketball side of things may have gotten a bit tougher,” Gainesville Athletic Director Lance Gary said about the new 9-3A. “I feel it should be a good competitive district with a lot of parity.”

With fewer teams and a totally new look to district 9-3A Gary feels his kids will be excited about the challenge.

“The kids enjoy change,” Gary said. “I’ve never personally been in a five team district but it will be interesting. I usually like to have the bye week before district but I can see how it could benefit you during the district part of the schedule too.”

To the west the Lindsay Knights got the district they expected but lost some pre-district opponents along the way.

Lindsay will join county rival Valley View in District 7-A Division I, along with Blue Ridge, Chico, Collinsville and Trenton.

“We are excited about the district, but we’ve been really been working on our non-district schedule,” Lindsay Athletic Director Cody Bounds said. “We’ve had some teams like Sacred Heart and Era not want to play us anymore, so that has really put us in a bind to find games. It’s a busy time right now, an exicting time, but it will be a lot better once we get it all worked out.”

Muenster and Era landed in the new District 8-A Division II for football. They will be joined by Electra, Munday, Perrin Whitt and Petrolia.

It shapes up to be possibly the toughest Class A Division II district in the state. Munday is coming off an appearance in the state title game, Electra was a playoff team in 2011, and Muenster reached the state quarterfinals.

“Travel will be a big concern,” Muenster Athletic Director Brady Carney said. “Besides district, our bi-district area travel will be near Abilene.”

Era Athletic Director Matt Fanning had the same concerns.

“I really didn’t think our district would go all the way to Munday,” Fanning said. “It will probably be the toughest district in [Class A] Division II.”

The basketball side of the district will be much better for travel considerations as the in county rivals get to stay intact. Era will join Lindsay, Muenster, Valley View and Collinsville.

“The old traditional district basketball rivals get to stay together, I was pleased to see that,” Fanning said.

Callisburg, as projected will be joined with a lot of old Class 3A schools in the new District 5-AA Division I. The Wildcats will see Bowie, Pilot Point, Whitesboro, Ponder, Paradise and Boyd in 2012.

 In basketball, Callisburg will be grouped in District 11-AA with Bells, Howe, Pottsboro, S&S, Tom Bean, Whitesboro and Whitewright.