Anderson coach Donald Hatcher received the news he wanted last December.

With UIL announcing its classification cutoff numbers for its biennial realignment, the Trojans would be dropping to Class 5A after being the smallest school in their Class 6A district by several hundred students.

“For us, it puts us on a level playing field,” Hatcher told the Statesman on Monday. “Last cycle, we were only seven kids over the (Class 6A) cutoff. Now, we’re at the same enrollment as everyone else, and our guys are excited.”

With the high school football season kicking off Thursday, the impact of UIL’s realignment from February — classification cutoff numbers are released in December with the actual district assignments announced two months later — will start to become a reality.

Like Anderson, plenty of Austin-area schools were dramatically affected, whether it was dropping classifications or moving districts or regions, and though district play starts for local teams at various points from Weeks 3-6, it also affected nondistrict scheduling.

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In Class 6A, Hutto was brought back to the Austin area after spending two years in a seven-team district with schools mainly around Temple.

Travel is now reduced, with Hutto athletic director Brad LaPlante also noting that positively affects students, parents and staff from a logistics standpoint. But the opportunity to make the postseason is much more difficult due to math alone.

The Hippos are in a nine-team district with schools across the northern part of the Austin area, ranging from Manor to Vandegrift, and while the numbers don’t favor any school in particular, it’s also one of the deepest districts in the state.

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“There’s good coaching and good players, and every team brings something to the table that’s a challenge,” LaPlante said. “Each game becomes more important with nine teams. But that’s what makes it exciting and that’s why our players put in all the time in the weight room and speed camps.”

Johnson was the other area 6A school impacted.

The Jaguars were taken out of the Austin area and placed into District 29 with schools mainly around San Antonio.

“We were really surprised the UIL moved us out of that district because geography is supposed to be the biggest thing,” interim football coach and athletic coordinator Samuel Carlin told the Statesman in early August. “But it is what it is, and those are the uncontrollables you have to deal with.”

Though the longer travel is a negative for Johnson, it does get away from Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs on the district playing field. (The two Hays County schools will still play in a nondistrict game.)

In the opposite situation from Hutto, the Jaguars go from a nine-team district to a seven-team one. While the path to the playoffs is easier from a numbers viewpoint, it did leave four nondistrict games to fill.

Besides facing Dripping Springs, Johnson stayed local with Cedar Ridge, Stony Point and Austin High completing the schedule.

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“We thought it was important to stay in the Austin area in the nondistrict,” Carlin said.

Like Anderson, Weiss is dropping to Class 5A, and both schools are in District 12 Division I, which has nine teams.

Wolves coach Vernon Hughes noted earlier this month that the biggest aspect it helps with is depth and player numbers, with Weiss having low numbers for a Class 6A school the past two years.

Ironically, despite lower enrollments by roughly 100 students, both Anderson and Weiss have larger rosters than they did while in Class 6A.

“Last year we were at 140, and now we’re at 180,” Hatcher said. “We have 62 freshmen, which is the most we’ve had in a long time.”

For the Trojans, they also get away from Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs, but Hatcher views the new district — which also includes Cedar Creek, Hays, Hendrickson, Lehman and Lockhart — as very tough.

“You’ve got teams like College Station, A&M Consolidated and Weiss, and that’s kind of like the Dripping Springs, Westlake and Lake Travis stretch,” he said. “But no one knows us and we don’t know them, so it will be good competition.”

Several Austin school district schools (LBJ, Travis, Eastside, Northeast) dropped to Class 4A and make up the majority of District 13 Division I.

For perennial power LBJ, which opted up to Class 5A last cycle despite an enrollment number that put it in Class 4A Division II, it increases the possibility of a playoff run that goes into December.

“The positive is you’re going against schools that battle the same thing you do from an numbers perspective with guys going both ways,” LBJ coach Joe Rauls said. “But the football is just as competitive. You’re playing against schools like Stephenville, Carthage and others that are some of the best in the state. … We look forward to the challenges.”

The move gives the other Austin ISD schools more hope for playoff wins. Longtime Travis coach Joe Frank Martinez — whose school has made several postseason appearances but has come up against programs such as Hendrickson, Vandegrift, Cedar Park, Vista Ridge and Rouse — said there’s the possibility of a more manageable matchup.

“Playoff positioning will be key,” noted Martinez, stating that LBJ is the district’s heavy favorite but there will be battles for the other three playoff spots. “Overall, we just feel like 4A is going to be a good fit for us. We feel we’re going to be more competitive, not just in football, but in all sports.”

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UIL realignment will soon become a reality for Austin-area schools as football starts