Originally appeared on Vype.com

After five short years of existence, little brother is making the big jump to Class 6A as community growth and expanded enrollment takes Tomball Memorial to new challenges.

Tomball Memorial makes the move as cross-town rival Tomball stays in Class 5A.

Many wonder if the jump to 6A will hinder the identity of a traditional 5A program that Tomball Memorial has enjoyed since its inception in 2012.

“We knew our great community was growing,” Tomball ISD athletic director Vince Sebo said. “You don’t run from that, you embrace the fact that your community is growing to the point of being a 6A program. We’re not intimidated by that. Our coaches will have our athletes ready to compete.”

Recent history has shown that traditional football powers making the jump from 5A to 6A can be either seamless or difficult.

Friendswood made the jump to the biggest classification in 2014 and culminated records of 8-4 (2014) and 8-5, (2015) with a regional semifinal appearance in the 2015 playoffs.

George Ranch struggled mighty with their move up in 2016 after winning a 5A state title in 2015. Going 6-5 and 6-4 respectively, in their past two seasons at the 6A level.

One item that will not change is the rivalry between Tomball and Tomball Memorial.

The “Tomball Bowl” annually brings out a huge contingent of local fans to witness which team will take home the bragging rights for 364 days.

“We most likely will have the game at the beginning of the season,” Sebo said. “Our community looks forward to these games, so we can expect all sports to continue with this rivalry.”

Until the University Interscholastic League officially announces district alignments in February, only speculation can garner where Tomball Memorial lands.

“I’ve never been right yet on guessing where our schools would end up,” Sebo said. “I would say east, west or south for us. If you’re talking about us heading north, there could be a lot of travel involved.

“Moving us to Cy-Fair could make sense if the UIL decides to make that a split division. We’ve been in Houston ISD before, so those all make sense.”

The move up to 6A should not affect the Wildcats’ football program as coach Sam Parker helped build the Spring Lions into a 6A power during his seven years on the sideline.

Parker accumulated a 20-5 record at Spring his final two seasons, leading the Lions to the 6A regional semifinals in 2015.

Official district alignments will be announced by the UIL February 1, 2018.

This article appears in the January Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy at any one of our locations today!