Sports

The 2019-2020 Dripping Springs High School Tiger Band. SUBMITTED PHOTO.

As per the other decades, there were some major changes that took place in the Dripping Springs Independent School District and the sports programs during the '80's. First of all, during the 80-81 school year, it was learned the squabble between the Lake Travis and Dripping Springs landowners was settled by a lawsuit that allowed the Lake Travis area to break away from the district and form their own school district. At first, the plan was for the Lake Travis High School students to continue going to Dripping Springs High School until they built their school, but they changed their mind and decided to crowd in at the Lake Travis Elementary School instead. The split meant DS would have about 80% of the students and 20% of the property value. However, by the Fall of 1985, DSISD had passed a bond issue and built a new high school (present DSMS). It also meant the sports teams would be short-handed for 81-82 while playing in 3A. The next year DS would drop to 2A and be able to compete well again. Also the UIL started allowing second place teams to enter the playoffs.

The second half of the '70's was a little tough. Did not get the benefit of a two-year lag time before moving up to 2A in 1976. DS played in districts with higher enrollments. Ironically, DS actually jumped to 3A in '78. That reclassification had nothing to do with enrollment. Class B schools did not like being referred to as B schools, so to remedy that, the UIL reclassified them as 1A and bumped everyone else up an A in classification.