This year the Brentwood Christian Bears moved up a division in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) competition, going from 4A (or Division III in some sports) to 5A (Division II). Many in the school were in shock to find out Dallas and Tyler were bringing five schools to pair with three from Austin to create TAPPS 2-5A.

The rest of the district was shocked too, with opposing coaches and BCS coaches often commenting on the nearly four-hour travel triangle created by TAPPS.

In retrospect, travel has been tough, and competition has, too.

Almost all of the Brentwood teams struggled with facing bigger teams from bigger schools, In terms of enrollment, BCS sits on the lower end of 5A. With at least one more year to go in the current district, returning juniors through eighth graders will likely feel the effects of the change over the coming months.

Take boys and girls soccer, for example. Last year, the boys soccer team won district while not allowing a single goal and went undefeated until playoffs. This year, they did not win one game inside of the district competition, although they did tie in one.

The girls soccer team was co-district champs last year, but this year they only won one game in district, yet they still managed to tie both games they played against the 4A co-district champ team, Veritas, from a season ago.

The softball team also struggled with the change in division. Last year they were co-district champions, yet this year they did not win a single game. All-in-all, almost every team struggled in the sports side of things.

It was not only sports that struggled with the reform of the district. We can look beyond sports to academics and the arts for more ripple effects. Last year, BCS was on top for academics, and this year produced a sixth-place finish. Band, which had been state champs two years in a row before the change in division, came in third.

Although most of the Brentwood competitors struggled this year, some teams continue to excel. The Lady Bellas and the men's basketball team, both produced the exact same output from a season ago. The Lady Bellas completed a back-to-back state champion run with no seniors, and the basketball team made it to the final four for a second straight season. .

Elsewhere, volleyball won district and girls basketball returned to the playoffs after missing out in 2024, but both were bested in the first round by teams from district 1.

Districts stay together for two seasons in TAPPS. With realignment likely to be finalized in October of this year, BCS will look to improve on its across-the-board excellence in TAPPS 5A and eagerly awaits what a new district will look like - whether that’s in 5A or 4A - moving forward.