Thursday marks the beginning of the 25th annual Texas State 7-on-7 Championships, and for the 24th year the event will be held in College Station, and once again the action will take place at Veterans Park. (NOTE: The 2020 event was scheduled to be in College Station but was canceled due to Covid-19). A robust 128 teams from across the state will gather for three days of action in one of the final big off-season events before the start of the 2023 Texas high school football season. The event has grown from humble beginnings with just 24 teams playing the inaugural event to this weekend’s massive showcase. As usual, we've decided to give you a tournament primer and some things to watch for the exciting weekend of action!

 

What Is It?

For those of you who are new to this, 7-on-7 is a game very similar to flag football. It's played on a 45-yard field, with seven players per side. There’s no rushing; it’s all passing and QBs have four seconds to throw the ball. Games are played in two 15-minute halves and the clock never stops.

Teams qualify for the State 7-on-7 Tournament by advancing out of one of the numerous qualifying tournaments which began in early May. Teams are divided into three divisions. Division I plays Friday and Saturday and consists of 6A, 5A and large private schools, while Division II plays Thursday and Friday and consists of Class 4A, 3A Division I and small private schools. Finally, the Division III bracket, which consists of schools in Class 3A Division II and below – no private schools are allowed in this division, plays Thursday and Friday, as well.

 

Who Are The Historical Powers?

There’s no question Celina has the best history of teams at the State 7-on-7 Tournament. The Bobcats have won four titles (2000, 2007, 2009 and 2012) and nearly every year are a contender to bring the hardware home and they’ll be in the mix once again in the Division II bracket. Other multiple title winners include:

Graham: 2013, 2014, 2017

Baytown Lee: 2001, 2005 (did not qualify)

Southlake Carroll: 1998, 2013 (did not qualify)

Lake Travis: 2010, 2017

Kaufman: 2016, 2021 (did not qualify)

DeSoto: 2011, 2022

 

Of note, Southlake Carroll fell in the title game in Division I in 2019, while Graham also played for the title in 2012, falling to Celina in the Division II bracket. Navasota won a title in 2015, but the Rattlers also played for the crown back in 2008, falling to Crane. The Rattlers, however, did not qualify for the State Tournament for the second straight year. Crane aside from their title in 2008 did play for the state title in 2007 and again in 2019.  DeSoto had a strong run in 2010 as well falling in the title game to Lake Travis. College Station A&M Consolidated won the Division I crown in 2019 and they played for the title in 2018, losing to cross-town rival College Station. Brownwood how holds the longest streak of qualifying for the State Tournament at twenty-three straight years, Arlington Lamar qualified for the first twenty-four state tournaments from 1998-2021 but the Vikings saw their streak end in 2022, the Vikings however have returned for 2023.

 

The Defending Champions

All three defending state champions are back to defend their crowns as defending Division I champion DeSoto qualified at the very first qualifier of the season on April 22 at the Melissa SQT, while Hitchcock punched their ticket to state on May 21 at the West Columbia SQT. Division III state champion Miles earned a trip to College Station on June 3 with a dominant performance at the Sonora SQT.

 

How Do The Champions Do In The Fall?

In the early days of 7-on-7 there was little-to-no correlation to winning the state title in 7-on-7 and success in the fall. In fact, Baytown Lee won in 2005 and failed to win a game in the fall. However, in recent years that trend has started to change and there’s even been a few teams who won both State 7-on-7 and UIL football titles in the same year.  (Tyler Lee – 2004, Celina – 2000 & 2007, Lake Travis – 2010, Melissa – 2011, DeSoto -2022).

However, just because you don’t win a state title in football doesn’t mean the season was a failure, check out some of the other deep playoff runs by State 7-on-7 Champions below:

2009: Round Rock Stony Point (state semifinalist)

2010: Brownwood (state semifinalist)

2012: Celina (regional semifinalist)

2013: Southlake Carroll (regional semifinalist)

2013: Graham (state semifinalist)

2014: Graham (state semifinalist)

2015: Austin Westlake (state finalist)

2016: The Woodlands (state finalist)

2017: Graham (state semifinalist)

2017: Lake Travis (state finalist)

2018: Midlothian Heritage (regional semifinalist)

2018: Gunter (state semifinalist)

2019: Sunnyvale (regional semifinalist)

2022: Hitchcock (regional semifinalist)

In 2022 the eight quarterfinalists in Division I combined to go an incredible 85-19 that fall in real football, all eight teams made the playoffs and included in that group of eight was the 6A-Division II state champion (DeSoto), a 6A-Division II regional finalist (Killeen Harker Heights) and three regional semifinalists (Trophy Club Nelson, Midlothian Heritage and Fort Bend Hightower). The eight quarterfinalists in Division II went a combined 65-34 in the fall. Seven of the eight in that group made the playoffs a year ago. Included in that list was a 4A-Division I regional finalist (Wichita Falls), two 4A-Division I regional finalists (Texarkana Pleasant Grove and Lago Vista) and a 3A-Division I regional semifinalist (Hitchcock). In Division III the final eight teams standing were a combined 59-37 in the fall, with seven of the eight making the playoffs. The group includes a state champion in 3A-Division II (Gunter) and a 3A-Division II state semifinalist (Gilmer Harmony).

 

It’s Been a While, Welcome Back!

These teams have advanced to the State 7-on-7 Tournament before, but it has been a few years, so welcome these old friends back to College Station!

Arlington Seguin (last appearance 2014)

Bryan (last appearance 2007)

Jasper (last appearance 2013)

Merkel (last appearance 2012)

Odessa (last appearance 2012)

Pearland Dawson (last appearance 2016)

San Antonio Johnson (last appearance 2013)

Sherman (last appearance 2012)

Sulphur Springs (last appearance 2008)

Taylor (last appearance 2015)

Waller (last appearance 2003)

Weslaco (last appearance 2017)

 

 

First Appearance At The Dance

Below is a list of the teams making their first-ever appearance at the State 7-on-7 Tournament.

DIVISON I:

Barbers Hill

Everman

Keller Timber Creek

Pflugerville Weiss

Prosper Rock Hill

PSJA

San Antonio Jay

San Marcos

The Woodlands College Park

 

DIVISON II:

Frisco Panther Creek

Lubbock Christian

 

DIVISON III:

Dilley

Elkhart

Groveton

Jacksboro

Sunray

Tioga

Wallis Brazos

 

Golden Triangle Power in Division II

When it comes to football with the pads on District 9-4A Division II down in Southeast Texas definitely has some powerful teams and they’ve shown they can also get it done in the summer during 7-on-7. The district will feature four teams participating in the Division II state tournament, headlined by Hamshire-Fannett who is a real favorite to win the title. Silsbee, may have the top player in the Division II bracket in Drelon Miller, while Jasper and West Orange-Stark are loaded with plenty of talent as well.

 

A Strong Foursome from the Austin Area in Division I

26-6A in the Austin area also boasts a strong group of four teams who have made the State Tournament, this time in the Division I bracket. Perennial powers Lake Travis and Austin Westlake are  basically regulars in College Station at this point, while rising power Dripping Springs returns for the second straight year. Buda Johnson is a relatively new program, entering just their fourth season as a varsity program and yet they are playing in their third straight State Tournament.

Road Tripping Or Sleeping In Your Own Bed?

Three local schools to the Bryan-College Station qualified for the State Tournament as College Station, College Station A&M Consolidated and Bryan all punched tickets to the State Tournament. All three schools are located less than seven miles from the park. As is always the case, a team from El Paso wins the award for longest road trip overall and this year it’s El Paso Eastwood in the Division I bracket traveling 670 miles from El Paso to the Brazos Valley.

In Division II the top travel award goes to Dumas who will venture 560 miles south from the Texas Panhandle down to College Station. There aren’t any truly local teams playing in the Division II bracket, with Cameron Yoe getting the honors as the “local” squad with just a 53-mile one way trip.

In Division III, Sunray which is north of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle has the longest road trip as the Bobcats will travel 566 miles to College Station, while nearby Hearne doesn’t have to deal with hotel reservations as they are just 25 miles northwest of the Bryan-College Station area on Highway 6.

 

Who Are This Year’s Favorites??

As always picking results in the State 7-on-7 tournament is a dicey proposition at best, but we make our best effort to name five teams to keep an eye on in each division.

D1: DeSoto, Midlothian Heritage, Lake Travis, The Woodlands, College Station

D2: Hitchcock, Hamshire-Fannett, China Spring, Graham, Carthage

D3: Miles, Gunter, East Bernard, Hawley, Lexington

 

Coming Out to Watch Your Team Play?

If you can, come on out to College Station and cheer your favorite team on. Even if you are just a high school football fan, it’s a blast to come out and watch these talented players in action up close and personal. Admission is free, bring a chair, a cooler stocked with cold drinks, an umbrella or other type of shade and lots of sun screen! The Bryan-College Station area has plenty of hotels, but they book quick so if you plan on staying more than a day, make sure you get your reservations ASAP. The Veterans Park complex in College Station is quite large and if you plan on going to multiple fields to check out the action, be prepared for a 10-15 minute walk. If you are dining out Thursday or Friday night try to make reservations if possible, if not be prepared for lengthy wait times at the local establishments. The DCTF crew will be out and about all over the place so come by our tent and say hello or if you see us out at a field say hi!

 

How To Follow The Tournament If You Can’t Make It

If you can’t make it out, DCTF will be all over the action tweeting out updates and video throughout the weekend! Check us out on Twitter @dctf or go to http://www.texasfootball.com for live score updates.  We’ll also have a live broadcast on all three days from the scene FREE OF CHARGE thanks to our friends at Texas Army National Guard!! Check out all the action at http://www.texanlive.com