The Texas 7-on-7 State Championship pools are out! Here are the predictions for the order of finish in each group in Division I, plus a mini-preview for each pool.

Pool A Predicted Order of Finish

1. Katy Jordan
2. Pflugerville Weiss
3. Odessa
4. Lake Dallas

Lots of talent headlining this pool with Jordan and Weiss both bringing loads of it to the table, it’ll be  a battle between these two for the top slot. Odessa High out of West Texas has matchup nightmare in 6’6 WR Ivan Carreon, there might not be a team in the tournament who has an answer for the Texas Tech commit. Lake Dallas was a surprise qualifier for the second straight year, but the Falcons may not have the firepower to keep up in this group.

 

Pool B Predicted Order of Finish

1. San Marcos
2. Cypress Falls
3. PSJA North
4. Keller Timber Creek

This pool has some questions and intrigue because there’s some real newcomers coming to the party. Rattler Up may be a theme this week in College Station as barring a reversal of a UIL ruling, this may be the only state title San Marcos can play for in 2023 and they’ve got some exciting young talent that will get a chance to introduce themselves to the state. Cy Falls and PSJA North bring state tournament experience to the table and both will be a factor as well. Keller Timber Creek, like San Marcos is making their debut in College Station as well, the Falcons have been a bit up and down this summer, but when they are good, they are really tough to beat.

 

Pool C Predicted Order of Finish

1. Abilene
2. Round Rock
3. Clear Springs
4. Bryan Rudder

If you are looking for a sleeper in this tournament in might be the Abilene Eagles, always scrappy West Texas tough, Abilene High has some dynamic offensive playmakers to keep an eye on, most notably speed burner 2026 ATH Brayden Henry. The battle for second could come down to Round Rock and Clear Springs, two teams always talented, but don’t have much 7-on-7 State Tournament experience. Bryan Rudder, was a semifinalist at two SQTs and was a late replacement for Prosper Rock Hill who withdrew from the State Tournament.

 

Pool D Predicted Order of Finish

1. Midlothian Heritage
2. Bryan
3. Waller
4. Weslaco

Last year’s 7-on-7 runner-up Midlothian Heritage found plenty of success in their first Division I State Tournament and although they lost a lot off that group, the Jaguars will still enter Friday as the team to beat in Pool D. State Tournament newcomers Bryan and Waller are located an hour apart on Highway 6 and will open the season up against each other, but they’ll get to feel each other out in pool play as well. That game could be big as seeding may be on the line. Weslaco out of the Valley doesn’t have much big name talent, but they are a formidable opponent and can’t be overlooked.

 

Pool E Predicted Order of Finish

1. DeSoto
2. The Woodlands College Park
3. Arlington Seguin
4. Corpus Christi Miller

Defending champion DeSoto headlines a pool loaded with talent and the Eagles have it in bunches. QB DJ Bailey is an absolute operator on offense and he’s got a cast of playmakers around him as good or better than anyone in the state of Texas. Add in the fact DeSoto knows the 7-on-7 game well and typically the Eagles thrive in the competitive environment that College Station brings. The Woodlands College Park is making their first appearance at state and they’ll get the lean for the second spot, but Arlington Seguin is sneaky good and Corpus Christi Miller is back for the second straight year, the Bucs struggled in their debut in 2022 but should be much better this time around.

 

Pool F Predicted Order of Finish

1. McKinney
2. Lake Belton
3. Pearland Dawson
4. McAllen Rowe

McKinney and Lake Belton, who did play in the Northwest SQT will headline this pool, Lake Belton has 5-star WR Micah Hudson, but McKinney is flat loaded with FBS talent across the board, making that another must-see matchup for recruiting fans. Pearland Dawson lurks as a real sleeper however, the Eagles are talented in their own right and will be poised to snatch a spot in the championship bracket if either of the two favorites slip up.

 

Pool G Predicted Order of Finish

1. College Station
2. Barbers Hill
3. Everman
4. Flower Mound Marcus

Perennial 7-on-7 power and one of the tournament favorites College Station headlines this pool, led by QB Arrington Maiden who recently committed to Memphis. Barbers Hill and Everman are newcomers to the State Tournament, but both are talented, it’s just a question of how they’ll handle the big stage. Flower Mound Marcus was a late qualifier and not as talented as they’ve been in years past so they could struggle a bit.

 

 

Pool H Predicted Order of Finish

1. Fort Bend Hightower
2. Trophy Club Nelson
3. Coppell
4. Cedar Park Vista Ridge

This is another outstanding pool with three teams who are absolutely capable of making a deep run, Hightower and Byron Nelson were both semifinalists a year ago at the State Tournament and both have the pieces in place for major success. Coppell is lurking as well, the Cowboys actually beat Byron Nelson in overtime to qualify back in May and they aren’t strangers to the big stage having qualified a year ago as well. Vista Ridge out of the Austin area will look to play the role of spoiler.

 

Pool I Predicted Order of Finish

1. A&M Consolidated
2. Haslet Eaton
3. Klein Cain
4. Crandall

A&M Consolidated got a late start in qualifying, but the Tigers are red hot headed into the State Tournament and could play the role of a hipster pick on Day 2. Eaton is dynamic on offense led by recent UTSA commit QB Noah Lugo, the Eagles offense can score in bunches, the questions will be about their defense. Klein Cain and Crandall are under the radar, but in this wide open pool, they both have a good shot to make the championship bracket.

 

Pool J Predicted Order of Finish

1. Houston Lamar
2. Arlington Lamar
3. PSJA
4. Wylie East

It’ll be a battle of Lamar’s in Pool J with Houston Lamar and Arlington Lamar leading the way, Houston Lamar gets the edge based on strong performances in qualifying and more high-end talent, but Arlington Lamar is a known 7-on-7 commodity and often are most dangerous when they aren’t loaded up with D1 talent. The battle for third should be quite interesting with PSJA and Wylie East both being relative unknowns.

 

Pool K Predicted Order of Finish

1. North Crowley
2. San Antonio Johnson
3. Manvel
4. Round Rock Westwood

There will be some big-time talent on the field in this pool with North Crowley, making their second straight trip to College Station entering as the favorite to win the pool. The battle for second spot in the championship bracket will be quite fun with a Manvel team that looks to be trending up and San Antonio Johnson who is led by one of the state’s most dynamic signal callers in the Class of 2025 in QB Ty Hawkins. Round Rock Westwood isn’t blessed with a ton of top-end talent, but the Warriors are always an efficient team playing the 7-on-7 game.

 

Pool L Predicted Order of Finish

1. Buda Johnson
2. Laredo United South
3. North Forney
4. Cypress Creek

This is a really wide open pool as a couple of weeks ago Cy Creek may have been listed as the favorite in the pool before their QB transferred to San Antonio Reagan. That move now that drops the Cougars to the back of the pack and opens the door up for Buda Johnson and Laredo United South to make a move into championship bracket contention, while North Forney plays the role of sleeper, the Falcons are talented and seem to always find ways to win in 7-on-7 thus far this summer.

 

Pool M Predicted Order of Finish

1. Red Oak
2. Austin Westlake
3. Katy Tompkins
4. El Paso Eastlake

This a deep pool of teams, headlined by Red Oak who has the skill talent to matchup with anyone in this tournament, including DeSoto. The key for the Hawks will be how they handle pressure against a big name type team with experience, like an Austin Westlake. Westlake isn’t as front-loaded with talent as they’ve been the last two years, but the Chaparrals are still plenty dangerous. Katy Tompkins will be ready to jump up if Westlake or Red Oak slips up, the Falcons have a good mix of talent. Eastlake is making the long trip from El Paso and although they are a good 7-on-7 team, this pool may just be too much for them to challenge.

 

 

Pool N Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lake Travis
2. Alvin Shadow Creek
3. El Paso Eastwood
4. Frisco Wakeland

This is a really dynamic pool with a mix of teams who boast a ton of talent and plenty of 7-on-7 smarts  and execution, any of these four are capable of winning this pool and whoever gets third and fourth will be a tough luck team. Lake Travis probably has the best mix of talent and 7-on-7 experience so give the Cavs the edge over ultra-talented Shadow Creek and Eastwood and Wakeland who play a strong brand of 7-on-7.

 

Pool O Predicted Order of Finish

1. Willis
2. San Antonio Jay
3. Sherman
4. Arlington

This is a really wide-open pool,  no one really jumps  off the page as a sure fire bet to win this pool, but I give the edge to Willis and San Antonio Jay because of the experience and ability at QB. Willis boasts  DJ Lagway, a Florida commit and Jay has one of the state’s more underrated signal callers in Jackson Gutierrez. Sherman has been impressive this summer and gets the nod over Arlington for the third spot and the Bearcats are good enough in my view to possibly challenge for a top two slot.

 

Pool P Predicted Order of Finish

1. The Woodlands
2. Dripping Springs
3. Lubbock Coronado
4. Richardson Pearce

The Woodlands enters as one of the possible tournament favorites, the Highlanders have the pieces in place at the skill spots to challenge any team in this tournament. Dripping Springs graduated an elite signal caller, but the Tigers are a fast rising power in Austin and don’t appear to have missed a beat. Lubbock Coronado and Richardson Pearce are formidable opponents in this pool and are good enough to push the top two in this pool, Coronado will be eager to put on a better performance in College Station after struggling a year ago.