Pool A Predicted Order of Finish

1. Flower Mound Marcus
2. Pflugerville Weiss
3. Willis
4. Wichita Falls Memorial

One of the best pools in the entire tournament is this group of teams where the QB play will be elite with Colton Nussmeier at Marcus, Jax Brown at Weiss and Joe Castles at Wichita Falls Memorial. Marcus gets the early nod, but Weiss and Willis will bring some elite athleticism to the mix and they’ll be in contention as well. Memorial is still figuring things out, they may be hard-pressed to get into the top two slots, but they could be a Day 2 factor.

Pool B Predicted Order of Finish

1. Rockwall
2. Fort Bend Ridge Point
3. Argyle
4. San Antonio Brandeis

Another pool full of dynamic teams and there are few offenses in the state that are as stout as Rockwall who enters as the slight favorite over an explosive Ridge Point squad. Argyle is making a return to the State Tournament and when the Eagles are hitting on all cylinders they can beat anyone in this tournament. San Antonio Brandeis is one of a record four teams from the San Antonio area that has qualified for the State 7-on-7 Tournament.

Pool C Predicted Order of Finish

1. Austin Westlake
2. Alvin Shadow Creek
3. El Paso Pebble Hills
4. Frisco Centennial

This pool appears to be a two-team race between two tournament favorites in Westlake and Shadow Creek, both of these teams have the talent to make a big run and win the State 7-on-7 crown. If there’s a team that could throw a wrench into things it could be an underrated Pebble Hills squad out of the Sun City. Frisco Centennial was a surprise late qualifier out of the Midlothian SQT, but the Titans could be hard-pressed to make noise in this group.

Pool D Predicted Order of Finish

1. Katy Cinco Ranch
2. Anna
3. Corpus Christi Miller
4. Lewisville

This pool is headlined by a Cinco Ranch squad that may be the best team from the Houston area, the Cougars were incredibly young a year ago and they bring back a wealth of experience. Defending 4A-Division I state champion and last year’s Division II runner-up Anna is explosive on offense, but the Coyotes don’t have much experience back on defense. That could open the door for an explosive, veteran-laden squad from Corpus Christi Miller who is fully capable of pushing into the championship bracket. Lewisville is young, but the Farmers are extremely talented, however they got drawn into a difficult pool.

Pool E Predicted Order of Finish

1. Coppell
2. Austin Anderson
3. Dickinson
4. PSJA North

This pool is headlined by a pair of teams that pushed deep into the championship bracket a year ago, Coppell was a semi-finalist, while PSJA North had the best showing ever for a team from the RGV with a quarter-final run. Coppell has the pedigree and maybe the top QB in the entire tournament, but don’t count out Austin Anderson who has a D1 signal caller of their own and an elite WR in TCU commit Ed Small. Dickinson is more than capable of doing well as physically the Gators can go toe to toe with any team, but will they be consistent enough? PSJA North was hit hard by graduation, but the Raiders are scrappy and they will be intimidated by no team in their field after last year’s run.

Pool F Predicted Order of Finish

1. Tyler
2. Richmond Randle
3. Mesquite Horn
4. McAllen Rowe

This is a pool that’s hard to get a read on, but based on strong performances in two DFW area qualifiers the edge goes to Tyler in this wide open pool. The Lions are young, but talented and battle tested and they don’t lack for confidence either. Randle is in their first ever trip to State 7-on-7 and they feature some big name talent as well, but will they handle the little things needed to get wins in key spots? Mesquite Horn’s been in the news a lot recently, but expect the talented Jaguars to show up in C-Stat ready to prove a point to anyone who has been shoveling dirt on the program recently.

Pool G Predicted Order of Finish

1. North Crowley
2. Kaufman
3. Conroe Grand Oaks
4. Alamo Heights

This is one of the more fascinating pools in the field and that’s despite the fact North Crowley comes in as a likely heavy favorite as the Panthers are flat-out loaded to make a deep push. The real intrigue here is what looks to be a very competitive battle for second, Kaufman has the 7-on-7 history, Grand Oaks has an elite young QB and Alamo Heights has a literal five-star talent in Michael Terry. This pool will be a lot of fun!

Pool H Predicted Order of Finish

1. DeSoto
2. Lake Travis
3. Katy Tompkins
4. El Paso Eastlake

This is my pick for the toughest pool in the tournament, the headliners are DeSoto and Lake Travis who each have four 7-on-7 state titles, DeSoto with the most recent in 2022. Lake Travis also holds the state’s longest streak for consecutive years in making the State Tournament. DeSoto is as dynamic as any team in the country and will be among the early favorites to win the title. Tompkins doesn’t have the headliners they typically do, but top to bottom the Falcons are as solid as anyone. Eastlake out of El Paso will be no pushover, the Falcons are a regular in College Station and will be ready for the moment.

Pool I Predicted Order of Finish

1. Frisco Wakeland
2. Mission
3. Austin McCallum
4. Conroe Oak Ridge

If you are looking for a sleeper from DFW, Frisco Wakeland may fit the bill, the Wolverines are as talented as they’ve ever been across the board at the skill spots and they are in their third straight trip to College Station. Another intriguing team to watch is Mission, the Eagles are high-flying and can put up points in bunches. McCallum was a surprise qualifier in Austin early on as they were sharp and got a win over Lake Travis, they could easily make a move to the top of the pool, while Oak Ridge feels like a bit of a mystery team heading into the tournament.

Pool J Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lovejoy
2. Friendswood
3. Keller Central
4. PSJA Memorial

All signs are pointing to a breakout weekend from Lovejoy who many feel is primed to make some big noise down in College Station. Friendswood doesn’t have the headline talent, but the Mustangs play well as a unit and have the nuances of the game down. Keller Central and fast-rising PSJA Memorial out of the RGV are surprise qualifiers who will look to play spoiler.

Pool K Predicted Order of Finish

1. Colleyville Heritage
2. San Antonio Pieper
3. Lake Belton
4. Humble

Colleyville Heritage enters this pool as an under the radar team that could do some real damage on Saturday when we get to bracket play, first-time qualifiers Pieper and Humble will battle with Lake  Belton for the final spot in the championship bracket.

Pool L Predicted Order of Finish

1. Midlothian Heritage
2. PSJA
3. Buda Johnson
4. Houston Strake Jesuit

Perennial 7-on-7 powerhouse Midlothian Heritage is considered the favorite in this pool, but if you haven’t seen PSJA QB Myles Lopez he’s worth the price of admission and can lead the Bears into the championship bracket. Buda Johnson recently went through a coaching change so it’ll be interesting to see how the Jags are from a mind-set perspective. Strake Jesuit is a surprise qualifier and will be looking to play the role of spoiler.

Pool M Predicted Order of Finish

1. The Woodlands College Park
2. Terrell
3. Abilene Cooper
4. Haslet Eaton

College Park is back in College Station for the second straight year and the Cavs enter as the favorite in Pool M, Terrell who is in their first ever State Tournament runs the Wing-T but they are athletic as all get out and they are a tough team to get ready for. Abilene Cooper tends to play a slower 7-on-7 pace than most and that can make them a bit of a challenge to prep for as well.

Pool N Predicted Order of Finish

1. Allen
2. Cypress Falls
3. San Antonio East Central
4. Leander Rouse

Allen’s back in the State Tournament for the first time since Kyler Murray led the Eagles and despite not having the big-name talent, this Allen team is deep and full of playmakers that will serve them well in what could be a battle of attrition. Cy Falls is a regular at the State Tournament and they look to be the pick for the two seed, behind State 7-on-7 newcomers East Central and Rouse who are in their debut in College Station.

Pool O Predicted Order of Finish

1. College Station
2. Richardson Berkner
3. The Woodlands
4. Lubbock Coronado

Perennial power College Station enters as the favorite in this pool and they’ll without question get the bump from being close to home, but Richardson Berkner is as dynamic as anyone in the tournament. The Rams bring elite skill talent to the table and will be a dangerous team. The Woodlands is a regular at the state tournament, but performances when they get to College Station have been inconsistent. Lubbock Coronado will be looking to surprise people as they play with their backup QB after their starter suffered an injury, the good news is he’ll be ready to go when the season kicks off.

Pool P Predicted Order of Finish

1. Trophy Club Nelson
2. Killeen Harker Heights
3. Manvel
4. Laredo United

Byron Nelson will again be considered one of the teams to watch on Day 2 of the tournament as the Bobcats typically play very well when they get to College Station. Harker Heights made a big run at the State Tournament in 2022 and they are back, they’ll be in a real battle with Manvel for the final spot in the championship bracket. Laredo United lost a Division I QB to graduation, but the Longhorns can sling it around with the best of them in South Texas.