The first day of the 2019 Texas 7-on-7 State Championships is in the books, and teams are set up for single elimination bracket play on Friday after three rounds of pool play, despite big weather crashing the party. After both divisions played a single round of pool play, a nearly three hour weather delay forced a modification to the schedule and the teams finished the day playing a pair of 30-minute games to conclude the day. Games are typically forty minutes and weather permitting the normal game schedule is in place Friday.
The Division III bracket will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, while the Division II bracket will kick off at 9 a.m.
Division II
Three That Impressed:
Jourdanton: The Indians were the story of the first day of the tournament, rolling to a 3-0 record in the Pool of Death, notching wins over Brock, Stephenville and Texarkana Pleasant Grove in succession.
Sweeny: The Bulldogs used a high-powered offense to score over 50 points in their opening win over Marion, then used a lock-down defense in their second game to take down China Spring, 24-7, and finished with a thrilling win over Celina 22-21 to clinch the top spot in the pool.
Graham: Pre-tournament favorite Graham did nothing to dispel their status, posting three double-digit wins in pool play over Boerne, Longview Spring Hill and Hitchcock.
Three That Struggled:
Brock: The young Eagles had trouble in Pool F losing three straight games on the day. The day started out with a blowout loss to Jourdanton. Brock bounced back in the second game, pushing Texarkana Pleasant Grove to the limit in a six-point loss, but then ended the day with a 25-14 loss to Stephenville. Brock’s offense, in its final two games, struggled to find its footing.
Celina: The typically-powerful Bobcats could easily have gone 2-1, but had a pair of agonizing one-point losses to Marion and Sweeny to close the day.
Rio Hondo: It was a rough day at the office for the Bobcats who suffered lopsided losses in their first two games to Midlothian Heritage and Dumas, before they played Columbia tough in a 26-20 loss.
Game of The Day:
Crockett 34, Waco LaVega 33: The day started out with a bang as Crockett served notice that they would be a tough out, pulling out a thrilling 34-33 win over the Pirates in pool play.
Tomorrow’s Four-Over-One Pick:
Celina over McGregor: Celina isn’t a typical No. 4 seed and with two one-point losses on Thursday, the team will be eager to make amends as the slate is wiped clean. Check out our insider article for all the bracket picks Friday!