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

Pool A Predicted Order of Finish

1. Texarkana Pleasant Grove
2. Springtown
3. Somerset
4. Bay City

Several pools in the Division II tournament are deep with talent and could go in any number of directions and this pool is one of them. Pleasant Grove is a physically imposing 7-on-7 team that is hard to score on, but can the Hawks generate enough offense against good teams? Springtown is back in College Station after a five-year absence and the Porcupines have a veteran QB and cast of skill players. Somerset and Bay City bring different challenges, but both are dangerous as Somerset is skilled and savvy in the 7-on-7 game, while Bay City is described by one coach as “freakishly athletic.”

Pool B Predicted Order of Finish

1. Sulphur Springs
2. West Orange-Stark
3. Lubbock Christian
4. La Feria

Sulphur Springs has seen a resurgence under new head coach Brandon Faircloth and the Wildcats are continuing that momentum with their first State Tournament trip since 2008 when Tyrik Rollison was leading one of the state’s most explosive offensive attacks. West Orange-Stark is back in College Station for a second straight year, the Mustangs are tough on defense, but consistency on offense is a major question. Lubbock Christian is battle tested out of West Texas and could be primed to challenge in this pool along with an always scrappy La Feria squad out of the Valley.

Pool C Predicted Order of Finish

1. Hitchcock
2. San Antonio Davenport
3. Brownwood
4. Sunnyvale

If you are looking for the “Pool of Death” at least in Division II it’s right here, this is an absolutely loaded pool with four outstanding teams. You start with defending champion Hitchcock who looks like a strong bet to repeat as champions with basically their entire team returning, add in a Davenport squad loaded with depth and talent as they likely will make the jump to 5A next realignment. Brownwood is always a force and the Lions have steadily improved over the summer and then you add in the 2019 champions Sunnyvale who are returning for the second straight year.

Pool D Predicted Order of Finish

1. China Spring
2. Ponder
3. Needville
4. Snyder

Unlike Pool C, I believe this pool has a real clear cut favorite and that’s China Spring, the Cougars are always powerful in 7-on-7 with veteran experience at the QB spot and a talented but young cast of skill players they are the big favorite. The real question mark is spots two through four, which appear to be up in the air between three teams on paper who look evenly matched. Seeding will be big going into Day 2 for these teams.

Pool E Predicted Order of Finish

1. Graham
2. Carthage
3. Decatur
4. Cameron Yoe

If Pool C isn’t the “Pool of Death” Pool E will certainly give it a run for its money with some big-name programs headlining this group. Perennial power Graham just knows the game in 7-on-7, the Steers are battle tested and generally put together some deep runs in College Station. Carthage is ultra-talented and although they don’t tailor their game to 7-on-7 there’s been years where the Bulldogs are a real threat to win it and this could be one of those campaigns where Carthage tries for the summer-fall double. Decatur is on the rise and making a return to College Station led by recent TCU commit RB Nate Palmer. Cameron Yoe is a tough-luck possible fourth place team in this dynamic pool full of quality talent.

Pool F Predicted Order of Finish

1. Silsbee
2. Anna
3. Dumas
4. Goliad

Another really good pool here, Silsbee has maybe the most dominant player in the tournament in WR Drelon Miller, but he’s not the only incredibly dynamic weapon for an experienced Tigers squad with sights set on big things in 2023. Anna was hit hard by graduation, but the Coyotes still are plenty talented in their own right and appear to be improving on a weekly basis. Dumas has made some deep runs in College Station and they are the 7-on-7 power out of the Texas Panhandle, they’ll be a tough draw as well. Goliad out of South Texas has been a regular at the State Tournament, but this grouping may be tough for the Tigers.

Pool G Predicted Order of Finish

1. Hamshire-Fannett
2. Lorena
3. Celina
4. Clyde

Another absolutely loaded pool in the Division II bracket with pre-tournament favorite Hamshire-Fannett as the headliner, the Longhorns beat defending champion Hitchcock in qualifying to give the Bulldogs their first 7-on-7 loss in two years. They’ll enter as the favorite, but last year’s tournament runner-up Lorena is going to be tough to beat as well led by Baylor commit WR Jadon Porter. No one has the 7-on-7 pedigree of Celina and although it has been a while since the Bobcats made big noise at state, Celina’s always dangerous. Clyde out of the Big Country is back for the second straight year, they are a good team that just got placed in the wrong pool.

Pool H Predicted Order of Finish

1. Frisco Panther Creek
2. Jasper
3. Midland Christian
4. Taylor

This is another really fascinating pool that could have plenty of twists and turns, Panther Creek is in their first ever State Tournament, but they really showed well in the early qualifiers, will that carry over in C-Stat? Jasper is back at the State Tournament for the first time in quite some time, the Bulldogs are impressive on the hoof and seem to be finding their stride at the right time. Midland Christian is a tough team from West Texas that has played a bunch of tournaments over the past six weeks, the Mustangs will be sharp, while Taylor rounds out a solid pool. The Ducks will be talented, but in this pool they’ll need to catch a few breaks.