Dave Campbell's Texas Football will have wall-to-wall coverage all week, so keep it locked on TexasFootball.com.
We'll jumpstart our coverage with this in-depth primer, including some fun facts as Thursday marks the beginning of the 27th annual State 7-on-7 Championships, and for the 26th year the event will be held in College Station (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 offseason events before the start of the 2025 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 at Veterans Park.
All three defending state champions are back to defend their crowns as defending Division I champion DeSoto qualified in Arlington at the Colt Classic SQT on May 31, while Division II champion Hamshire-Fannett punched their ticket to state on May 3 at their own SQT in Hamshire-Fannett. Division III state champion Gunter earned a trip to College Station on May 17 with a dominant performance at the Lindsay SQT.
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 that season. 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, Gunter-2024).
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)
2023: DeSoto (regional finalist)
In 2024 the eight quarterfinalists in Division I combined to go an 64-29 in the fall. Six of the eight teams made the playoffs, including 6A-Division II state regional finalist (DeSoto) and a pair of regional semifinalists (The Woodlands and Anna).
The eight quarterfinalists in Division II went 71-26 in the fall. Seven of the eight teams made the playoffs, including 4A-Division I state finalist (Kilgore) and a TAPPS Division IV state semifinalist (Lubbock Christian). Three other teams posted double-digit wins in 2024 (Austin LBJ, Hitchcock and Hamshire-Fannett).
In Division III, the final eight teams standing were an incredible 93-17 in the fall, with all teams eight making the playoffs. The group includes two state champions in 3A-Division II (Gunter) and 2A-Division I Ganado, a 3A-Division II state semifinalist (Tidehaven) and a 3A-Division II regional finalist (Lexington). There were also a pair of regional semi-finalists (Poth and Sunray).
Who Are the Teams to Watch in 2025?
In Division I, you’ve got to start with DeSoto, the most decorated D1 team in the field. The Eagles have won two of the last three titles and are always a contender each and every year with three total titles and another championship game appearance. Other teams to keep an eye on are Alvin Shadow Creek, Hutto, Killeen Harker Heights and Lewisville.
In Division II, last year’s champion Hamshire-Fannett is among the favorites in what looks to be a very balanced field. Last year’s runner-up Dumas will be in the mix, along with Kilgore, a team Hamshire-Fannett beat in the semifinals in 2024. Don’t sleep on Frisco Panther Creek, which has front-line talent that some teams in the Division I bracket would love!
Moving to Division III, Tidehaven, last year’s runner-up, gets the title as the favorite, while last year’s champion Gunter will be a strong contender with a cast of new faces. Fast rising Tioga will be a strong team, while Poth has been close a couple of times in the past. Lexington won’t have to travel too far to College Station and the Eagles will be a force.
A strong contingent from Central Texas will be in College Station for the State Tournament, specifically McLennan County, which has seven teams in all three divisions - Division I: Waco and Waco Midway; Division II: Waco La Vega, Lorena, China Spring and West; Division III: Bosqueville. If you add in the area around Temple and Killeen (Killeen Harker Heights, Temple and Little River-Academy) you’ve got a strong group of 10 squads.
For the first time ever the city of Laredo has three teams that have advanced to the State Tournament. All three teams will be in the Division I bracket. Laredo United qualified at the Corpus Christi SQT, while Laredo Alexander and Laredo LBJ qualified at the inaugural Border Bash SQT in Laredo.
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!
Alief Taylor (last appearance 2004)
Amarillo Palo Duro (last appearance 2007)
Austin Bowie (last appearance 2018)
Bastrop (last appearance 2009)
Hardin-Jefferson (last appearance 2017)
Hico (last appearance 2003)
Irving MacArthur (last appearance 2002)
Klein (last appearance 2010)
Kountze (last appearance 2015)
La Marque (last appearance 2016)
Laredo Alexander (last appearance 2018)
Port Isabel (last appearance 2013)
Princeton (last appearance 2016)
West (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:
Argyle Liberty Christian
Cypress Lakes
Lake Highlands
Laredo LBJ
Royse City
South Oak Cliff
Waco
DIVISON II:
Benbrook
Jarrell
Kingsville
Lamesa
Manor New Tech
Van Alstyne
DIVISON III:
Agua Dulce
Bosqueville
Coahoma
De Leon
Hale Center
Haskell
Junction
Kenedy
Natalia
Rio Vista
Trinity
Wolfe City
Road Tripping Or Sleeping In Your Own Bed?
The only local school to qualify for the State Tournament is College Station. The Cougars are just a cozy seven miles from the venue. 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 Pebble Hills in the Division I bracket traveling 669 miles from El Paso to the Brazos Valley.
In Division II, the top travel award goes to Dumas, which 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. Little River-Academy gets the honors as the “local” squad with an 84-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.
If you can, come on out to College Station and cheer on your favorite team. 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 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 putting out updates, recaps and video highlights throughout the weekend on all of our social media channels! On Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. tune in to TexanLive.com for a recap show live from our studios in Lewisville!
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