Now that the 2025 Texas 7-on-7 State Championships are in the rear-view mirror, we take a look at who caught our eye as we gear up for the TXHSFB season.

West Rusk Has The Pieces to Be a Problem

It was a smashing debut for West Rusk in the State 7-on-7 Tournament as the Raiders rolled to a 7-1 record on the weekend before running out of gas in the Division III title game where they lost to Ganado 30-13. WR/DB Kam Brown who held multiple FBS offers going into the tournament, saw his stock shoot through the roof with a dominant effort on both sides of the ball. 2030 QB Trigg Pratt will have a learning curve as the varsity QB as a freshman, but he was sensational this weekend and showed poise beyond his years and WR/DB Kamontrea McGregor had a strong tournament as well. 3A-Division II in East Texas is tough, especially when you get south into Newton, but expect West Rusk to factor into things in 2026.

Underrated Van Alstyne Is On the Rise

Van Alstyne’s been a solid program in Texoma the past few seasons, making the area playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but could the Panthers be primed for a breakout in 2026 after a run to the Division II state title game? There’s a lot to like about Van Alsyne who returns sixteen starters from a playoff team a year ago, RB Xavier Vidaurri is the leader, but getting WR Tim Moore back from injury will be huge for the VAHS attack. Expect the Panthers to be right in contention in 6-4A Division II with Krum and Sanger in 2026.

Cy-Fair ISD Heartbreak In the Quarterfinals

Cy-Fair and Cy Ranch had great tournaments this weekend, but in the quarter-finals both teams run at the State Tournament ended in heartbreak on the game’s final play within moments of each other. Cy-Fair held a 27-14 lead over Lake Travis late in the game, but the Bobcats failed to slam the door shut on the Cavs and Lake Travis converted a hail mary on the game’s final play to tie it and then the ensuring PAT gave the Cavaliers a 28-27 win over Cy-Fair. Regardless, the Bobcats impressed going 4-2 on the weekend.

Cy Ranch may been even more impressive, the Mustangs had a monster 2025 season and they have high hopes going into 2026 led by a star-studed veteran cast. Ranch dominated on Day 1 going 3-0 and after a close wins over Frisco Panther Creek and Conroe Grand Oaks, the Mustangs got off to a slow start against eventual champion Keller Central. The Mustangs rallied to take a late lead, but Central scored on the game’s final play to take a 33-32 win. Overall, still a strong weekend for Ranch who went 5-1.

The Woodlands Is Going to be Just Fine at QB

After the graduation of QB Jack Daulton who signed with TCU this off-season, there were plenty of questions as to who would lead the Highlanders young offense in 2026. Those questions were more than answered as junior QB Keden Copelin was absolutely lethal this weekend as the Highlanders with the target on their backs defending champions posted a 6-1 overall record before falling to Allen in a semifinal shootout 39-34. Copelin showed poise, leadership and the ability to make all the throws and his chemistry with speedy WR Carter Cass was quite impressive. This has to be excellent news for The Woodlands heading into 2026.

Taylor Twins Fueling Keller Central’s Surge

There was already buzz about Keller Central going into the 2026 season, Eric Vance in two seasons has turned the Chargers into a playoff contender going 5-5 in 2025 after a 1-9 debut in 2024. KCHS has thirteen starters back and that level of excitement was turned up to a new level this weekend as Central after dropping their opener to Klein in pool play rattled off seven straight wins to win the State 7-on-7 title after a 26-21 win over Allen. Junior QB/FS Isaiah Taylor had already seen his recruitment steadily rise after an early offer from Texas Tech last year, but after an MVP performance where he dominated on both sides of the ball, expect things to pick up in a major way. His twin brother WR/CB Jeremiah Taylor has also seen things pick up on the recruiting trail and his two-way ability and connection with his brother makes the Chargers extremely intriguing, WR Braylen Dixon also had a huge tournament for the Chargers as well and they’ve got a four-year starter at RB in Spencer Martin. There’s no doubt Central has the skill talent to make things work, but if they are going to make a move into a true district contender in 2026 it’ll come down to their progress along the offensive and defensive lines.