It's Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament Week, y'all!

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.

 

IMPORTANT LINKS

STATE TOURNAMENT HUB

SCORES

POOLS

 

What Is It?

For those of you who are new to this, 7-on-7 is a game very similar to flag football, except there are no flags. Players are “tackled” with a touch of one-hand on any part of the body. It's played on a 45-yard field, with seven players per side. There’s no rushing or rushing of the QB; it’s all passing and QBs have four seconds to throw the ball. Games are played in two 15-minute halves and the clock never stops.

Teams qualify for the State 7-on-7 Tournament by advancing out of one of the numerous qualifying tournaments played across the state, those tournaments began in late April. Teams are divided into three divisions. Division I plays Friday and Saturday and consists of 6A, 5A and large private schools, while Division II plays Thursday and Friday and consists of Class 4A, 3A Division I and small private schools. Finally, the Division III bracket, which consists of schools in Class 3A Division II and below – no private schools are allowed in this division, plays Thursday and Friday, as well.

 

Who Are The Historical Powers?

Without question, Celina has the best history of teams at the State 7-on-7 Tournament. The Bobcats have won four titles (2000, 2007, 2009 and 2012) and nearly every year are a contender to bring the hardware home. However the Bobcats did not choose to participate at the State Tournament this year. DeSoto is making a push to challenge Celina as the Eagles now hold three titles after their title in 2023 and they also played in the championship game in 2010. Other multiple title winners include:

DeSoto: 2011, 2022, 2023

Graham: 2013, 2014, 2017

Baytown Lee: 2001, 2005 (did not qualify)

Southlake Carroll: 1998, 2013 (did not qualify)

Lake Travis: 2010, 2017

Kaufman: 2016, 2021 (did not qualify)

Hitchcock: 2022, 2023

Miles: 2022, 2023 (did not qualify)

Of note, Southlake Carroll fell in the title game in Division I in 2019, while Graham also played for the title in 2012 where it fell to Celina in the Division II bracket. Aside from its title in 2008, Crane did play for the state title twice in 2007 and 2019. College Station A&M Consolidated won the Division I crown in 2019 and played for the title in 2018 where it lost to cross-town rival College Station; the Tigers also played for the Division I crown in 2023 where they lost to Round Rock. Brownwood had held the longest streak of qualifying for the State Tournament at 23 straight years, but that streak came to an end in 2024. The Lions are back at state this year though, so watch out. Lake Travis currently holds the longest consecutive streak of qualifying as the Cavs have made it to the State Tournament every year since 2004.  

The Defending Champions

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.

How Do The Champions Do In The Fall?

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.

 

Super CenTex Has Had a Super Summer

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.

A Banner Year for Laredo

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.

Coming Out to Watch Your Team Play?

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!