Division III State 7-on-7 Pool Picks and Analysis

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PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Pool A

1. Poth
2. Grapeland
3. Eldorado
4. Bosqueville

Poth, which is south of San Antonio, has made a habit of not only getting to College Station, but sticking around a while once pool play starts. The Pirates have a great shot to win the whole thing with QB Major Luna leading the way with a core of big and physical outside receivers. East Texas' Grapeland is back for the second straight year. The Sandies' speed will be a challenge for every team in this pool. The San Angelo area always produces good teams at the Division III level and Eldorado is this year’s sleeper team from the Concho Valley.

Pool B

1. East Bernard
2. Hearne
3. Kountze
4. Junction

This is a pool with a lot of balance. East Bernard looks to be the favorite as the Brahmas are a traditional power in 7-on-7. They did have their share of struggles in qualifying, though. Local favorite Hearne has made a habit of getting to the State Tournament and the Eagles always make their presence known. Kountze and Junction are intriguing newcomers. Junction QB Chasen Doyal will be a player to watch as he enters his fourth year as the Eagles' signal-caller.

Pool C

1. Ganado
2. Hale Center
3. Trinity
4. Goldthwaite

There are some questions in this pool that features Ganado, last year’s 2A Division I state champion in the fall, leading the way. But the Indians graduated a strong senior class. Hale Center and Trinity are newcomers to the State Tournament, while Goldthwaite made it in 2023, but the Eagles haven’t really been a force on the 7-on-7 scene. You give the edge to Ganado, as the Indians have been on this stage before and return RB/DB Logan Bures and WR/DB Austen Pena. Junior QB/FS Terian “Turbo” Maxie, from Trinity, is an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. Keep an eye on him as a breakout candidate.

Pool D

1. Brady
2. Haskell
3. Kenedy
4. Rio Vista

Brady made it all the way to the championship game in 2022, and the Bulldogs have the pieces to make another deep run in 2025. QB/FS Sean Jacoby is a dynamic two-way player with plenty of experience leading the offense, while RB/LB Ashton Taylor and ATH Colby Hinton are key returning skill players. A lot of newcomers dot this pool with Haskell getting the slight edge over Kenedy and Rio Vista for the second seed.

Pool E

1. Gunter
2. DeLeon
3. Iraan
4. Natalia

Defending champion Gunter will be looking to again make a deep run, but new faces dot the lineup for the Tigers. Talented sophomore QB Knox Gage will lead the way, and despite the new faces, Gunter expects to win no matter what. DeLeon is a newcomer you can dream on. The Tigers are loaded with experience and looked impressive in qualification. Iraan, out of far West Texas, was explosive on offense in qualifying at Wink. Can the Braves get enough stops and can their depth hold up? Newcomer Natalia is a team you don’t want to play close games against. The Mustangs won three overtime games when they qualified at the Poth SQT.

Pool F

1. Tioga
2. Hamilton
3. Coahoma
4. Agua Dulce

Tioga could be a team ready for a breakout in the 2025 State Tournament. The Bulldogs are making their third straight appearance, and WR Jake David is one of the most explosive players in the DIII bracket. Hamilton had a monster 2024 season in the fall, and with 6-foot-6 WR Pierce Summers on the outside, the Bulldogs can cause major matchup problems. Coahoma put up huge offensive numbers in its unbeaten SQT performance at Wink and will look to surprise along with tournament newcomer Agua Dulce.

Pool G

1. Tidehaven
2. Wolfe City
3. Albany
4. Hico

In what might be the best pool in the Division III bracket, you’ve got to put last year’s tournament runner-up Tidehaven as the favorite. The Tigers have a veteran QB in Kale Russell and an experienced cast of skill players to lean on, along with a winning edge. Wolfe City is led by RB HD Davis, a Kansas State commit, and an intriguing QB prospect in junior QB Noah Adams, who is a towering 6-foot-7. Albany always wins when the pads come in and they’ll be a tough out, while tournament newcomer Hico will look to play spoiler.

Pool H

1. Lexington
2. Wallis Brazos
3. Sonora
4. Sunray

There’s no doubt Lexington comes into the tournament as one of the teams to beat. The Eagles have Oklahoma State QB commit Kase Evans piloting the offense and a good mix of weapons on the outside. Brazos and Sonora won’t be pushovers as both have experience on this stage. Sunray lost the state’s all-time leading passer in Armando Lujan, but the Bobcats managed to get back to the show in a surprise qualification at Sudan.