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

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Pool A Predicted Order of Finish

1. Colleyville Heritage
2. Bridgeland
3. College Station
4. PSJA

This is a strong pool featuring four teams who all have experience and pedigree in getting to College Station. Colleyville Heritage returns outstanding QB Brodey Weaver; he’s got plenty of weapons on the outside and LB Dax Heibeisen is an outstanding defender. Bridgeland DB Braiden Graves is one to watch for the Bears, while College Station gets the benefit of being at home. PSJA junior QB Dylan Rodriguez has a lot of weapons to work with so the Bears from the RGV will be a tough out as well.

Pool B Predicted Order of Finish

1. The Woodlands
2. Amarillo Palo Duro
3. Round Rock Westwood
4. Azle

The Woodlands enters as one of the pre-tournament favorites led by TCU QB commit Jack Daulton and a ball-hawking group in the secondary. If you are looking for a sleeper, the Dons of Amarillo Palo Duro may be your squad; they have four FBS prospects at the skill spots led by QB/FS Julian Reese, but DB Darien Lewis and WR Kyson Brown are dangerous as well. Travel won’t impact PDHS as they qualified in Tyler this year. Round Westwood and talented junior QB Cooper Waits will be a threat as well.

Pool C Predicted Order of Finish

1. Anna
2. El Paso Pebble Hills
3. Humble
4. Cedar Park Vista Ridge

Anna’s made some deep runs the past two years at the State Tournament and with QB Ziondre Williams back for a third season leading the Coyotes. There’s no question they’ll be a factor. Pebble Hill is an intriguing sleeper with junior QB Joe Fernandez and sophomore WR LJ Bailey on the outside. Humble is ultra-athletic and back at the State Tournament for a second straight year; the Wildcats expect to be in contention as well.

Pool D Predicted Order of Finish

1. DeSoto
2. Willis
3. Waco Midway
4. Alamo Heights

Defending champion DeSoto gets reunited with a familiar foe in Willis, whom they’ve played the last two seasons in the third round round of the playoffs. Watching DeSoto WR Ethan Feaster and Willis ATH Jermaine Bishop will be box office stuff! Don’t forget about Waco Midway, led by RB Lathan Whisenton and WR Jacoby Hamilton. DeSoto gets the nod as the Eagles are the defending champions and have the track record in College Station.

Pool E Predicted Order of Finish

1. Katy Tompkins
2. Argyle Liberty Christian
3. Crandall
4. Weslaco

A case can be made for all four teams winning this group. Tompkins, which features 6-6 TE William Mayes and ATH Blake Hamilton, gets the ever-so-slight edge over the field’s only private school team in Argyle Liberty Christian. Liberty Christian is led by QB Quinn Murphy and junior LB Cooper Witten. Crandall with junior WR Jeremiah Douglas, is explosive, while Weslaco out of the Rio Grande Valley is the tournament’s last qualifier.

Pool F Predicted Order of Finish

1. Hutto
2. Argyle
3. PSJA North
4. Klein

Hutto headlines another absolutely loaded pool. The Hippos are always explosive on offense led by WR Jaiden Fields. Argyle, with junior WR Julian Caldwell, TCU TE commit Braden Back and QB Maguire Gasperson, is another major threat as well. Last year’s consolation champions PSJA North also reside in Pool F. The Raiders made it to the quarterfinals in 2023 so they always make moves at the State Tournament. Klein is talented, but word is several key players will not be attending the State Tournament.

Pool G Predicted Order of Finish

1. El Paso Eastwood
2. Katy Cinco Ranch
3. Haslet Eaton
4. Waco

El Paso Eastwood enters as the early favorite in Pool G. Junior QB Kingston Jeffries has had a monster summer, while WR/DB Jude Walker can do a little bit of everything for the Troopers. Katy Cinco Ranch led by QB Davis Roup has some big-time skill talent. The key will be how the defense performs this weekend. WR Warren Simmons is the guy to watch for Eaton, while Waco High is sure to bring several dynamic playmakers to the table.

Pool H Predicted Order of Finish

1. Bastrop
2. Lake Highlands
3. San Antonio East Central
4. Alief Taylor

This is the “Mystery Box” pool. Three of the four teams are newcomers to the State Tournament, with East Central as the only team that made it to College Station a year ago. Bastrop has a big-time QB in junior Weston Nielsen, so the Bears get the edge. Lake Highlands has SMU RB commit Christian Rhodes, but S Lloyd Wyatt is a playmaker to watch as well. East Central will bring speed to the table and the Hornets have been on this stage before.

Pool I Predicted Order of Finish

1. Pflugerville Weiss
2. Fort Bend Hightower
3. Plano
4. Longview

This is another pool loaded with high-powered teams and it starts with Pflugerville Weiss, which is led by sophomore QB Jaxon Schad. He has two absolute studs on outside in WR’s Tre Moore and Tylan Henderson. Hightower is extremely young on offense, but the Hurricanes are supremely talented. Plano and Longview are back at the State Tournament. Longview junior QB Johnny Hamilton may be without his top WR in 2028 prospect Jaden Hurndon, who is battling back from a nagging injury suffered in spring football.

Pool J Predicted Order of Finish

1. Katy Jordan
2. Temple
3. San Antonio Pieper
4. Royse City

Although this pool doesn’t have the 7-on-7 “brand value” of other pools, this is a really intriguing group of teams. Katy Jordan lost some elite front-line talent, but the Warriors still have versatile ATH Tanner West and 6-5 TE Benny Okwura. Temple is led by QB Champ Mayo and TCU DB commit Jason Bradford; the Wildcats play with elite toughness on defense. Pieper is back at state for the second straight year. WR Carson Lacombe is a tough matchup on the outside. Royse City is making its first appearance at state. The Bulldogs are loaded with young talent let by 2028 WR Bryson Arney, 2028 DB Brandon Derrough and big TE Hudson Hays.

Pool K Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lewisville
2. Waller
3. Wichita Falls Memorial
4. Mercedes

If you like outstanding QB play, this might be your pool in Division I as there are three bona-fide FBS prospects slinging it around in this group. Lewisville is one of the early favorites with explosive athletes all over the field led by ATH Derrick Martin and CB Taelyn Mayo, while 2027 QB Tre Williams already holds multiple offers. Waller is led by one of the top 2028 signal-callers in the country in QB TK Gaines; he pilots an offense as explosive as any in the state. Wichita Falls Memorial is led by 6-7 gunslinger Joe Castles as the Mavs make their second straight appearance in College Station. Mercedes is a scrappy and speedy squad out of the RGV who qualified on the final day of tournaments.

Pool L Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lake Travis
2. The Woodlands College Park
3. Rockwall-Heath
4. Laredo Alexander

Tradiitonal powerhouse Lake Travis headlines this pool, but for once the Cavaliers do have a bit of a question mark at QB with youth and inexperience. WR Patrick Colby and RB Van Hopping are plenty talented and should give the Cavs enough of an edge. The Woodlands College Park is dangerous as the Cavs can get stops with their sensational secondary led by DB Marco Beltran. Rockwall-Heath is fun to watch led by gunslinging 2027 QB Prosper Neal, who will let it fly. 2027 ATH Carter Zahn will be a player to keep an eye on as well.

Pool M Predicted Order of Finish

1. Manvel
2. Abilene
3. Lovejoy
4. Dripping Springs

All four teams in this pool are fully capable of finishing first as each team brings a little something different to the table. Manvel will be the most athletic team in this pool and the Mavericks enter as the team to beat. Abilene will feature the fastest player in ATH Brayden Henry and the Eagles are a known 7-on-7 threat at the State Tournament. Lovejoy’s got the top signal-caller in QB Jacob Janacek, but watch out for sophomore WR Coleman Reaugh and 2027 S Aston Whiteside. Dripping Springs can pose matchup problems on the outside with 6-5 WR Cooper Reid and 6-4 WR Merrik Bloomgren.

Pool N Predicted Order of Finish

1. Cypress Lakes
2. Princeton
3. Laredo United
4. Austin Bowie

Cypress Lakes was a surprise early qualifier out of the Houston area and the fast-rising Spartans are a team to keep an eye on as a sleeper. Princeton has an explosive signal-caller in QB Marcus Flowers who could have a breakout performance at the State Tournament. Laredo United QB Jorge Luna has some explosive weapons with WR’s Colt Lozano and Jesus Garcia-Perez; they will make the Longhorns a dangerous team in pool play. Austin Bowie doesn’t get the fanfare others in Austin receive, but the Bulldogs will be in the mix in this balanced group of teams.

Pool O Predicted Order of Finish

1. Alvin Shadow Creek
2. South Oak Cliff
3. Austin Anderson
4. Laredo LBJ

The opener in Pool O with Shadow Creek playing South Oak Cliff will be box-office stuff; two teams absolutely loaded with talent going toe to toe should be fun. We slept on Austin Anderson last year and the Trojans made us look silly getting all the way to the title game, so don’t be surprised if they do some more damage in 2025. This is Laredo LBJ’s first appearance at the State Tournament and the Wolves were thrown to the wolves in this brutal draw.

Pool P Predicted Order of Finish

1. Killeen Harker Heights
2. Tyler
3. Conroe Grand Oaks
4. Irving MacArthur

Harker Heights rolled to a 13-0 record in four qualifiers this summer. QB Hudson Humble is a dealer and the Knights have athletes all over the field. Tyler, a semifinalist at the State Tournament a year ago, has only suffered one loss this summer, so the Lions will be a factor led by WR Tra Haralson. Grand Oaks, back at state for the second straight year, has a big-time QB of its own in Grant Smith. Surprise qualifier Irving MacArthur is led by WR Banner Nitcholas.