7-ON-7 STATE TOURNEY PREVIEW: Who’s in the pool with Kilgore, who from East Texas is in: your need-to-knows

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was delayed twice today: once by the simple fact that we waited on the announcement of what pools the different teams would compete in, and then by weather, as thunderstorms moved in and forced our hand. Our apologies, and we hate we inconvenienced anyone. This story is about the actual tournament. If you want to know more about actual 7-on-7 football, see this story: 7-ON-7 | Wanna know more about it? Here’s your guide, before the state tourney starts Thursday. – Mitch

For weeks, there’s been talk about the Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament in College Station, Kilgore’s participation in it, and the potential for winning a state championship this summer.

The talk is over. The tournament is this week.

The Dave Campbell Texas Football-bolstered tournament – a passing league of 15-minute halves of non-contact football at a blistering pace – begins Thursday, continues through Saturday and features players from some of the state’s best programs.

Kilgore is the only program representing the ETBlitz.com coverage area, though other teams from the East Texas region are in the tournament: Longview, Chapel Hill and Tyler are also all competing.

The event takes place at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex at 3101 Harvey Road in College Station, and it’s massive, more than large enough to host this tournament. Teams are classified Division I (programs that would normally be in UIL classifications 5A and 6A), Division II (programs in 3A and 4A), or Division III (programs in the smaller UIL classes).

Divisions II and III compete on Thursday and Friday, in pool games, and then decide their champions on Friday. Division I begins its pool play Friday, then crowns its champions on Saturday.

There’s no admission, and there’s little seating. Fans are welcome to bring their chairs and water, or drinks, although there are concession stands on site – or at least there were last year, when Kilgore reached the state semifinals.

The pools were announced on Sunday afternoon, and Kilgore is in pool A in Division II, along with Bay City, Brownwood and Austin LBJ.

Pool play begins Thursday morning, and Kilgore’s first game will be against one of those three teams at 10:45. Kilgore will play all three pool teams on Thursday, and then on Friday, bracket play begins at 8:45 a.m. Once bracket play begins on Friday, it’s single elimination; a loss and you’re out.

Kilgore qualified for the state tournament on its very first try, at its home stadium, R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, back on May 10.

Playing for Kilgore this year, or at least at the time of the state qualifier here, are Isaiah Watters (5), Brayden Williams (14), Dre’ Sanders (3), Devin Tinney (12), JT Johnigan (4), T.K. White (13), Kayson Brooks (2), Rayshawn Williams (8), Deandre Thurman (7), David McGowan (6), LaKeyleon Graves (17), Blade Chitwood (11), Keifer Hunter (20), Kaeson Clayton (16), Tre’ Hutchinson (10), Zerele Hall (19), Braddox Johnson (15), Travis Holmes (9), and Quavian Mumphrey (18).

Hamshire-Fannett, last year’s champion, and Hitchcock, back-to-back champions in 2022 and 2023, are both back in this year’s tournament. So is Stephenville, a multi-time champion, returning to the state tournament for the first time since 2019.

As mentioned earlier, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football unveiled the pools Sunday afternoon, across all three divisions.

There are eight pools of four teams in Division II, so 32 teams have a shot at a state championship: Kilgore, Hamshire Fannett, Hitchcock, Chapel Hill, and Stephenville all among them.

H-F is in pool B, with Little River Academy, Kingsville and Lamesa. Pool C is China Spring, Cuero, Dumas and Paris. Pool D is Hardin-Jefferson, Fort Worth Benbrook, Port Isabel and West.

Chapel Hill is in Pool E, and remember, it’s a new-look Chapel Hill: Demetrius Brisbon, Trevor Brooks and Rickey Stewart have all graduated. Joining them in E are Columbia, Jarrell and Midland Christian. In Pool F, La Vega, Graham, Hitchcock and Van Alstyne.

Pool G has Stephenville, Lake Dallas, old Kilgore playoff rival La Marque, and Manor New Tech. And rounding out Division II is Pool H, with Frisco Panther Creek, Somerset, Lorena and Mineral Wells.

Before talking about DII, the DCTF show – hosted by editor Greg Tepper and Matt Stepp – unveiled the Division III pools first, also eight pools of four, 32 teams.

Canado is the defending DIII state 7-on-7 champion, Stepp noted, and will begin in Pool C.

Stepp said he liked Natalia to do well in their first-ever trip to the state tournament, much like Kilgore a year ago.

Division III, Pool A has Bosqueville, Eldorado, Grapeland, and Poth. DIII, Pool B: East Bernard, Hearne, Junction and Kountze.

Pool C is Ganado, Goldthwaite, Hale Center and Trinity, and Pool D has Brady, Haskell, Kenedy and Rio Vista.

In DIII’s Pool E, it’s De Leon, Gunter, Iraan, and Natalia. Pool F has Agua Dulce, Coahoma, Hamilton and Tioga. DIII’s Pool G: Albany, Hico, Tidehaven, and Wolfe City. And Pool H has Lexington, Sonora, Sunray and Wallis Brazos.

The show saved the reveal of Division I, the bigger schools, for last, and it is massive: there are 64 teams in the DI bracket, 16 pools.

Pool A: Bridgeland, College Station, Colleyville, and PSJA, or Pharr-San Juan-Alamo. In DI’s Pool B: Azle, El Paso Palo Duro, Round Rock Westwood, and The Woodlands.

In Pool C: Anna, Humble, El Paso Pebble Hills, and Vista Ridge. Pool D: Alamo Heights, Desoto, Waco Midway, and Willis.

DI’s Pool E: Crandall, Argyle Liberty Christian (with a famous coach – more below), Katy Tompkins, and Weslaco, and Pool F: Argyle, Hutto, Klein, and PSJA North.

Pool G has Katy Cinco Ranch, El Paso Eastwood, Eaton, and Waco, and Pool H: Alief Taylor, Bastrop, San Antonio East Central, and Lake Highlands.

Now, an interesting one for East Texas. Pool I: the Longview Lobos, Fort Bend Hightower, Plano, and Pflugerville Weiss. Pool J: Katy Jordan, San Antonio Pieper, Royse City, and Temple.

In Pool K: Lewisville, Mercedes, Waller, and Wichita Falls Memorial, and in Pool L, Laredo Alexander, College Park, Rockwall-Heath, and Lake Travis.

Pool M has Abilene, Dripping Springs, Lovejoy, and Manvel. Pool N: Austin Bowie, Cy Lakes, Princeton, and Laredo United. Pool O has Austin Anderson, Laredo LBJ, Shadow Creek, and South Oak Cliff, and finally, Pool P has Conroe Grand Oaks, Harker Heights, Irving Macarthur, and Tyler, the former John Tyler.

Liberty Christian, by the way, is coached by former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. Stepp said Eastwood could be a sleeper pick in DI, and so could East Central.

Stepp talked about how loaded Pool M is, and said that the fourth-place team in M might be able to win a couple of other pools in the tournament.

Harker Heights hasn’t lost a game in 7-on-7 this summer, 13-0, Stepp noted.