FROM THE PRESS BOX | By JOE HALE / The fun that was 7-on-7, from the heat, to the lightning, to the on-the-field lightning (with box scores the best we could and MORE of Alex’s photos!)

Kilgore’s Isaiah Watters (5) is all smiles after a huge catch during the Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament at Veterans Park in College Station on Friday. The tournament is just good fun. For anyone who’s never been, the ETBlitz.com crew encourages you to try and go sometime, even if your team isn’t there. (Photo by ALEX NABOR – ETBLITZ.COM)

Ever been to College Station? AKA that bastion in Central Texas where the Aggies live? Yeah, me too, but not for the Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament, until the other day.

Kilgore was making its second trip in as many years. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go last summer. If you were like me, you were excited to get the chance to make the trip, or even go for a second time if you went before.

Thanks to people like Kilgore’s Kayson Brooks, Isaiah Watters, Lakeyleon Graves, Dre’ Sanders, and J.T. Johnigan and to their 7-on-7 teammates for qualifying and giving us a chance to go watch them, and also to a couple of my ETBlitz partners, Mitch Lucas and photographer Alex Nabor, I was fortunate to be along for the ride.

Like any other place in Texas, this time of year, you deal with heat as best you can, possibly clouds, wind and maybe a touch of rain also. Don’t forget thunder and lightning which can (and DID) cause delays (ugh). Lightning delays are like the “Go to jail” card in Monopoly.

When it’s measured in the area by the tournament organizers, just like at a high school game under UIL rules, you stop, we stop and EVERYBODY stops for 30 minutes. I call it “penalty time.” Every time it strikes, add 30 minutes and take cover if you’re able.

In this case, it didn’t seem it was close enough for danger, just enough to be frustrating.

You sit there, you wait your turn, and if it does it again before the mandatory 30-minute wait is up, it starts all over. The 30-minute wait is like missing the roll of the dice when you’re in jail in Monopoly. SO frustrating.

And we did exactly that during pool play for more than a couple of hours on Thursday. During the break, I found cover and had time to catch up with a couple of my former colleagues and friends Gabriel Brooks (24/7), and Matt Stepp and Greg Powers (both of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football).

There were 32 teams divided into groups of four. Kilgore was in Pool A with Bay City, Brownwood and Austin LBJ.

Last year’s winner Hamshire-Fannett, which eliminated the Bulldogs in bracket play’s semifinals a year ago, as well as former winners Hitchcock (2022 and 2023) and Stephenville, another multi-time champ, were in attendance as well as Chapel Hill, China Spring, and Frisco Panther Creek, to name a few other qualifiers.

Kilgore assistant coach Jay Dean, an official, and the guys have a little fun during a break in the action Friday in College Station. OK, well, maybe this official isn’t having much fun. 🙂 (Photo by ALEX NABOR – ETBLITZ.COM)

In pool play, Kilgore beat LBJ 32-26 and Bay City 20-19, and led Brownwood 14-7 when the second delay materialized to interrupt the games and eventually stop play for the day.

Bracket play on Friday was different, like the playoffs, win or go home. To win it all you needed to win five games. Kilgore, unfortunately, didn’t, but they represented Respect the K more than adequately, putting on quite a show in defeating Columbia (27-6), an old-rival La Marque (28-19), Mineral Wells (21-13) and Fort Worth Benbrook (27-15), before falling to Frisco Panther Creek in overtime, 32-26.

Below, you’ll find some information on each game, courtesy of our own Mitch Lucas.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a 26-13 hole against Panther Creek after leading 13-0. Mr. Brooks and friends rallied to knot things at 26-all at the end of regulation, forcing overtime.

It’s difficult to keep statistics in the high-flying world of 7-on-7, and you know, it’s 985 degrees outside.

Wish I had a nickel for every completion Kayson threw, or acrobatic catch LaKeyleon went up and made, or picks by Isaiah Watters, Dre’, Sanders, Tre’ Hutchinson and Ja’Kalen Sheffield. Certainly encouraging performances.

Or an entertaining preview if you’re counting days until the 2025 season begins around the ETBlitz coverage area. And it’ll be here before we know it.

FRIDAY’S BRACKET PLAY GAMES

Kilgore 27, Columbia 6

Touchdown, 1-point conversion Kilgore (game started early)

Kayson Brooks to T.K. White, touchdown

Brooks to LaKeyleon Graves; 1-point conversion, 14-0 Kilgore

Brooks to Graves, touchdown; conversion miss, 20-0 Kilgore

Brooks to J.T. Johnigan, touchdown; Brooks to Brayden Williams, 1-point conversion, 27-0, Kilgore.

Columbia touchdown; conversion miss, 27-6 Kilgore.

27-6 Kilgore, final.

Kilgore 28, La Marque 19

Kayson Brooks to J.T.Johnigan, touchdown;

Brooks to Dre’ Sanders, 1-point conversion, Kilgore 7, La Marque 0.

Brooks to Johnigan, touchdown;

Brooks to Devin Tinney, 1-point conversion, Kilgore 14, La Marque 0.

La Marque scores and gets 1-point conversion, Kilgore 14, La Marque 7.

Kilgore’s Travis Holmes, defensive interception.

La Marque scores and gets 1-point conversion, Kilgore 14, La Marque 13.

Brooks to LaKeyleon Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Isaiah Watters, 1-point conversion, Kilgore 21-13.

La Marque scores, misses 2-point conversion, Kilgore 21-19.

Brooks to Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Brayden Williams, 1-point conversion, Kilgore 28-19.

28-19 Kilgore, final.

Kilgore 21, Mineral Wells 13

Kayson Brooks to Isaiah Watters, touchdown

Brooks to Brayden Williams, 1-point conversion, Kilgore 7-0

Watters defensive interception

Brooks to LaKeyleon Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Watters, 1-point conversion, 14-0 Kilgore

Mineral Wells scores, 1-point conversion, 14-7 Kilgore

Mineral Wells scores, misses conversion, 14-13 Kilgore

Brooks to Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Watters, 1-point conversion, 21-13, Kilgore

21-13 Kilgore, final.

Kilgore 27, Fort Worth Benbrook 15

Kayson Brooks to LaKeyleon Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Graves, 1-point conversion, 7-0 Kilgore

Brayden Williams tipped ball on defense / Benbrook misses score opportunity

Brooks to J.T.Johnigan, touchdown; Ja’Kalen Sheffield, 1-point conversion, 14-0 Kilgore.

Benbrook scored, 14-7, Kilgore.

Brooks to Graves, touchdown;

1-point conversion, missed; 20-7 Kilgore.

Brooks to Williams, touchdown;

Brooks to Williams, 1-point conversion; 27-7 Kilgore.

Benbrook scored, gets 2-point conversion, 27-15 Kilgore.

27-15 Kilgore, final.

Frisco Panther Creek 32, Kilgore 26

Missed score, Kilgore 6, Panther Creek 0.

LaKeyleon Graves interception for touchdown (pick-six);

Kayson Brooks to Ja’Kalen Sheffield, 1-point conversion, 13-0.

Panther Creek scores, gets conversion, 13-7.

Panther Creek scores, gets conversion, takes lead, 14-13.

Panther Creek scores, gets conversion, leads 20-13.

Watters appears to have scored – officials overrule it.

Panther Creek scores, leads 26-13.

Brooks to Isaiah Watters, touchdown;

Conversion miss, 26-19 Panther Creek.

Brooks to Graves, touchdown;

Brooks to Graves, 1-point conversion, 26-26.

Overtime

Panther Creek scores, wins.

Panther Creek 32-26, final.

Joe Hale has been a sportswriter for four decades and we are proud to have him on our staff. Find him as a part of our regular coverage throughout football season beginning in exactly 60 days (Thursday, August 28 for some teams), 61 for others here on ETBlitz.com.

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