WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ.COM | Overton leads series, game two today; learn about 7-on-7, because it’s cool, man
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wake Up! Thursday edition is presented by – as it is every day – Cozy Coffee Station, with locations in Kilgore and Gilmer (and Allen, too, if you’re ever traveling that way). Their extensive menu, and we do mean “extensive,” is available at their website, Home | Cozy Coffee Station, and after reading it, you’ll need their addresses, because you’re going to want to drive straight there. They’re located at 110 Midtown Plaza in Kilgore, and at 755 Highway 271 North in Gilmer.
Overton baseball
Remember that old series of Ford commercials where they told us, “Quality is job one”?
Well, job one for the Overton High School Mustangs was to take down the Burton Panthers in game one of the UIL 2A-Division II state baseball semifinals. And they completed that job, to the tune of an 8-5 final, on Wednesday at Don Sanders Stadium at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.
Job two? It’s the same as job one: beat Burton, today at 4 p.m. And if Overton does that, then coach Chris Cook and his Mustangs will have one more game left in their season: the 2A-DII state championship on June 5. And there won’t be any playoff negotiations necessary: it’ll be at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, because it’ll be the state championship game.
On the other end of the bracket are Stamford and Collinsville, the winner to see either Overton or Burton at Round Rock. Collinsville? They won the state title last year.
Here’s our story from game one: OVERTON TAKES GAME ONE WIN | Leads Burton in best-of-three; series win sends Mustangs to state title game.
As we’ve said quite frequently, we haven’t seen a venue that’s doing streaming video of the game. But you can hear Mark McLain call it live on KWRD 1470AM-98.5FM and streaming on Network1Sports.com here (Network1Sports).
For anyone who plans to go: tickets are $10 each for adults, and $7 each for students. And Don Sanders Stadium is at 620 Bowers Boulevard, Huntsville, Texas, 77340.
7-on-7 State Tournament
Speaking of going, it’s still a few weeks away, but in case anyone has plans to go watch Kilgore’s 7-on-7 football team in the state tournament, well, read on, brother. Here’s your need-to-know.
The tournament is June 26, 27, and 28 at Veterans Park in College Station, and that’s at 3101 Harvey Road, College Station, TX, 77845.
There are 13 to 15 fields (I forget, but it’s a lot) there at Veterans Park, and there will be walking involved for spectators, just FYI.
Kilgore’s portion of that will be the first two days. Kilgore competes in Division II in 7-on-7, which is the UIL equivalent of Class 4A and 3A. The final day and a half is the Division I tournament. If you guessed that that’s the equivalent of Classes 5A and 6A, reach around and give yourselves a pat on the back.
There’s no entry fee for spectators. You heard me: it’s free.
There’s a catch: it’s going to be as hot as – well, you know.
They do allow you to set up chairs, bring water, that kind of thing, because there is no stationary seating, and there is a concession stand, but you’ll still want water because of that “hot” thing.
Pool play begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, and just like the local qualifying tournaments, there will be four teams in each pool, so that means three pool games for each team on Thursday.
All teams advance to bracket play on Friday morning, and everyone will play at least one game.
On Friday, the first round of the Division II bracket will start at 8:45 a.m.
If you’ve never, ever been to a 7-on-7 football game, you should know this: don’t holler at the quarterback to “run” when he doesn’t have an open receiver. He can’t run, because it’s a passing-oriented game; if he runs, he’s penalized.
It sounds different, and it is, but it’s actually pretty fun.
Gonna hit you with some of the aspects of the game here, and I hope it’ll make you interested enough to think about going.
Players were soft-shell helmets and wear mouthpieces.
The field the games are played on is just 45 yards long, though, and 160 feet wide, so when played on a regular 100-yard football field, cones are used to mark off the dimensions.
There are two 15-minute halves, a continuous clock for each half, and no halftime. There are also no time-outs, except in the case of injuries. Typically, there are three officials for each game (a referee, a field judge and a back judge), at the state level.
No high school coach can serve as a coach, or stand with the team on the sidelines, but each team does have to have a coach accompany them to events, to serve as an administrator. All coaches present have to sit in the end zone during games, and none are allowed on the sideline.
Kilgore’s head coach this year for 7-on-7 is former KHS quarterback Da’Marion Vanzandt, by the way.
All plays are passes – there are no running plays called, and there’s no kicking or punting the ball in the 7-on-7 game.
Possessions begin at the 45-yard-line, and both offenses in a game move in the same direction downfield. You can’t have two forward passes on one play, but laterals are permitted.
There is no blocking, and no tackling; the ball-carrier or receiver is down when touched with a hand, or two hands.
It’s a fast-paced game. The offense has 40 seconds between plays to snap the ball, and the clock starts as soon as an official rules a play dead. And you’d better adhere to it, because two delay-of-game penalties on the same possession is a turnover.
Speaking of turnovers, fumbles are ruled dead at the spot. Interceptions can be returned, including for scores.
Quarterbacks are allowed four seconds to throw the ball, and there is an official timekeeper. If he goes over that four seconds and throws the ball, then regardless of the result of the gain, the ball comes back to the original line of scrimmage.
Defensive and offensive pass interference is still 15 yards, like in regular high school football.
The center is not an eligible receiver, like they are in six-man football, and all participating teams have to have a center – also, the ball has to be snapped from the ground.
The point system: six points for a touchdown; one point for a conversion from the 3-yard-line, and two points for a conversion from the 10.
Teams can also get two points if a team returns a conversion attempt the opposite direction across the 45.
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has a LOT of space on its website dedicated to the Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament. To read more about it, including past champions, and any other rules, here you go: Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament.
Hope you guys have a great Thursday. We’ll have coverage of Overton-Burton game two later today.