Texas 7 on 7 State Championship Weekend Recap

COLLEGE STATION -- Coming in to the 11th annual Texas 7 on 7 state tournament, the field was stacked with teams many thought capable of winning it all. The Richland Rebels were not considered one of the teams to beat but when the final gun sounded, they had made believers of everyone. Their come from behind 35-32 win over Mesquite was a gritty performance that was a true team effort.

For those who may have thought their undefeated run was an easy road or a fluke, think again. Wins on Saturday over Rockwall Heath, Coppell, Stephenville, Colleyville Heritage and Mesquite showed that if nothing else they were in top shape.

With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, it was as much a war of attrition as anything. 7 on 7 tournament MVP Phillip Gonzalez was testimony to that as he spent the championship game in a nearby hospital suffering from severe cramps and dehydration.

It took the Rebels a full half to adjust to playing without their star wideout as they fell behind 26-14 at the half. Richland made some great adjustments after the intermission and scored on every possession with Anton Arthurs and Justin Erickson picking up the slack. Arthurs finished with 3 touchdowns and Erickson added 2.

The Skeeters looked to be in control of the game with Marcus Trice and Darien McNealy each contributing a pair of touchdowns but the Richland defense got the stops when they needed them most. Mesquite failed to convert on 3 out of 5 extra point opportunities while Richland converted all 5.

Remarkably, Quarterback Tyler Cotton threw just one interception in 8 games. His accuracy combined with some timely stops by the Rebel defense made for a storybook run through a talented field of 64 teams.

"I'm happy for our kids, they worked so hard just to get here and then to come away with the state trophy is such a great reward for all their effort. This gives us a lot of momentum heading in to the season" Richland Head Coach Gene Wier said.

Abilene brings home Consolation Bracket Championship

The Abilene Eagles got off to a slow start losing their opening round game to Lake Travis but reeled off 7 consecutive wins on their way to to winning the consolation championship game 34-33 against Langham Creek.

Quarterback Steve Warren was on the money throughout the weekend spreading the ball around to a host of talented receivers. Prentice Ashford seemed to be the go to guy but the real secret to the Eagles success was balance as John Reynolds, Austin Turman and Tevin Wiley all contributed key receptions. Zach Bass also made some key catches out of the backfield.

The Eagles had to come from behind to defeat The Woodlands 41-39 in the semifinals. In both games, AHS scored a late touchdown to take the lead, then made an interception in the end zone to secure the outcome.

In the final, Langham Creek jumped out to a 26-14 lead but rallied behind touchdowns by Zach Bass and Alex Tomaras. The defense did its part allowing only one score in the second half. With less than two minutes remaining, Prentice Ashford pulled in a touchdown pass from Stephen Warren to tie the score, then Warren connected with Tomaras on the conversion attempt. 

Head Coach Steve Warren couldn't have been more proud of the effort his team put together.

"This should be a great springboard for us as we prepare for the regular season. I'm so proud of the way our kids battled through the heat down here and it's a major accomplishment to play so many good teams and make it this far" he said.

Abilene's road to the Consolation Bracket Championship

Lake Travis 43 - Abilene 37
Abilene 25 - Klein Forest 12
Abilene 42 - Colleyville Heritage 34

*Abilene lost a coin flip as the tie breaker to Colleyville Heritage and Lake Travis who each finished 2-1.

Abilene 25 - El Paso Del Valle 6
Abilene 46 - Schertz Clemens 26
Abilene 53 - Beeville Jones 15
Abilene 41 - The Woodlands 39
Abilene 34 - Langham Creek 33

Mesquite makes impressive run
Whatever the Skeeters lacked in size, they made up for with heart. Senior receivers Marcus Trice (5-9, 175) and Darien McNealy (5-6, 154) racked up huge numbers with their cat quick moves. Opponents struggled throughout the tournament to slow down the fellow seniors as Mesquite advanced all the way to the state title game in large part because of their success.

Senior Quarterback Luke Halpin was in a good rhythm throughout the tournament. The Skeeters played with a flair and a swagger that allowed them to finish the weekend with 6 wins and 2 losses. On Saturday, Mesquite had strong showings in wins over Houston Stratford (34-14), Lufkin (40-26), Lake Travis (42-36), and Lamar (34-33) in overtime.

Although his primary position is cornerback, Trice made a huge impact on the offensive side of the ball scoring a number of touchdowns. Of course when the game was on the line, he was inserted back in to the secondary.

Although they would have liked to win it all, the Skeeters made an impressive run and showed they'll be a force to be reckoned with when the season gets underway.

Langham Creek makes surprise visit to Finals
After a slow start to the Langham Creek Lobos roared back on Saturday and came within a couple of points of winning the consololation bracket. With losses to Arlington Bowie, Laredo Alexander and Stephenville nobody expected much out of the the Lobos on Saturday. Somehow they managed to find their rhythm just in the nick of time.

A 41-19 victory over Wylie got things started and 44-0 shutout of Spring built momentum that took them all the way to the finals. Quarterback Will Bryant and Brett Reece feasted on opposing defenses in wins over Beaumont West Brook 33-20 and Tomball 35-28.

Reece caught virtually everything thrown his way and led Langham Creek in touchdown receptions, several of which were of the spectacular variety. The semi-final win against Tomball was a battle of wills as both teams started to wear down. The game came down to the last play where Tomball's Jordan Leslie hauled in a touchdown to apparently give the Cougars a chance to get the game tied but it was ruled that 4 seconds had elapsed on the play.

Langham Creek jumped out to a 26-14 halftime lead in the finals against Abilene but managed just one touchdown in the 2nd half and lost a heartbreaker 34-33. Given an 0-3 start in pool play, the Lobos had to feel good about battling back to make it to the finals.

Plano offense in mid-season form
Plano averaged more points than any other team with 48 points per game. Already considered one of the top offenses in the state, Carson Meger, Rex Burkhead and Kris Lott did nothing to tarnish that image as they made things look easy. The Wildcats finished their time in College Station with 5 wins and 1 loss.

Burkhead was especially impressive as teams struggled to find anyone who could stay with him. He also turned in one of the tournaments most spectacular catches, a one hand beauty for a touchdown in the 2nd round against Pleasanton.

Day 1 Results
Plano 39 - Tomball 35
Plano 39 - Stratford 38
Plano 55 - Pleasanton 32

Day 2 Results
Plano 60 - Wichita Falls 54
Plano 70 - Sulphur Springs 51
Coll. Heritage - 39 Plano 26


Katy goes .500
The Katy Tigers will never be confused with some of the top passing offenses in the state but they made a nice rally on Saturday after a slow start on Friday. Losses to Gregory Portland (21-20) and Naaman Forest (40-22) sent them the way of the consolation bracket. They advanced to the Quarterfinals on Saturday, losing to Tomball 40-14.

Not the finish they had hoped for but the Tigers did a nice job of turning things around. Senior running back Michael Webber says the experience was invaluable. "Everyone knows we lost a ton of talent from last year's team but we're excited about the opportunity to continue the legacy here at Katy. I'm happy to get all the reps I can get after blowing out my knee last year" he said.

Senior Quarterback Parker Ray looked comfortable for the most part and looks to be developing a good rapport with the receivers.

Saturday Scoreboard

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Round One

The Woodlands 46 Laredo Alexander 35

RR Stony Point 26 Katy Cinco Ranch 20

A&M Consolidated 32 Duncanville 6

RR Westwood 33 Brady 19

Schertz-Clemens 34 Klein 20

Abilene 25 EP Del Valle 6

Beeville Jones 27 Pleasanton 19

Denton Guyer 24 Garland 13

Hou. Langham Creek 41 Wylie 19

Spring 41 Weslaco 28

Abilene Cooper 27 Klein Oak 19

Beaumont West Brook 28 Cy Falls 8

Arlington 19 Belton 13

Katy 18 Klein Forest 13

Tomball 27 Pearland 26

Hou. Memorial 20 Hou. Chavez 14

Sweet 16

The Woodlands 39 RR Stony point 19

A&M Consolidated 12 RR Westwood 7

Abilene 46 Schertz-Clemens 26

Beeville Jones 20 Denton Guyer 18

Hou. Langham Creek 44 Spring 0

Beaumont West Brook 36 Abilene Cooper 33

Katy 34 Arlington 33

Tomball 26 Hou. Memorial 12

Quarter-Finals

The Woodlands 34 A&M Consolidated 20

Abilene 53 Beeville Jones 15

Hou. Langham Creek 33 Beaumont West Brook 20

Tomball 40 Katy 14

Semi-Finals

Abilene 41 The Woodlands 39

Hou. Langham Creek 35 Tomball 28

Cons. Championship

Abilene 34 Hou. Langham Creek 33

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

Round One

Georgetown 41 Arl. Bowie 26

Arl. Lamar 26 Plano West 0

Temple 27 FB Elkins 25

Tyler Lee 46 Katy Seven Lakes 26

Lewisville Hebron 48 Mercedes 41

Lake Travis 33 Garland Naaman Forest 32

Mesquite 34 Hou. Stratford 14

Lufkin 44 Arl. Martin 27

Stephenville 25 Edcouch-Elsa 21

Baytown Lee 25 John Tyler 21

Coppell 35 South Garland 27 OT

Richland 47 Rockwall-Heath 20

EP Montwood 25 Cy Fair 21

Colleyville Heritage 31 Gregory-Portland 13

Plano 60 Wichita Falls 54

Sulphur Springs 32 Austin High 26

Sweet 16

Arl. Lamar 34 Georgetown 7

Tyler Lee 33 Temple 32

Lake Travis 36 Lewisville Hebron 29

Mesquite 40 Lufkin 26

Stephenville 21 Baytown Lee 6

Richland 43 Coppell 37

Colleyville Heritage 51 EP Montwood 29

Plano 70 Sulphur Springs 51

Quarter-Finals

Arl. Lamar 33 Tyler Lee 27

Mesquite 42 Lake Travis 36

Richland 40 Stephenville 34

Colleyville Heritage 39 Plano 26

Semi-Finals

Mesquite 34 Arl. Lamar 33 OT

Richland 42 Colleyville Heritage 24

CHAMPIONSHIP

Richland 35 Mesquite 32

Date of Article: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:46 am

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