Hunter Cooke
- The best games of the day
The best two games of the day were no-brainers – a first round bout between Cameron Yoe and Celina. It came down to the last second, and the Yoemen hung on to win.
Cameron Yoe holds over Celina in in a hectic game #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/cvNChh8ZdG
— hunter cooke (@diamondbackGG) June 29, 2017
The other one? Goliad and Brownwood. Three overtimes. 41-39.
Correction Brownwood 41, Goliad 39 3OT l
— Mike Forman (@mikeforman21) June 29, 2017
2. Adidas, good job.
These cleats are easily the best parts of these uniforms that Adidas brought. The gold and red/blue is a nice touch, they feel unique, there’s some flash but not too much going on, and most importantly, they aren’t neon. Everyone besides some college/high school athletes can agree on this – the neon trend needs to die. Good on Adidas for making something flashy, but simple.
3. Shock of the day:
Gilmer going 0-3. Let’s start this off easily: the Buckeyes are going to be fine, because 7-on- 7 is not real football. They’re still extremely talented, though, and I don’t think anyone had them losing three in a row on the first day of pool play.
Cody Daniel
1. Cuero tight end Bralen Taylor is simply unfair in 7-on- 7 play.
At 6’7, his size is enough to allow the Baylor commit to serve as a walking mismatch and he was, as expected, a dominant option in the red zone. Taylor consistently found soft spots in the defense and finding space. Simply put, he was just better than the defense. Taylor is far from alone, too …
2. The Cuero gunslinger will have a bevy of options to work with in 2017.
Along with Taylor and Jordan Whittington having their way with the secondary, Deandre Lang will be jumping to varsity in 2017 and if Thursday’s action was any indication, he’s going to be a playmaker.
3. Don’t take Levelland lightly.
I only saw Levelland once during Game 2 versus Carthage, but what appeared to be a clearly overmatched team at first glance more than held its own against a Carthage unit loaded with talent. Levelland ultimately lost 39-24 en route to an 0-3 afternoon, but if the defense can improve once the season actually starts, new quarterback Chris Gerber has a variety of options at his disposal.
Tony Venegas
1. Carthage Heading The Right Direction Heading Into 2017
Yes, Carthage lost their last game of pool play but the defending Class 4A Divison I state champs have put together another strong squad. Keaontay Ingram did make a nice made a great jumping catch for a score and new signal caller Gunner Capps has a great arm that should develop even more as a junior.
There was one more standout (which will be discussed more below) that really shined as the Bulldogs put up a solid performance on Day 1 of the tournament.
2. Underrated Receivers Stand Out on Day 1
Going back to Carthage for a moment, receiver Dewaylon Ingram did what he does best: going up vertically for the ball. Ingram currently only has one offer from Arkansas State, but the senior receiver should be poised for a breakout season after catching 61 passes for 977 yards and nine touchdowns. He gets overshadowed by some of the other talent, but he should be a bigger name to know by season’s end.
Meanwhile, China Springs should be poised for another solid year. Peyton Sawyer made some noise after he recently commited to Houston, and his teammate Tyrick James put up a big performance of his own. The receiver/tight end showed off some good speed in Day 1 and particularly shined against Gilmer’s defense.
3. Following In His Brother’s Footsteps
Nick Gerber put up some video game-like numbers last season for the Lobos and with his departure, his younger brother Chris enters the picture. Thursday was a tough day for Levelland as they finished 0-3 but Gerber made some good throws and should progress even more as a passer and add a running threat for Levelland this upcoming year.
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