By Nick Alvarado
After day 1 of the Texas 7on7 state championships, some groups lived up to their toughness while others went down to the wire. Many teams made a statement with a great showing on day 1. Here are the key things to recap on.
Sweetwater went 2-1 after group play to top Pool B, thanks to a head-to-head advantage against Silsbee. The Mustangs offense shined for the first two games, then disappeared in a 25-12 loss to Navarro. After the 54-6 defeat, opponents of Silsbee scored at least 21 points. Both Silsbee and Sweetwater advanced to the championship bracket.
Perennial power Brock went a perfect 3-0 in Pool D with a 3-0 record, defeating Giddings, Brownwood and Rockport-Fulton. To me, I thought this group would be tough with Brock, Brownwood and Giddings. Brock advance to the championship bracket, facing off against Springtown. The surprise in the group was Giddings taking the second spot, edging out Rockport-Fulton and Brownwood, respectively.
Celina wins group F with a head-to-head advantage against Lorena. The Bobcats only loss came in game two against Stafford, 28-27. Stafford surprised me the most out of the entire field after the Celina victory and a victory against Brady. Celina faces off against La Feria in the championship bracket while Lorena faces Pool N winner, Carthage.
Levelland finished with a strong 2-1 record in Pool I, defeating Falls City and Waco Reicher Catholic. Kaufman got the better of the Lobos in the final group game, 36-27. Both Kaufman and Levelland advance to the championship bracket. I thought that Levelland lived up to their potential, with a loss to a tough Kaufman team.
Another surprise to me was Midland Greenwood topping Pool M. The Rangers had to battle Burnet, Ferris and La Marque en route to a 3-0 group record. The scorelines show that the Rangers had to battle a tough group to earn their spot in the championship bracket. With advancing, the Rangers now take on another surprise team in Big Sandy Harmony in the championship bracket.
Sonora also showed their toughness in a tough group P, going 3-0. Just like Greenwood, Sonora had to battle the hard-hitting teams of Somerset, Decatur and Lexington to advance. This group was no surprise to me as the toughest group in the tournament. Sonora and Somerset advance to the championship bracket, facing off against Shepherd and Graham respectively.
Lots of other teams made great showings that did not get mentioned here. Van Horn went a perfect 3-0, in which endured the longest travel time to get to College Station. Mineral Wells top pool E and West go on top in a tight pool J. The Division II tournament resumes on Friday at 8 a.m. with the consolation bracket. Championship bracket 1st round play kicks off at 9 a.m.
