anybody have state 7 on 7 results from today? [Archive]

Stanley

07-16-2004, 11:25 PM

Lamar wins rematch vs. The Woodlands at state 7-on-7 tournament

10:34 PM CDT on Friday, July 16, 2004

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Arlington Lamar can't really get payback against The Woodlands wearing shorts and T-shirts.

But Friday's 33-14 victory in pool play of the Fox Sports Net 7-on-7 State Championship sure felt good.

The Woodlands eliminated Lamar in the Class 5A Division I state semifinals in December, handing Lamar its only loss of the season and spoiling a shot at legendary coach Eddy Peach's first state title.

So Lamar was excited to see The Woodlands in its pool, to say the least.

"There was a lot of emotion in it," said defensive back K.J. Ellis, who helped shut out The Woodlands in the first half. "We played a lot harder."

Added receiver Terrance Jordan, who caught two touchdown passes: "We had to get our revenge."

Lamar, which lost in the semifinals of last season's 7-on-7 state tournament, went 2-1 in pool play to join Allen, Garland Naaman Forest, Grapevine, Hebron, North Mesquite, Richland, South Garland and Wylie in Saturday's championship bracket.

Harris' highlight gives Hebron thrilling win
Junior Steven Harris returned an interception for a touchdown to end the day's longest game. Hebron beat West Orange-Stark, 39-33, in four overtimes to advance to the championship bracket.

Harris, a wide receiver/safety, almost ended the game in the third overtime. His diving touchdown catch was not allowed because quarterback Justin Pitrucha did not get rid of the ball in the allotted four seconds.

After Hebron took the lead, Harris jumped in front of an out route in the end zone and sprinted for the winning score.

"I was just waiting for it one more time," Harris said. "I broke on it, and then it was just me and the quarterback in a footrace. And I knew I was going to win that one."

Lamar wins rematch vs. The Woodlands at state 7-on-7 tournament

CHS_Grad '85

07-19-2004, 09:14 AM

July 17, 2004

There's more to 7-on-7 than just offense

Quarterbacks flinging footballs everywhere. Receivers flying after them through the air. And points going on the board by the blimp full.

That’s 7-on-7 football — the aerial show built for offensive-minded enthusiasts.

Right?

Not always.

Just ask Odessa Permian quarterback Shea Smith, the young gun who led the Panthers to the 7-on-7 state title last year and who helped pass the Mojo back into the championship bracket this year.

In one of the marquee matchups of day one, Smith engineered two key drives to lead the Panthers over Grapevine, 34-27. But he didn’t make the play of the game. In fact, that didn’t belong to him, his receivers, not even Grapevine’s massive running back Henry Melton, a recruiting prospect so coveted people were coming out just to see him run around in shorts and T-shirt.

No, all those guys played well, but the game-clincher belonged to junior cornerback Robert Lujan, whose pass breakup of a late Grapevine touchdown attempt proved Permian’s biggest play.

“ That was huge,” Smith said. “It was a heckuva play.”

Lujan, who admitted to being nervous at his first 7-on-7 state championship, says he’s never felt slighted by the offensive pass-happy game.

And if you ask one of the originators of the state event, who also happens to be an offensive coordinator, he’ll tell you that the offensive tilt may not be as steep as we all believe.

“ You’d be surprised. It does [help defensive backs],” Lakeview Centennial offensive coordinator Doug Stephens said.

Stephens — also the executive director of the tournament’s board of directors — got the idea for the state tournament in 1997 when he read a newspaper article about NFL players and where they came from. Texas was first or second at every position, including quarterback, but the gap between California-produced QBs and those from the Lone Star State was more than Stephens could stomach.

And 7-on-7 has helped serve as an antacid. The sport has begun breeding better and better quarterbacks in Texas, and as it has grown in popularity with the help of Stephens and the support of Fox Sports Net and Rivals100.com, it seems at least possible that Texas’ quarterback output could one day catch California’s.

Can’t you see it? The West Coast offense being replaced by the Gulf Coast offense?

It could happen, but as much as 7-on-7 has helped high schools learn to chuck the ball from the Gulf Coast to West Texas, Stephens says it’s also helped them learn how to defend the skies better than ever.

“ The teams that win here are the the teams that play good defense,” Stephens said.

Lujan’s noteworthy play illustrates the point.

With Permian leading 34-27 late in the game, Grapevine drove to the 3-yard line. Three plays later, the Mustangs were still trying to punch in the tying score, and on fourth down, Grapevine quarterback Steven Headley fired a bullet at receiver Brad Fawcett on a quick slant.

Lujan sniffed it out and broke it up.

“ [Fawcett] had been doing a lot of little cuts, so I was just looking at his feet seeing which way he was gonna cut,” Lujan said. “And I just jumped on it when I saw the quarterback throw.”

Lujan batted the ball away in full horizontal extension, keeping Grapevine from tying the score as Permian went on to win.

Will that game-saving play help Lujan this fall? To be honest, maybe not. When you had four more guys a side, shoulder pads, helmets, Friday night lights — I mean, it’s a different game, obviously.

But Lujan says playing 7-on-7 helps defensive backs as much as anybody.

“ It helps a lot with your quickness, speed, agility,” he said. “It keeps you in shape.”

So a DB, not a QB, won a 7-on-7 game Friday. No doubt it happened on other fields, as well. In fact, Spring Westfield’s Devin Gregg, a Texas A&M oral committment, broke up a conversion pass in Westfield’s 40-38 victory over Colleyville Heritage.

Yes, 7-on-7 will always be about quarterbacks, receivers, offense. Occasionally, though, and more and more often, the defensive backs are striking back.

• Robert Premeaux Jr.’s e-mail address is rpremeaux@theeagle.
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July 18, 2004

Tyler Lee wins title in 7-on-7

By TIM SCHNETTLER
Eagle Staff Writer

Tyler Lee’s Tony Bush celebrates after catching the final touchdown past Katy Taylor's Austin Alejandro late in the Fox Sports Net 7-on-7 State Championship game Saturday at Kyle Field. Tyler Lee won the champioship, 40-26.

The last time the Tyler Lee Red Raiders made a trip to College Station for 7-on-7 football, they took home the title at the A&M Consolidated tournament.

Their return visit was just as successful.

The Red Raiders won the Fox Sports Net 7-on-7 State Championship at Kyle Field on Saturday, beating Katy Taylor, 40-26, to win the 64-team tournament.

Tyler Lee quarterback Josh Hill, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, threw six touchdown passes in the championship game, with Tony Bush and D’angelo Jones each catching two.

In the consolation championship, Colleyville Heritage scored with less than a minute remaining to down Alief Taylor, 32-26.

A&M Consolidated, which was a last-minute entry into the tournament, won its first game Saturday after going 0-3 on Friday and dropping into the consolation bracket.

Consol opened Saturday with a 20-14 victory over Austin Westlake, then was eliminated by Colleyville Heritage, 30-6.

Lee knocked out the defending champion and tournament favorite Odessa Permian in the quarterfinals, 40-21, then eliminated North Mesquite, 38-32, to reach the championship.

In the title game the Raiders scored on their first four possessions, building a 26-12 lead at halftime.

Hill started the scoring by hitting Walter Simpson behind the defense on the first play of the game for a touchdown. He followed with two more touchdown tosses to Jones and one to Bush.

Taylor managed a score just before the half, pulling within two scores, then opened the second half with another from Pierce Daigle to Daniel Brown to make it 26-18.

Hill answered by finding Jonathan Williams to stretch the lead back to 15.

Hill made his only mistake of the game the next time Lee had the ball, throwing an interception.

Taylor turned it into a touchdown when Dan Hamilton hauled in a pass and Daniel Bowman added the two-point conversion to make it 33-26, with 5 minutes and 40 seconds remaining.

Hill had the answer, however, taking Lee down the field and finding Bush alone in the end zone, making it 40-26 with 2:46 left.

Taylor turned the ball over on downs and Lee was able to run out the clock and seal the victory.

All-Tournament Team

Micah Johnson, Tyler Lee; Martellus Bennett, Alief Taylor; Brandon Jackson, North Mesquite; Tony Bush, Tyler Lee; Josh Hill, Tyler Lee; Matthew Harding, South Garland; Kenneth Beasley, West Orange Stark; Keenan Clayton, Sulphur Springs; R.J. Jacskon, Houston Westside; Adam Podzemny, Odessa Permian; Daniel Bowman, Katy Taylor; Christian Ponder, Colleyville Heritage. MVP: Hill, Tyler Lee

• Tim Schnettler’s e-mail address is tschnettler@theeagle.com.