The Tioga Bulldogs 7-on-7 team made their run back to the Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament for the third year in a row, going 2-2 during the event June 26 and 27.
The Bulldogs traveled to Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station and faced off with 31 other teams in Division III, winning their pool and losing to the Kountze Lions 18-0 in the opening round of bracket play.
“From the outside looking in, people are going to look and see that we won our pool but had a first-round exit on that Friday and feel like it wasn’t a great weekend for us,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “… But from a coaching standpoint, we got to watch our kids compete against some elite talent, get a ton of reps, and see something that needs to be fixed all before August gets here, [so] regardless of any outcomes, it was a successful weekend for us.”
The Bulldogs punched their ticket to College Station by going undefeated at the state qualifying tournament in Lindsay on May 24.
Tioga defeated Millsap, Era, Blue Ridge and Wolfe City, outscoring their opponents 128-18 and earning a chance to compete in the state tournament.
The Bulldogs opened pool play at the state tournament with a 3012 win over Hamilton before taking a tough 34-0 loss against Coahoma.
Tioga bounced back from the loss to Coahoma with a 32-12 win over district rival Wolfe City to finish 2-1 in pool play.
The Bulldogs entered bracket play as one of the top teams after winning their pool but fell to the Kountze Lions 18-0 in the first round of bracket play on June 27.
Despite the loss, Birdwell said he was proud of the growth he saw from the team in Year 3.
“In that first year we wanted to qualify for state for the first time in school history, and we did,” he said. '… In Year 3, [this program] runs itself. The kids know the systems and the standards they need to have in order to compete at an elite level. Now we can sit back a little and watch our kids coach each other up. Call out the offense, call out the defense, encourage each other and get on to each other when needed. Watching the leadership take over and watching our players, especially our older ones who have been in the system, coach the younger kids up, it was a big step for us as a staff to watch these do what they’ve been trained to do.”
Birdwell highlighted two incoming seniors, wide receiver Greeley McAden and senior defensive back Caden Downing, for stepping up as leaders for the team.
“I truly don't think there's a kid in the state of Texas that has had a better off season than [Greeley],” he said. “… And Caden was right there coaching young guys in the secondary, getting them lined up and encouraging them when needed. To see those two kids step up on both sides of the ball was special.”
Birdwell also sent special thanks to the Tioga parents, administration and community.
Despite the loss, Birdwell emphasized how he hopes the experience will pay off for the Bulldogs when football season arrives.
“There are two philosophies when it comes to 7-on-7,” he said. “People use [it] to either one, try to win 7-on-7, or two, try to get better at what they're going to do in the fall. We are a team that falls under No. 2. We want to do the same stuff we're going to do this fall, so for us to be able to go out and not have to have a completely different playbook or to run a completely different defense or put different personnel groupings out there just to try to win 7-on-7 games and to be able to still win is a testament to our kids and where they're at in the system in Year 3.”
