With the 2025-26 athletic year wrapped up, multiple Ranch Cities schools are in the early stages of their summer activities, with 7-on-7 taking center stage.
The Tioga Bulldogs 7-on-7 team recently traveled to Daingerfield and won their last state qualifying tournament of the season, earning a spot at the State Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
“We had a chance to get out of our area and go see some really good competition in East Texas, and it was a good day for us,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “… We had a chance to compete against some new teams we don’t normally see, and we got to watch our kids go win in the qualifying round and punch their ticket to College Station.”
The Bulldogs’ path through the qualifying tournament consisted of wins over Daingerfield, Jefferson and New Boston, with the final win coming over Paul Pewitt.
Tioga played in two previous tournaments and just missed qualifying, but Birdwell said the biggest difference for the Bulldogs was the teams’ preparation process.
“The most obvious reason is that we had an extra two weeks to throw the football,” he said. “We rolled into the first qualifier five days removed from state track and hadn’t touched a football. … Having two weeks of throwing and catching and getting our timing back down was really good.”
He added that the Bulldogs are looking forward to having another opportunity at the State title.
“We won the first 7-on-7 game ever in College Station, then we won our pool for the first time the next year, and then we won on tournament day last year, and now we’re looking to solidify ourselves and make a run in the tournament,” Birdwell said.
The Pilot Point Bearcats team opened the season competing in a 7-on-7 hosted by the Aubrey Chaparrals, with wins over Aubrey and Sanger, going 5-1 at the April event.
“It’s not quite football season, but it gives us a chance to throw, catch, run around, and play defense and really work on a lot of the fundamentals that we try to get in during the spring and summer,” said Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach.
The Bearcats then moved on to tournaments in Carrollton and Mineral Wells, going 2-2 and 3-1 at the respective events.
“We’ve been to two qualifying tournaments …, and we’ve advanced out of our pool, which is really good, because we’re playing bigger schools, but we came up short both times in the championship game.”
Despite missing the mark in the previous two attempts, Worrell said he’s proud of the growth the team has shown this season.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the way our kids have competed,” he said. “They’ve gotten so much better throwing and catching, and we’ve found some guys that can help us out on defense in the fall.”
The Bearcats have one more chance to qualify for the state tournament at their final state qualifying tournament of the season in Arlington on Saturday.
The Aubrey Chaparrals hosted their own 7-on-7 league with multiple area teams taking part, including Pilot Point, Gunter, Sanger, Krum and Lake Dallas.
“Celina has been hosting the league since I was in school, and there were a lot of [schools] that have been going there, but since they moved up, we thought it was something that we could create locally,” said Chase Marler, Aubrey offensive coordinator and 7-on-7 coach. “… We have a brand-new indoor facility that helps accommodate athletics, even in bad weather, and we have three turf fields, so it was the right fit.”
The Chaparrals did not play in any qualifying tournaments, but Marler said the team’s 7-on-7 participation should help the football program prepare for the fall.
“Our kids are in charge, and they run the show from an offensive standpoint,” he said. “It’s everything we run during the season, and our quarterback is calling every play. … It’s more football- like for us instead of the gamification of the sport. I’ve been a part of that, and I respect it, but here we try to get better at what we do.”
He added that the responsibility of playcalling also extends to the defense as well.
“Our safeties are in charge of the defense, and they make sure everybody’s aligned,” Marler said. “… [7-on-7] is good practice for both sides taking ownership and making sure everything is correct.”
