The Woodlands Take Home DI 7on7 Crown

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: July 11, 2016

COLLEGE STATION - The heat index in College Station, Texas on Saturday was nothing compared to the heat brought by the Division I schools at the adidas Texas 7v7 Championship tournament. There was a stark difference between the size, speed and agility of the Division I athletes and the previous Division II schools (Class 4A and under). It was like watching a bunch of fast moving freight trains zip all over the field and when they collided, it was good they were wearing the protective headbands provided by tournament organizers.

The parity that appeared in Division II was nearly as apparent in pool play of Division I. Six of the sixty-four DII teams had perfect 3-0 records during pool play. With the big schools, more than double that number rolled to 3-0 during the qualifying games.

The competition tightened as the games went from pool play to the “win-or-go-home” championship bracket play. It seemed that every game was a last-second victory then.

In the first round, crowds watched a tight game between Dickinson and Manvel. With a last second, Hail Mary touchdown, Dickinson captured
the win and sent Manvel back home to prepare for the upcoming season. A similar fate knocked Austin Lake Travis from contention but it was a dropped ball in the end zone after time expired that sent the Cavaliers home from their matchup with DeSoto.

Another nail-biter that caught the attention of many, was the matchup between Tyler John Tyler, and Abilene. Both teams were neck-and-neck for the entirety of the game. The extra-point conversions, while of extreme value, seemed to be unattainable for both sides. This led to a quadruple-overtime game in which John Tyler snatched the win over Abilene, 60-54.

Spectators, cameras and hopeful fans found their seats on the sidelines of the Championship game between The Woodlands and Dickinson. Both worthy contenders produced plays with perfect preparation and timely execution. At the half, The Woodlands lead, 18-13. During the second half, Dickinson put another two touchdowns and an extra point on the board, however, so did The Woodlands. Time ran out and so did chances for Dickinson. The Woodlands walked away with the title of Division I Champions.