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Wolves, Cats excel in final batch of SQTs
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
The Plano Senior football team has been on a tear during 7-on-7 play this summer and with its sixth consecutive state tournament berth in the bag, the Wildcats have shown no signs of letting up.
On hand Saturday at a state qualifying tournament at SMU, Plano pounced on its pool play opposition yet again, sweeping a field of three to cap its run of qualifier appearances.
While the Wildcats have already punched their ticket to the 7-on-7 state tournament, set to take place on July 9-10 from the intramural fields at Texas A&M University, the same could not be said for Plano’s opponents last weekend, whose urgency hit a fever pitch during the final weekend of qualifying tournaments.
“I was real proud of the fact that we fell behind and fought back against Arlington Martin,” said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. “We regained our focus and I was proud of how they showed that competitive spirit.
“…To me, that’s high on the totem pole when you’re evaluating kids and talking about things like leadership.”
Former District 8-5A bunkmate Jesuit was next on the Plano cutting board, as a 49-27 outcome sealed the Rangers’ fate. The morning festivities were capped by a nip-and-tuck slugfest between Plano and another former district foe in qualifier host Wylie, with the Wildcats prevailing, 31-26.
In addition to frequenting the state qualifier circuit, Plano has also been active in the Collin County 7-on-7 summer league. Sweeping its opposition in consecutive weeks on that front, Plano posted victories last week over the likes of Farmersville (28-0), Princeton (38-6) and McKinney Boyd (20-15).
The Wildcats also have three weeks left on the docket for their summer offseason program, where McCullough and running backs/cornerbacks coach Joey Stone have helped put the players to the grindstone with a cavalcade of workouts.
“We have almost everybody involved in the program,” McCullough said. “…We’ve got things like medicine balls, sleds, bungee cords, parachutes. It’s all this great equipment and it’s been tremendous so far.”
East, West dealt different results in matchups
Like the Wildcats, Plano West has already secured a trip to College Station for the state tournament. And just like Plano, the Wolves were still on the hunt this past weekend in their final SQT at Lewisville.
There, West netted a 2-1 record in pool play, ousting both Flower Mound Marcus and Midlothian, but settling for a razor-thin defeat to eventual tournament champion Richland.
“Our kids were still a bit disappointed,” said Kelly Mercer, West offensive coordinator. “We felt like we probably should have beaten Richland. We had a dropped pass in the end zone near the end that could have probably won the game for us.”
The nail-biter was capped at a 34-31 West loss, but the squad rebounded amicably in its final two contests before July’s state tournament. Roughing up Marcus to the tune of 46-7, the Wolves capped pool play with a comeback decision over Midlothian.
“The part of the weekend I was most proud of was our second half in the third game against Midlothian,” Mercer said. “…For those last 20 minutes, the kids knew they had already qualified for state, but they handled it like it was the most important 20 minutes of the summer.
Down at halftime, 20-12, the Wolves rebounded in the second half in outscoring the Panthers, 30-14, for the eventual 42-34 victory.
But while West will continue its 7-on-7 action into the state’s most prominent gathering for 7-on-7 football in a couple weeks, the same can’t be said for Plano East, which was active this weekend at SMU for the Wylie SQT.
Dealt a stout draw in Cedar Hill, Duncanville and West Mesquite, the Panthers fell shy in their final bid at a state tournament berth.
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