Pool A Predicted Order of Finish

1. Daingerfield
2. Millsap
3. New Waverly
4. Muleshoe

Daingerfield is a perennial contender in the Division III bracket and even though they didn’t quite dominant in their qualification, the Tigers still boast the most athletic team in the entire Division III field top to bottom. Millsap’s been strong this summer and will be a big challenger in this pool and could make a deep run Friday morning. New Waverly and Muleshoe would be top two in other pools, but this pool is deep with quality.

Pool B Predicted Order of Finish

1. Miles
2. Childress
3. East Bernard
4. Bartlett

Two-time defending champion Miles won’t fly under the radar any longer, the Bulldogs proved doubters wrong the last two years and despite being in a pool with two excellent teams in Childress and East Bernard, Miles gets the respect of a two-time champion. Bartlett fits the bill of team that’s happy to be here and in this pool there could be plenty of learning experiences.

Pool C Predicted Order of Finish

1. Tioga
2. Bremond
3. Wallis Brazos
4. Iraan

Not a lot of 7-on-7 brand names in this pool, but up and coming Tioga who is making their second straight trip to College Station is the early front-runner in this pool. The real battle for seeding could be between between Bremond and Brazos as the winner likely takes second and a much easier first round game on Friday.

Pool D Predicted Order of Finish

1. Gunter
2. Rice Consolidated
3. Lubbock Roosevelt
4. Gilmer Harmony

Although it has been a few years since Gunter has won themselves a State 7-on-7 crown, the Tigers are always in the discussion in College Station and when the pads come on in December. Expect Gunter to dominate on Day 1, the real battle will be for the two-seed in this pool as all three teams can make a strong case for themselves.

Pool E Predicted Order of Finish

1. Sonora
2. Lexington
3. Eastland
4. Ganado

Sonora is one of my sleepers to make a lot of noise when we get to bracket play on Friday, the Broncos have what it takes to win the entire tournament and will be a team to watch. Lexington isn’t far off, but despite high-expectations, the Eagles haven’t always performed their best when making the short drive over to College Station. Eastland and Ganado will be battling it out to avoid playing a one-seed to start the day Friday.

Pool F Predicted Order of Finish

1. Tidehaven
2. Brady
3. Morton
4. Somerville

This is another pool that’s hard to project a winner from, Tidehaven has the experience at the QB spot and even though top to bottom they may not be as strong as a year ago, the Tigers in my opinion got a much better draw in 2024. Brady was quite impressive in their state qualifying run at the Abilene SQT on June 7, the Bulldogs get the edge for the two seed over State Tournament newcomers Morton and Somerville. 

Pool G Predicted Order of Finish

1. Sunray
2. Poth
3. Honey Grove
4. Grapeland

If there’s a pool of death in Division III it may be Pool G where there’s three teams at the top who could all make a compelling case to be the top team in the pool. Poth was last year’s runner-up to Miles, but the Pirates have to contend with a Sunray squad who basically plays 7-on-7 when the pads come on, the Bobcats made a run to the quarter-finals in their State 7-on-7 debut a year ago and they bring everyone back. Honey Grove is ultra-talented, but this is their first State Tournament so they may start slow, but be a tough out on Friday.

Pool H Predicted Order of Finish

1. Jacksboro
2. Alpine
3. Hearne
4. Santa Rosa

Jacksboro had a tough time getting to College Station early on as they were still involved in the baseball playoffs, but once the Tigers got all their players at the Abilene SQT Jacksboro put together a strong 4-0 record. Alpine and Hearne are both regulars in College Station and will be in a real battle for the two seed, while scrappy Santa Rosa can not be overlooked.