LA GRANGE — Taylor High School’s 7-on-7 football team played its first state qualifying tournament last weekend.
The Ducks played in a division 2 tournament Saturday, May 11, in La Grange. Sixteen teams competed for two state qualifying spots in the tournament.
While Taylor went 1-2 on the day and did not secure a state championship invite, varsity football Coach Earven Flowers said it was a good opportunity for younger players to get experience.
“Out of the 20 kids that were there, 15 kids have never played in a 7-on-7 state qualifying tournament before,” Flowers said. “So, that’s a little bit different. Those guys got a chance to see some pretty good athletes for the first time.”
After opening the tournament with a 33-6 win over La Grange’s junior varsity team, the Ducks took a 54-19 defeat to Bay City.
Since 7-on-7 tournaments prohibit school coaches from leading their teams, the Ducks were player-led on Saturday.
While Flowers thinks it was a good learning experience, he thinks not having a coach to give pointers and tips might have been the cause of the lopsided defeat.
“We lost by a lot and I think a lot of it is that they gave us some things that our kids have never seen before,” Flowers said. “We truly don’t practice 7-on-7 as much because we’re implementing certain things in terms of reallife football with offense and defense.”
Already eliminated after the Bay City loss, Taylor dropped a tight 28-20 ballgame to Sealy in the final contest of the tournament.
Taylor will have another qualifying opportunity at Burnet June 1. Later that month, Rockdale and Taylor will co-host a qualifying tournament June 15.
