7-on-7 State Tournament, Day 2

On Saturday, the Wildcat 7-on-7 team returned to College Station to take part in the consolation bracket. Their morning, and tournament, was finished early as they lost 42-40 to Austin Westlake in the first game of the day. Reece Clark went 15-20 with 6 touchdowns. Chad O'Donnell caught 3 of Clark's 6 TDs; he had 5 receptions overall. The other 3 TD grabs were made by R.J. Harmon on the Wildcats' 3rd possession in the 1st half, Tre Hart on their 2nd drive of the 2nd half, and Bryson Powers on their 3rd drive in the 2nd half.

Again, it was a tough showing for the defense, but they did get 2 stops on interceptions from Matt Swalm on Westlake's first possession of the game, and one from Brandt Redden in the 2nd half. They also had a bit of bad luck as Chaps receivers somehow made grabs against some really good defending.

Yes, the Cats lost all 4 games, but state champions aren't decided in July, without pads, and with 7 players a side. Would it have been nice to see them win one? Of course. I'm sure the guys left this weekend wondering what they could have done to win those games, because all of them were closely contested. They were unlucky to leave winless.

Also, just because they went 0-4, doesn't mean that their weekend was devoid of any encouraging signs. Here are three guys who really stood out to me:

C.J. Jones has made himself one to watch for in the coming seasons. Only a sophomore, Jones gave Wildcat fans a glimpse of what he can do on the gridiron, especially during the spring game. Another sophomore, Bryson Powers is new to the program; his father is one of the new assistant coaches. Simply put, Bryson's a player. This was the first time I've seen him on the field and I came away extremely impressed. He was sure-handed and looked to make things happen every time he got his hands on the ball. Michael Wirt, making the switch to corner after playing receiver for 3 years, looked like he made a seamless transition to the other side of the ball. He had the interception in the 1st game and had a very solid weekend.

Now, after a week of SAC camp and a 1-week grace period following its conclusion, the real fun begins. Despite their showing in College Station this past weekend, it's shaping up to be another fun season for the Cy Woods Wildcats.