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Date with state: Bobcats head to College Station for 7-on-7 tourney
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
After qualifying for the Division II FOX Sports Southwest 7-on-7 State Championship Tournament early in the summer, the Bobcats are finally making their way to College Station.
The team is set to leave this morning with a 2 p.m. contest against Eastland kicking off the tourney.
Although the offseason event gives coaches a good look at new faces and possible substitutes for vacant positions, Celina head coach Bill Elliott said the team has one goal on its mind during the two-day event.
The Bobcats have gone undefeated in 7-on-7 this summer and an efficient offense should give them a chance to knock off any team standing in their path.
“They feel good about their chances,” Elliott said. “They haven’t been beat all summer and they’ve played really well so far.”
Leading the offensive unit will be sophomore quarterback Nathan Elliott, who took over under center early in his freshman campaign. The sophomore has avoided costly turnovers thus far and continues to show marked improvement leading the offense.
“7-on-7 is an offensive game,” Coach Elliott said. “That’s what it’s designed for. You want to try and score every possession.”
One team that could stand in Celina’s way of a championship is perennial playoff-bound Stephenville. After moving from Class 4A to Class 3A this season, Stephenville became a major threat to its new competition.
“It’s tough to beat a team like Stephenville,” Elliott said. “They’re like one kid away from being a (Class) 4A team and they’ve had success almost every year.”
Another potential threat to the Bobcats is the heat that awaits them. With high temperatures and humidity levels throughout Texas, teams must be prepared for the harsh conditions.
“The team that can handle [the weather] the best usually ends up winning these things,” Elliott said.
That’s one aspect Elliott believes shouldn’t be a problem for his team.
“Our kids have done a great job with their conditioning this summer,” he said. “We’ve seen some great changes in the kids with their size, strength and speed.”
While success in 7-on-7 action hasn’t necessarily translated to the field for Celina, today’s games could give the Bobcats added momentum heading into the new season after starting last season with 11 straight wins.
“It’s huge,” Elliott said. “You can really build on something like that, especially if you can beat a team like Stephenville.”
Celina begins its state run at 2 p.m. against Eastland before playing games at 4 and 6 p.m. against Edna and Fort Stockton, respectively, to round out pool play. The top two teams from each pool will advance to Friday’s Championship Bracket while the bottom two will play in the Consolation Bracket.
“It’ll be a challenge for us for sure,” Elliott said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids playing in the tournament, so we’ll have to see how they do.”
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