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First time's a charm: Plano qualifies for 7-on-7 state tourney
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
From May 21 to June 25, a trip to the 7-on-7 State Tournament is firmly in the crosshairs of the football populace.
And fortunately for Plano Senior, what has become an annual trip to College Station required just one run through a state qualifying tournament to secure.
That came from Frisco Liberty on May 28 where the Wildcats outlasted their four-team pool and advanced to the SQT finals, automatically procuring a berth in the July 15-16 state tourney.
Short on returners at skill positions entering the summer, a bevy of Wildcats were facing the varsity-level 7-on-7 game for the first time from Liberty. Any questions on what to expect were dashed during pool play where Plano managed a 3-0 sweep on the field to advance to the tourney semifinals. There, the Wildcats limited their opposition to just 17 points per contest, ousting Lake Dallas (24-12), Coppell (27-20) and Frisco Centennial (27-19). Defensively, Plano dissected the opposing passing attack with noted performances by Marcus Davis, Sean Oliver, Tyler Grant and Austin Connell.
"Our defense played incredible for that first time and all throughout the day," Stallings said. "By that third game (against Centennial), our offense really began to gel."
The clash against the Cowboys, the squad that eliminated the Wildcats from the postseason in 2010, required a trip past regulation as Plano staved off an overtime push by Coppell to snag the win.
"[Coppell] got the ball first in overtime," Stallings said. "We managed to stop them down at fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard-line. Then we went, took it in and scored on our second play."
The pool play sweep paved the way for a semifinal clash with Frisco Wakeland. There, the Wildcats built a stout lead they carried into the half only to watch the Wolverines steadily narrow the deficit. But in the end, the Wildcats' gaudiest offensive showing of the afternoon equated a 34-27 victory. It meant a strong showing from quarterback Richard Lagow, complemented by the receiving threats of Anthony Antwine, Kevin Merrill, L.J. Ausama and Kevin Leamy.
"Richard had a great day overall," Stallings said. "He threw good passes, made good reads, was doing the right thing with the ball and if no one was open, he'd just throw it away."
With the tournament advancing the two SQT finalists for the state tournament, the Wakeland win was all the Wildcats needed to punch their ticket to College Station for the seventh consecutive season and ninth overall.
The only thing left in their path, winning the SQT, was a finals showdown against familiar foe and fellow state qualifier Plano West.
"The guys knew we had already qualified for state," Stallings said. "And a lot of times, they won't make you play those (finals) games; we haven't played many of those in the past, but West really wanted to play.
"We got gassed pretty good that game."
With the likes of Antwine absent from the game due to cramps built up throughout the day, Plano succumbed to its city rival in the form of a 28-25 loss, finishing the afternoon on a 4-1 slate.
With the summer season still young, Plano is showing no signs of slowing down in molding itself into a hopeful run at a 7-on-7 state championship. The team embarks on its second run through the SQT waters Saturday from Mesquite. In the meantime, the Wildcats will also begin play in a weekly 7-on-7 league on Wednesday nights where they will compete against alongside the Richardson-based triumvirate of Berkner, J.J. Pearce and Richardson.
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