Terry Cookston
Rockwall and Rockwall-Heath 7-on-7 football teams will be attempting to claim the two state qualifying berths from the Rockwall State Qualifying Tournament on Saturday.
Only the top-2 teams from each of 32 qualifying tournaments around the state advance to the State 7-on-7 Championships at the Penberthy Intramural Fields on the Texas A&M; University campus on July 10th and 11th.
The Jackets and Hawks are still vying for tickets to College Station and will have the advantage of home field atmospheres in the last scheduled tournament for both teams.
Sixteen teams will compete in four pools of four teams each with play beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Pool A will consist of Rockwall, Mansfield Legacy, Arlington Lamar and Community and will play at the Kyle Street Track Field.
Pool B is made up of Rowlett, Lakeview, Midlothian and Lewisville and will compete at the RHS Grass Field.
Pool C will feature Rockwall-Heath, Garland, Tyler Lee and Arlington Seguin at the RHHS Turf Field.
Pool D is made up of Allen, Plano, Wylie and Naaman Forest and games will be played at Wylie High School.
The four pool winners will advance to the championship rounds at the Kyle Street Track Field, with the two semifinal winners automatically picking up the state qualifying berths.
In Rockwall League play on Tuesday Rockwall just missed a victory over undefeated Wylie that would have set up a 3-way tie with Wylie, Rockwall and Lakeview heading into the final week. But, the Pirates edged the Jackets 33-32 and will take a 6-0 record into the final Tuesday, with Lakeview at 5-1 and Rockwall at 4-2.
RHS knocked off the Rockwall JV 62-0 in Tuesday's opener. Will Beasley hauled in three TDs, Luke Wardell pulled down two, Adam Dingwell caught one and Hunter Stevens added one to spark the varsity offense.
Michael Carson picked off three interceptions, including a 37-yard touchdown return to lead the defense. D'Andre Mitchell also grabbed an interception in the dominating varsity victory.
Against Wylie the Jackets fell behind 12-8 at halftime, but closed to 33-32 with a 24-21 second half. Dingwell connected with Beasley for three scores and with Ben Johnson for one, but the Jackets would still come up 1-point short.
Rockwall State Qualifying Tournament
At RHS, RHHS and Wylie
Pool A (Kyle Street Track Field)
Rockwall, Mansfield Legacy, Arlington Lamar, Community
Pool B (RHS Grass Field)
Rowlett, Lakeview, Midlothian, Lewisville
Pool C (RHHS Turf Field)
Rockwall-Heath, Garland, Tyler Lee, Arlington Seguin
Pool D (Wylie High School)
Allen, Plano, Wylie, Naaman Forest
