The streak is alive and well. But there’s nothing like waiting for the last possible chance to do it.
Colleyville Heritage moved its streak of appearing in the Division I State 7-on-7 tournament to 12 when it won the state qualifying tournament last weekend at Arlington Bowie. The tournament marked the last weekend teams could qualify for the July 11-12 event, annually held in College Station.
Colleyville Heritage coach John Furin, who serves as a consultant or the squad, said the Panthers are one of two teams which have qualified for the tournament in every year of its existence. The Panthers won the 2006 championship.
"It’s a sense of pride for us, because this means something to the program," Furin said. "We feel like this is a good thing for everybody involved."
At Bowie’s tournament, the Panthers swept went 3-0 in their pool against Midlothian, Arlington Seguin and Aledo. They clinched their automatic berth by defeating Arlington Sam Houston in the semifinals.
The key was the play of senior quarterback Steven Hill. It did not look like he would be able to play, because he was in Arizona at a summer baseball tournament. However, the tournament ended early and Hill returned to join the team. There were big weekends by Steve Smith, James Skinner and Brandon DeFrance.
At state qualifiers, the top two teams earn berths into the field. That made the championship game against Arlington Martin somewhat anti-climatic. However, winning the tournament meant a lot in terms of tournament seedings.
The Panthers handled the Warriors to make it a perfect afternoon. The defense collected at least five interceptions during the tournament.
"A lot of our games were low-scoring, so a lot of good things happened on defense," Furin said. "I think from an intelligence standpoint, the more we get to know each other, the better off we’re going to be."
Talk About a Streak
When it comes to one-day 7-on-7 tournaments, Colleyville Heritage can’t be beat. Besides going 5-0 at its state squalifier tournament last week, the Panthers also went 5-0 in a one-day tournament June 18 at their high school. They defeated Arlington Bowie in the championship game.
That makes 10 consecutive wins.
Playing in the Hurst L.D. Bell tournament is a little different. Because the league has been held on Thursdays, it’s been difficult for the Panthers to have all of their starters available. Thus, the record has suffered.
The final Thursday of the league is July 10. With the conflict of the state tournament, coach John Furin said he anticipates using a sub-varsity team on the league’s last day.
"The best thing is for our varsity starters to have as much rest as possible, have them ready for the tournament," he said. "We want to be as fresh as possible."