Pflugerville Defeats Stony Point in Round Rock 7on7 SQT
16 teams converged on the Round Rock, Texas area Saturday looking to earn a spot in the 2010 7on7 State Tournament. In the end it was Pflugerville and Stony Point, the top two teams, coming away with the state tournament berths after facing off in the finals. Pflugerville held on for the 28-21 win after turning back Stony Point with a goal line stand with just seconds to go. “I thought the kids played well and they were very intense The leader on offense, Alex Dean, the kids respond well to him. On defense, Alex Matlock the free safety, they respond well to him as well”, said coach James Matlock.
Pflugerville got off to a solid start as they opened the day matched up against an athletic Harker Heights team and came out on top by a score of 32-12. The defense played well and really set the tone as they did a good job shutting down the Harker Heights offense. The Pflugerville offense moved the ball relatively well and showed why many believe the Panthers will make a deep run in the playoffs this upcoming season as they enjoyed some success early in the tournament by putting up 32 points in their opening game of the day.
The Panthers took on host team Vista Ridge in the second game of pool play and had a pretty good challenge on their hands. Vista Ridge was looking to bounce back from a 28-7 loss at the hands of McNeil and they knew the challenge would be a tough one going up against Pflugerville but they showed signs of improvement as they made the Panthers work hard to stay undefeated. The Panthers responded by outscoring the Rangers by six points to come away with a 26-20 win.
McNeil was next up for Pflugerville and they had the upper hand most of the way until the Panther defense stepped up with a huge interception to seize the momentum. The battle between these two rivalries had plenty of intensity as both teams looked to stay undefeated and move on to the semi-finals. In the end Pflugerville managed to hold of a determined McNeil team and come out on top 24-21.
The Panthers squared off with Marble Falls in the semi-finals and struggled in the early going. Marble Falls scored early and held the Panthers offense in check in the early going before Pflugerville started moving the ball. The Panthers had some trouble with some of the larger Marble Falls receivers in the first half but managed to make some adjustments defensively as their offense started clicking and put some points on the board. “We put in a couple of packages (offensively). We have our speed package and then we have our regular package”, said Matlock. Pflugerville kept their undefeated day intact as they claimed a 26-20 victory and a spot in the finals against cross town rival Stony Point.
The finals were just what anyone would expect out of two very successful teams that were looking to come away undefeated and claim bragging rights. Neither team would let the other get to far out in front as they played with a high level of intensity. Pflugerville managed to take a lead into the final couple of minutes before Stony Point moved the ball inside the 10 yard line with just seconds left on the clock. The Panthers would bend but refused to break as they swarmed the Tigers receivers to deny another Stony Point touchdown in the final seconds to win by a score of 28-21.
“Defense is all about finishing. What I was telling these guys was they need to finish. They need to come and respond to the ball. Just because the ball is in the air doesn’t mean the play is over”, said Matlock. “Stony Point, they are a strong team. They have several D-1 players that are going to do some great things”.
“I am just out there making sure they stay focused and they are very ready. Their very athletic and more importantly they are very smart so they are a very good team. What I did is fun for me just coming our here and giving them a little guidance an letting them go. I love football. Being a guy who played in high school and the collegiate level, I love the game. I brought two kids up through this program. My youngest is going to be a senior, Alex Matlock. The game is fun, it is always fun so any guy that has a well paid coaching job, you know, he has a dream job”, he said.
Pool A
Game 1: Westwood 24 vs. DeValle 31
Game2: Temple 13 vs. Marble Falls 27
Game 3: Westwood 40 vs. Temple 34
Game 4: DeValle 30 vs. Marble Falls 31
Game 5: Westwood 33 vs. Marble Falls 35
Game 6 DeValle 26 vs. Temple 33
MARBLE FALLS ADVANCES TO SEMI-FINALS
Pool B
Game 1: Vista Ridge 7 vs. McNeil 28
Game 2: Pflugerville 32 vs. Harker Heights 12
Game 3: Vista Ridge 20 vs. Pflugerville 26
Game 4: McNeil 20- vs. Harker Heights 19
Game 5: Vista Ridge 32 vs. Harker Heights 28
Game 6: McNeil 21 vs. Pflugerville 24
PFLUGERVILLE ADVANCES TO SEMI-FINALS
Pool C
Game 1: Round Rock 7 vs. Copperas Cove 12
Game 2: Benham 26 vs. Abilene Cooper 27
Game 3: Round Round 19 vs. Brenham 20
Game 4: Copperas Cove 19 vs. Abilene Cooper 34
Game 5: Round Rock 27 vs. Abilene Cooper 26
Game 6: Copperas Cove 20 vs. Brenham 27
ABILENE COOPER ADVANCES TO SEMI-FINALS
Pool D
Game 1: Cedar Park 24 vs. Bastrop 39
Game 2: Belton 20 vs. Stony Point 25
Game 3: Cedar Park 28 vs. Belton 21
Game 4: Bastrop 39 vs. Stony Point 50
Game 5 Cedar Park 26 vs. Stony Point 32
Game 6: Bastrop 48 vs. Belton 26
STONY POINT ADVANCES TO SEMI-FINALS
Semi-Finals
Marble Falls 20 vs. Pflugerville 26
Abilene Cooper 32 vs. Stony Point 46
Finals
Pflugerville 28 vs. Stony Point 21
