The Woodlands Falls In 5 Overtime Thriller At State 7-On-7

COLLEGE STATION, TX — Neither team gave an inch in a marathon game, but The Woodlands couldn't convert on a 2-point attempt in the fifth overtime and came up just short against Katy Tompkins at the Texas State 7-on-7 Championships.

The Highlanders lost a 34-32 thriller against Tompkins, ending their run in the Division I championship bracket in the second round Saturday at Veterans Park.

The Woodlands and Tompkins played to a defensive 13-13 draw in regulation and matched each other for four overtimes. Tompkins went up 34-26 after its possession in the fifth overtime, and the Highlanders came right back and scored a touchdown to make it 34-32. Senior quarterback Justin Sheldon's pass on the two-point conversion fell incomplete, sending Tompkins to the quarterfinals and knocking The Woodlands out of the tournament.

The Woodlands went 3-2 at the state championships, including 2-1 in group play Friday to finish second in Pool B behind Colleyville Heritage. The Highlanders cruised to a 27-14 win over Midland Lee in the first round of the championship bracket.

Both Sheldon and sophomore quarterback Mabrey Mettauer played significant time in the tournament, which The Woodlands head football coach Jim Rapp said was valuable experience heading into the fall.

"We're rotating two quarterbacks and giving them both opportunities to mature and get better," Rapp said Friday. "In a football season, you may play with multiple quarterbacks, so you get those guys equal reps and opportunities. They've both done a good job."

Lewisville Hebron won the state championship, beating Lake Travis 28-26 in the final. Denton Guyer won the consolation bracket with a 40-20 win over Cy-Fair in the final.

Grand Oaks wraps first state appearance

Grand Oaks fell to Houston Lamar 19-12 in the first round of the consolation bracket to end its first appearance at the state 7-on-7 tournament.

The Grizzlies went 1-3 in the tournament and missed out on the championship bracket by one point in a tiebreaker.

It was a solid showing for Grand Oaks, which played its first UIL schedule last season, finishing fifth in 13-6A and one spot out of the state playoffs in a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the first playoff-eligible season with a full, unaltered offseason program, which includes 7-on-7, for the Grizzlies.

"Last year surpassed all of our expectations," Grand Oaks head football coach Mike Jackson said Friday. "If we could do anything over, we wanted to have 7-on-7, and obviously we couldn't because of the pandemic. We felt like if anything hurt us, it was not having that throwing and catching component."