As late as March this year, Clifton sophomore Zach Thiele was looking for playing time wherever he could find it.

Starting today, he’ll be the first Clifton quarterback ever to lead the Cubs into the state 7-on-7 football tournament.

Along with Clifton, Central Texas is sending six other teams to College Station to compete in the annual 7-on-7 showpiece today through Saturday on the Texas A&M campus. Cameron Yoe, Clifton, Gatesville, Lorena, Reicher and Whitney will compete in Division II, which comprises TAPPS to 3A schools.

Each are in different four-team pools, which send the top two to Friday’s championship bracket and the bottom two into the consolation bracket.

Belton qualified as the area’s only 4A or 5A school in Division I, which crowns its champ Saturday.

Clifton, which had never qualified for the state 7-on-7 tourney before this year, had a rough time hanging on to quarterbacks this spring.

First, junior Kade Munden, last year’s backup, moved to China Spring in March. Thiele and Cortland Dutschmann split reps during Clifton’s 7-on-7 qualifying cycle as a result.

The system worked. With Dutschmann and Thiele taking two sets per game apiece, Clifton qualified by winning the Whitney tournament. On the way there, the Cubs won a David-and-Goliath battle, 42-36, against Fort Worth All Saints in the semifinal.

In doing so they bested Virginia Tech pledge T.J. Millweard, Texas Football magazine’s first-team Super Team quarterback. He’s the first private-schooler at that position in 52 years.

“The kids played well above their heads,” Clifton 7-on-7 coach Chris Smith said.

Another move shook the foundations again. Clifton was dealt a second blow when Dutschmann moved to Valley Mills little more than a week ago. So now Thiele, who hasn’t had the luxury of starting an entire game, is the guy headed forward for 7-on-7 and, conceivably, beyond as well.

“It’s just going to be very exciting,” Smith said. “I don’t even know if they know how exciting it’s going to be right now.”

Aside from Yoe, which lost to Brownwood in the championship game, Gatesville had the best finish for an area team at the 7-on-7 tournament last year. The Hornets were 2-1 in pool play and fizzled out in the final eight in a 27-20 loss to three-time defending champ Celina.

New QB at Gatesville

There is only one holdover on offense from the Hornets’ quarterfinal team. Junior Cole Edmiston, who was a receiver last year, took over for Jake Truss under center in the offseason and led Gatesville to a state bid in its first qualifier in Lorena.

Edmiston saw little time at quarterback last fall, and while he says the learning curve is steep, it hasn’t stopped him from developing an encouraging rapport with five new receivers. He’ll be flanked by glue-handed Tyler Janes, the agile Marqueese Phillips and an able surrounding cast.

“I love it,” Edmiston said. “This is where I’ve always wanted to play. Last year I didn’t have a problem helping the team out, but of course I love it. You feel like you have control over everything.”

Yoe is attempting to duplicate its success here from 2010, when the Yoemen won seven straight games before losing in the final seconds in the title game. It was an eerie precursor to their loss to Daingerfield in the 2A state title game five months later.

Lauded signal caller Jack Rhoades is gone, replaced by the two-headed dragon of senior Lorenzo Anderson and sophomore Jason Kopriva. Yoe has to refresh the ranks after losing a supremely talented senior class, but senior receiver D.D. Westbrook should continue to baffle opposing secondaries this week.

Lorena, which went undefeated during qualifying, had to like its pool on first glance. Edna is a 2A school, Turkey Valley plays six-man and Beaumont Kelly is a TAPPS program that won four games last year. The Leopards have never advanced to the championship bracket.

Reicher and Whitney both enter the tournament with the benefit of incumbent quarterbacks, a huge plus in this event.

Reicher’s Blake Waggoner and Whitney’s Dillon Hightower enjoyed solid statistical seasons last year, and Waggoner in particular will have familiar faces everywhere he turns this week.

In addition to 6-5 tight end Jordan Smith, Waggoner will look to 6-4 Lincoln Plsek and spidery quick Brandon Dwyer.

wparchman@wacotrib.com

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