‘No replacement for reps’: Abilene High Eagles growing en route to state 7-on-7 tournament

For the first time since 2018, Abilene High is headed to the state 7-on-7 tournament.

The Eagles clinched their spot a few weeks ago when they beat Frisco Reedy 20-6 at the Abilene state qualifying tournament.

The Division I (Classes 6A and 5A) state 7-on-7 tournament begins Friday in College Station.

Abilene High will be in Pool K, which includes Willis, Dripping Springs and Mesquite Horn. Pool teams play each other; the top two teams move to the championship bracket, while the third and fourth-place teams go to the consolation bracket.

“We’re just going to have to do what we’ve been doing, which is execute and make plays, drive by drive,” Abilene High 7-on-7 coach Colby Hartfield said.

Plenty of reps

The secondary is one of the most experienced units on Abilene High’s football team. With players such as Noah Hatcher, Kwame Collins and Jayson Henley, among others, the Eagles are loaded with returning talent in that position group.

There are no run plays in 7-on-7, so this plays into the Warbirds’ strength and helps the defensive backs grow in a different situation.

“It’s really nice, being able to work on my technique against high-level players, day in and day out,” Collins said.

That’s not the only area in which Abilene High is improving. 7-on-7 has allowed junior quarterback Dylan Slack to form a connection with his receivers.

Slack started for the AHS junior varsity squad a year ago, and is confident that the summer has prepared him to play quarterback at the varsity level.

“It’s nice because we get to form a chemistry together,” Slack said.

Hartfield, also the offensive coordinator of Abilene High’s 11-man football team, applauded the performance of both his veteran players and newcomers throughout the summer.

“They went out and earned it,” Hartfield said. “To see all those young guys be able to take a step, that’s probably what I’m most proud of. That’s going to allow us to gain some confidence and momentum for the 11-man season.”

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Building morale

In addition to sharpening technique and becoming stronger, 7-on-7 gives the players a chance to grow as teammates and friends.

Collins said the team’s chemistry helped the Eagles navigate through a tough field of opponents to qualify for state.

“We stuck together through hard times and made it through. We earned it,” Collins said.

But it’s not just during games where the players strengthen their bond. They use practices, workouts and time between games to grow as friends.

“Even sitting there, watching the other games, it’s a really fun bonding experience,” Slack said.

Abilene High is coming off a strong 11-man season.

The Eagles went 7-4 overall and 5-1 in district play. The Eagles won their last four regular season games before falling 31-27 to El Paso Eastwood in the first round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs.

This year, AHS will reclassify to 5A Division I, where the Eagles will face strong teams such as Amarillo Tascosa, Amarillo High and Lubbock Cooper.

Between the onfield improvement and increased team chemistry, Hartfield is confident the Eagles will be even more cohesive when the 2022 season rolls around.

“I think the thing that we like to do is play complimentary football,” Hartfield said. “Our defense leads our team and we have a bunch of young guys on offense that are trying to prove themselves. Having this 7 on 7 has given them some confidence going into the fall that they can make plays against other varsity defenses.”

Goals for the tourney

But before that, every player on the 7-on-7 roster wants to represent Abilene High well at state.

The Eagles will play three strong programs in their pool, but Hartfield likes the draw. The coach said those three squads play similar styles to some of Abilene High’s recent opponents.

“I think that will help us out,” Hartfield said.

He also is glad AHS landed an afternoon pool, rather than playing in the morning.

“We’ve typically played better in the afternoon,” Hartfield said.

Several players said their goal is to win Pool K. To do that, they will have to take things one game at a time.

“We just have to focus on each other and go 1-0 every game,” Hatcher said.

The overarching goal is to win. But Hartfield hopes the state tournament weekend is similar to their earlier tournaments, where they improved as a team while having fun.

“I just want our kids to go out and have fun and compete,” Hartfield said. “They worked hard to get to this point. As long as we stay together and work hard, I think the results are going to kind of speak for themselves.”

Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to reporternews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene High Eagles growing en route to state 7-on-7 tournament