COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Plano and 7-on-7 football, once upon a time, meshed like oil and water.
MIKE STONE / Special to DMN
Plano quarterback Carson Meger (left) will run less and pass more this fall.
It's an era incoming senior Carson Meger now laughs at. Plano, which once prided itself on a run-dominated offensive attack, has become one of the state's top passing threats.
It showed that prowess during three pool-play performances Friday at the FSN Southwest 7-on-7 state tournament at Texas A&M.
Plano beat Tomball, Pleasanton and Houston Stratford to take the top seed in its pool of the Division I (large school) bracket.
"The tradition of Plano with the old power I, that's gone now," said Meger, who passed for more than 3,300 yards as a junior. "We've got a lot of good athletes, and we felt the spread would work out better with the type of athletes we have."
Plano faces Wichita Falls today in a first-round match.
Richland on a mission: Richland, considered a dark horse by some, went undefeated in pool play and will face Rockwall-Heath in a first-round championship-bracket game today. A title would be a welcomed confidence boost for Richland, which went 5-5 last fall.
"I'm not going to lie, it's important to us," Richland 7-on-7 coach Joel Ornelas said. "We came in here knowing we have a chance. I'm not saying we're the best, but if we play our game the way we've been playing, I like our chances against anybody."
Briefly: Arlington Bowie and Hebron joined Plano and Richland as the area's undefeated teams through pool play. Bowie faces Georgetown, and Hebron faces Class 4A Mercedes today. ... Crane beat Navasota, 38-27, to win the Division II (small school) championship. Crane lost to Celina in last year's Division II final.
