The eight pools for the 32-team 7-on-7 Division II state tournament were revealed Monday morning, with the event scheduled for Thursday, June 24 and Friday, June 25 at College Station’s Veteran Park and Athletic Complex.
The Lions, who are making their 21st consecutive trip to state, find themselves in Pool F along with Argyle, Hamshire-Fannett and The Woodlands Christian.
Argyle is the reigning Class 4A Division I state champion following a 16-0 campaign in 2020. Hamshire-Fannett tallied a 3-6 record in 2020, including a 1-5 league mark, as a member of District 11-4A Division II. The Woodlands Christian finished with a 4-4 record last season, including a 3-2 mark in TAPPS Division II District 4. Brownwood finished with a 4-6 mark in 2020 and reached the playoffs for a 12th consecutive season.
The Lions will face Argyle at 1:45 p.m. Thursday, The Woodlands Christian at 3:15 p.m. and Hamshire-Fannett at 4:45 p.m. Field assignments will be released later in the week.
Based on the pool play results, a bracket will be formulated and all 32 teams will then compete in a single elimination championship tournament starting at 8:45 a.m. Friday.
The rest of the Division II pools are as follows:
Pool A: China Spring, Dumas, Hitchcock, Texarkana Pleasant Grove
Pool B: Carthage, El Campo, Melissa, Whitney
Pool C: Celina, Lorena, Needville, Pleasanton
Pool D: Breckenridge, Jourdanton, Kaufman, Lake Belton
Pool E: Austin LBJ, Cuero, Jim Ned, Tyler Chapel Hill
Pool G: Little River-Academy, Midlothian Heritage, Paris, Somerset
Pool H: Graham, LaFeria, Silsbee, Wimberley
In a change to recent years, the field has been trimmed in half from 64 teams to 32 teams. Part of the reason is the creation of the Division III field – also consisting of 32 teams – which is made up of Class 3A Division II schools and smaller. Division II is made up of Class 4A Division I, 4A Division II, and 3A Division I programs. Division I, which features Class 5A and 6A schools, remains a 64-team event.
The Lions qualified for state following a 3-0 performance at the Jim Ned state qualifier on June 11. Brownwood defeated Stephenville, 26-24, in the semifinals to advance after knocking off Sanger, 32-13, and Clyde, 28-14, in pool play action. Prior to the Jim Ned qualifier, the Lions had posted a 4-8 overall record in four previous tournaments.
Brownwood won the 7-on-7 Division II state championship in 2010.