BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Edcouch-Elsa’s eighth appearance at the 2018 Adidas Texas 7-on-7 Championships on Friday in College Station did not go according to plan.
The Yellow Jackets competed in Pool O and went winless in its three pool play games against Houston Heights, Little Elm and Austin Westlake.
“When you come out here and you play top competition, you’ve got to bring your A-game,” Edcouch-Elsa 7-on-7 coach John Maldonado said. “These kinds of teams will make you pay for your mistakes, and that’s exactly what happened to us.”
Sandwiched between E-E’s 37-13 loss to Houston Heights and a 48-28 defeat to Austin Westlake was a competitive matchup with Little Elm, a school approximately 35 miles northwest of Dallas.
“We were scoring, and our defense kept us in the game against Little Elm,” Maldonado said. “We picked them off on one possession, but then they would pick us off when we had the ball. Mistakes like the turnovers, not converting first downs or penalties here and there kept us from capitalizing on their turnovers. We had a lead around the five-to-seven minute mark of the second half. I feel like we gave that game away.”
Little Elm downed Edcouch-Elsa 25-15 in the second game, dropping the Yellow Jackets to 0-3. E-E was the lone 7-on-7 team in Pool O to not finish the day with a 2-1 record.
Edcouch-Elsa will move on to the consolation bracket, where it will meet Alamo Heights this morning.
“This has been a great experience for us,” Maldonado said. “There were a lot of mismatches against us, but we competed. We saw Alamo Heights, and they brought their A-game. It won’t be an easy game against them, because those kids can ball.”
McAllen Rowe also failed to earn a win in three games of Division I action Friday. The Warriors lost to Vista Ridge, Clear Brook and Kaufman. The Woodlands will meet McAllen Rowe this morning.