BURNETT — The Taylor High School football team will have another chance this weekend to qualify for the state 7-on-7 football tournament.
The Ducks will compete in the Burnett High School State Qualifying Tournament on Saturday, June 1.
Head coach and athletic director Erven Flowers said the approach is to focus on preparing for the upcoming fall football season rather than 7-on-7 qualifiers.
“We're just trying to develop our players and give them an opportunity to practice competitively, not just scrimmage,” Flowers said. “If we qualify, that's great, but we're really focused on making our kids better.”
During the tournament, eight teams will compete for one qualifying spot.
There will be two pools of four teams each. Each team will play against three other teams to determine two pool winners.
The winner of the two pools will receive the bid.
Taylor will open play against Llano at 9:45 a.m., take on China Spring at 11:15 a.m. and finish pool play against Lago Vista at 12:35 p.m.
“Last year's team went to the state qualifying tournament,” Flowers said. “Obviously the kids want to achieve that, but I think they have to focus on the bigger picture.”
Similar to the tournament in LaGrange on May 11, Taylor plans to rotate many of his players throughout the tournament.
Flowers said the program lost 28 seniors to graduation, so the younger players need to gain experience whenever they can.
“We're not trying to win 7-on-7,” Flowers said, “we're trying to get better, have quality practices and know what we're doing, so when Aug. 5 comes around, we don't have to teach as much.”
Taylor went 1-2 in the last qualifying tournament. The team will co-host another tournament with Rockdale on Saturday, June 15.
