or the first time in five years the Pflugerville High football team will be represented when the state 7-on-7 football tournament kicks off at Texas A&M University on Friday afternoon.

The Panthers won the Round Rock qualifier earlier this summer, beating Stony Point in the title game and earning the chance to play this weekend.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Panther Alex Matlock said. “The 7-on-7 state tournament is not something Pflugerville is used to qualifying for.”

The fact that the Panthers, a traditionally run-heavy team, are competing in this passing tournament is indeed a rarity. The last time Pflugerville qualified was in 2004 and, coincidentally, Matlock’s brother James, was a part of that team.

“He’s always had one leg up on me,” Matlock said. “Hopefully we won’t just qualify but also make the championship in the process.”

The team is comprised of Kyle Hoffman, Matlock, Alex Dean, Sammy Flowers, Storm Woods, Julian Ward, Chris Hicks, Jordan Moon, Jimmy Hines, Elvin Illoka, Carlos Santa Cruz, Dante Jackson, Jamaree Love, Skody Robertson, Javon Artis, Rashard Montgomery, Nathan Mcallum, Bryan Illoka and Devonte Brussard. Woods said that getting the chance to play was not the only thing the group was looking for.

“It feels real good,” he said. “But we don’t just want to qualify. We want to go up there and do something. We want to win it.”

The feeling that this year’s team can make a big splash on the biggest high school football stage the summer offers is a sentiment shared by Matlock.

“Every game we go in to, whether a regular game or seven on seven I believe we are the most talented team,” Matlock said. “I think we can make a run for the championship.”

Woods added that the team’s hard work over the past month will be an integral part of their potential success.

“I expect to win it,” he said. “We’ve been practicing three times a week and the practices are more intense. I think more guys want it. We want to win the whole thing.”

Matlock feels that as long as the team stays together, then the success they seek will not be hard to find.

“As long as we play as a team, we’ll be good,” he said.

For his part, Woods believes the key lies on the talented arm of Panther quarterback Alex (Junior) Dean.

“If Junior’s on, we can’t be beat,” he added.

The FOX Sports Southwest 7-on-7 State Championship presented by adidas and Academy Sports & Outdoors kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday on the intramural fields at Texas A&M. The championship game will be played Saturday at 5 p.m. on Kyle Field.

High School Sports Spotlight, FOX Sports Southwest’s weekly program devoted entirely to Texas high school sports, will recap the tournament with scores and highlights on July 18 at 4:30 p.m. In addition, “Under the