The Abilene Cooper Cougars headline a list of eight Big Country-area high school football programs that have punched their ticket to the 2026 Texas high school football State 7-on-7 Tournament.
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The Cougars – who are back at the state tournament for the first time since 2024 – will be making their second appearance at the state 7-on-7 tournament since 2018 alongside seven other Big Country football programs: Stephenville, Sweetwater, Albany, De Leon, Goldthwaite, Hawley and Hico.
Each of those teams earned their way to the state tournament by winning or placing at a State Qualifying Tournament.
State Qualifying Tournaments are held throughout the Lone Star State each summer, and teams that place at a 7-on-7 State Qualifying Tournament earn a spot at the state 7-on-7 tournament from Thursday, June 25, through Saturday, June 27, in College Station.
SQTs can vary in size, though, ranging from eight to 32 teams per site. SQTs also vary by the number of available state tournament bids.
State qualifying tournaments with 32 teams send the top three to state, while SQTs with 16 and eight-team fields have two and one state tournament bids up for grabs, respectively.
Additionally, competition at the State 7-on-7 Tournament is divided into three divisions.
Division I contains all the Class 5A and 6A UIL teams that reached the state tournament, as well as all SPC and TAPPS Division I private schools.
Division II consists of 4A DI, 4A DII and 3A DI UIL schools as well as all other private schools.
Division III is made up of UIL schools competing in 3A DII or below in football.
Abilene Cooper will head to the State 7-on-7 Tournament as the Big Country’s lone representative in the Division I field after the Cougars defeated Fort Worth Brewer, Lubbock Monterey, Odessa High and the Cooper JV team to win Pool A at the Abilene State Qualifying Tournament on Friday at Shotwell Stadium.
El Paso Eastlake claimed the Abilene SQTs other state tournament bid after winning Pool B over Abilene High, Abilene Wylie, Del Rio and Midland High.
Abilene Cooper will be making its 17th appearance in school history at the State 7-on-7 Tournament.
The Stephenville Yellow Jackets and the Sweetwater Mustangs are set to join Cooper at the State 7-on-7 Tournament as the Big Country’s Division II representatives.
Stephenville – fresh off an undefeated season and its seventh UIL football state championship in school history – will be making its eighth all-time appearance at the State 7-on-7 Tournament this summer.
It marks the Jackets’ first appearance at the State 7-on-7 Tournament since a streak of six consecutive trips from 2005 to 2010.
Sweetwater will be making its State 7-on-7 Tournament debut.
Finally, five premier Big Country-area Class 2A football programs will be competing for the Division III title at the State 7-on-7 Tournament.
Albany, De Leon, Goldthwaite and Hawley will all be making their first trip to the State 7-on-7 Tournament this summer.
Hico, meanwhile, will be making its return to the state tournament for the first time since 2003.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Cooper among Big Country State 7-on-7 football qualifiers