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| Aggies Claim 4th Tourney Title |
| Sevens - Collegiate Sevens |
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Texas A&M won the final tournament of the Allied 7s series Saturday in Dallas, going 4-0 with wins Texas, Sam Houston, and two over Texas Tech. The Aggies beat Tech 26-5 in the first round of pool play and 42-12 in the tournament final. The win gives A&M its fourth tournament title in four attempts this fall – the ARC events in Norman, Austin and Dallas, as well as the SEC tournament in Alabama. Texas A&M has lost just one game in all four tournaments, to Colorado State in pool play Oct. 6. The Aggies crushed every opponent in Dallas, except for Texas. They had to overcome some poor restarts to squeak past the Longhorns 19-12. Texas A&M has been winning lately with two of their best players out with injury – Brian Guillen and Jan Young. Young will remain on the shelf until 15s, but Guillen's hamstring could well be good enough come time for 7s Nationals. “That’s why I’m really excited about how the boys have been playing,” A&M coach Brett Mills said. One of the youngsters who have stepped up in the absence of the lost stars is Danny Amsler. He is playing in Guillen’s place and scored a key try in the win over Texas. Another up and comer who has been playing well is Matt Theodore. “The kid is absolutely tenacious on defense, and he’s got really good skills,” said Mills of Theodore. “He was a high school player, and I tell you what, he comes to play every day, so he’s really good.” A&M is set to host Nationals for the second year in a row at the end of the month, and Mills thinks the team will be better prepared to do well in the event than last year. “I think our 7s program, the guys all bought into all the work we’re trying to do. I’ll be honest, last year we had a couple of guys that weren’t 7s players,” he said. “I think what the difference is we have a lot of depth, but everybody’s a 7s player. No matter who we put in they’re doing a great job for us. We really have seen no let up when our reserves go in, and that’s been a huge deal. The JV’s won three tournaments in a row, too, so we’ve got some kids on that squad that could easily slide into varsity.” Pool Play |
