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The 7-on-7 football state tournament has been around for 11 seasons, but it will be a new experience for Beeville and Rice Consolidated.

Beeville and Rice Consolidated have qualified for the 7-on-7 state tournament for the first time and will be part of the 64-team field competing on the campus of Texas A&M in College Station.

Rice Consolidated will play in the Division II (Class 1A-3A) tournament, which gets under way Thursday.

Beeville will take part in the Division I (Class 4A-5A) tournament, which begins Friday.

The Trojans secured a berth in the state tournament by finishing second at the Mission tournament.

“The good thing is the kids are out there running and catching and defending,” Beeville coach Chris Soza said. “We line up in our regular spread offense and we get to run that. It’s good practice for us. It’s plays we run during the season. The repetition helps us get our timing down.”

The Raiders clinched a spot in the state tournament by finishing second at the Cuero tournament.

“This is a big deal for us,” Rice Consolidated coach Brad Dumont said. “It’s allowed us to be around the kids a lot this summer. A lot of it has been repetition, which is good for the young kids in our system. They learn the terminology and they get more reps. It’s continuous, which is good for conditioning. It’s a good workout for the guys.”

Rice Consolidated will play three pool games and one bracket game Thursday in an attempt to make Friday’s Division II championship round.

“We’re looking at it as a reward for our kids,” Dumont said. “For our kids, it’s like a vacation for some of them.”

Beeville will play three pool games Friday and will advance to either the Division I championship or consolation round on Saturday.

“Our kids get to bond,” Soza said. “It will bring the team closer together. This is new for us. It’s been a good experience all the way around.”

The championship games for both divisions will be played at Kyle Field.

NOTES: The best finish at the state tournament by an area team was in 2005 when Bay City advanced to the championship game before losing to Baytown Lee.