New Boys of Summer?

Mark Ball is a big believer in 7-on-7, the beefed up version of touch football that is becoming a passage of summer for many high-schoolers. Ball, the Wylie football coach from 1997 to 2005 and now the athletic director of the Wylie ISD, is such a proponent that he's on the board of directors of the Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament. Wylie holds a 7-on-7 SQT (state qualifying tournament) each year, an event that has grown so big that the Pirates moved it to the SMU campus for 2008. "Sure it's not tackle football, but 7-on-7 is just fantastic for your program," Ball said. "It helps your offense so much yet at the same time the work your defense gets is just tremendous. Its good conditioning, builds confidence and the players learn to depend on themselves. The best thing about it is that your players are together having a good time, really building team spirit." Ball isn't the only coach or athletic director in Collin County that believes in 7-on-7. McKinney North operates a league, while several schools hold weekend tournaments and most schools field teams. In fact, Plano coach JayDon McCullough sees only one possible drawback to summer football. "As long as nobody gets hurt, there's nothing but plusses," he said. "It's just a great opportunity for your team to come together, bond and have some fun while getting better at football." Collin County isn't the only corner of America playing the formalized version of touch football. The University Interscholastic League, the sanctioning body of high school sports in Texas, gave its blessing to 7-on-7 in 1995. Last year a USA Today survey found that 7-on-7 was played in 42 states. Adidas and Nike sponsored national 7-on-7 tournaments last summer. In many states besides Texas, school coaches are even allowed to be in charge of the summer program. The move to 7-on-7 was partly fueled by high schools turning to pro-style passing offenses that require precision route running and accurate throwing. While Texas was once known for its ground-it-out style of play, it is now perhaps the top producer of collegiate quarterbacks in the nation. Seven-on-7 is about timing, timing, timing. In the past 10 years, the state 7-on-7 tournament has become a football fixture, with sponsorship by FSN Southwest and a big-time home in Texas A&M. McCullough is in his first year as head coach at Plano, but he witnessed the growth of 7-on-7 firsthand as a Wildcat assistant. Plano not only plays in weekend tournaments but also once a week in the McKinney North League. The Wildcats not only fielding varsity and JV teams but also send their big guys to partake in Linemen Challenge events such as sled pushing. Plano's 7-on-7 efforts have a four-member coaching staff consisting of parents and long-time supports of the football program. Plano staff members can't coach the 7-on-7 team in either practices or the games, but they show up at every activity. "I'm going to be there," said McCullough. "I want the players to see that I'm there. I want the players to know that I'm there for them." And assessing them. While McCullough is in his first season as head coach, he's familiar with the players since he was a Wildcat assistant. But he plans on using 7-on-7 as part of his evaluation process. "It's not tackle football, but there's lots of opportunities for a kid to get noticed," McCullough. "I like to see how kids react in the face of adversity, how they handle a heated situation. You want to see them tested at a high level. "The key is seeing them play at varsity speed. That's one of the things that is great about 7-on-7: the games are at a pretty intense level." At Allen, the Eagles use 7-on-7 in a less formal way to improve their game. The players go through strength and conditioning workouts each morning, then play intra-squad games of 7-on-7 much like the basketball team might spend its summers playing pick-up basketball games. Allen coach Tom Weterberg believes that if the Eagles play with intensity during their informal games of 7-on-7, they can develop the same skills as if they played in the Texas tournament system. And playing at home saves his team from weekend-long commitments and travel time. "We go to one or two tournaments and that's about it," said Westerberg. "We don't play in any kind of league. We don't push 7-on-7 as a big organized activity. I like to let the kids be kids and enjoy their summer." Not ever coach swears by summer 7-on-7, however. Frisco's Vance Gibson, for example, hasn't organized a team in the last couple of years. Most coaches like having 7-on-7 as a tool, but realize it is just one asset in t heir bag of tricks. When Frisco Centennial coach Mark Howard figured out that his star quarterback, Ryan Mossakowski, would be playing close to 80 games of summer baseball this year, he cancelled his school's 7-on-7 plans. "I figured Frisco has plenty of success throwing the ball last year without doing 7-on-7, so it probably wouldn't hurt us," Howard said. "We tried to do it last summer, but it seemed that whenever Ryan was free from baseball, the guys that he needed to be throwing to were doing something else." Yet Howard points to Mossakowski as proof of the blessings of 7-on-7. Because of injuries and the quarterback's early promise, Mossakowski wound up taking half of Centennial's snaps as a freshman. That next summer, the quarterback immersed himself into 7-on-7 and took the first steps toward becoming a top college recruit. "There's no doubt that 7-on-7 really helped him get ready to b e our fulltime starter," Howard said. "He really benefited from it that summer." There's no doubt that teams reap the rewards sown during summer 7-on-7, said Wylie's Ball. "All I know is that since we started playing in state qualifying tournaments, we've made it to state all but one year," Ball said. "During the fall during that same time period, we've made the playoffs all but one year." That compelling argument is one that had McCullough leaping for joy early in summer when the Wildcats became one of the first teams to qualify for the state tournament at A&M. "If we do well during 7-on7, we usually do well in the fall," McCullough said. "I don't think that's a coincidence." Sidebar Headline: The 4-1-1 on 7-on-7 subhead: This isn't touch football... THE BASICS Games last less than an hour. They are played with a running clock and consist of 20-minute halves and a 10-minute halftime. The game is touch football. There is no tackling, blocking or even bumping at the line of scrimmage. Two games can be played at the same time on the same field. Games are played on a 45-yard field divided into three 15-yard zones. Offenses have three downs to cover the first and second zones, four downs to score in the last 15 yards. No kicking. All possessions start at the 45-yard line. Extra points are worth one point from the three-yard line and two points from the 10. Each team fields seven players on each play, but there is only one lineman. The center must snap his ball through his legs but cannot catch passes. Teams often run plays similar to the ones they use in the fall on Friday Nights, but the game more closely resembles a sandlot contest. Quarterbacks have four seconds to throw the ball or the play is over. Running plays are not allowed, though laterals are permitted after a forward pass has been completed. SEVEN PLUSES OF 7-ON-7 Players have fun while staying in shape. Teams can improve their coordination and timing on passing plays. Quarterbacks work on accurate passing, while receives improve the precision of their routes. It's football's version of the summer reading list. Recognition is everything. Quarterbacks learn to recognize types of defensive coverage, while linebackers and defensive backs work on reading receivers and quarterbacks. Players get to make their own decision, from calling plays and defenses to choosing whether to go for one or two on the PAT. Teammates work on their camaraderie, getting to bond together even though school is out. Teams get to scout opponents, both schemes and personal. Players can build a reputation. College coaches can't have contact with players, but recruiting services are all over major 7-on-7 tournaments.