7-on-7 heaven: Prep teams refine their attacks with summer passing tournaments

At BYU's recent passing tournament, Alta quarterback Ammon Olsen took a snap from a center who was kneeling and facing him, dropped back and delivered a bullet to quick-slant running receiver Parker Webster in a game against Mountain View, Ariz.

It looked easy for Olsen. There was no pass rush to worry about, no big offensive linemen to try and see over, and no helmet or shoulder pads weighing him down.

Welcome to 7-on-7 football.

Just about every high school football team in the state participates in at least one 7-on-7 passing tournament during the summer. Despite the fact that the games bear no resemblance to real football games, they remain popular with the guys in charge of running the state's 94 prep football programs.

The 7-on-7 tournaments give quarterbacks the chance to work on their reads, and receivers the opportunity to improve their route-running and coverage-reading abilities. Linebackers and secondary players are given the chance to familiarize themselves with their team's defensive schemes and compete against unfamiliar offensive players.

There are detractors from 7-on-7 who say the games are pointless because they are completely different from regular 11-on-11 football. They say that the tournaments at Weber State, Utah, BYU and Southern Utah are merely money-making endeavors for the schools, so they refuse to participate in them.

The hundreds of players, coaches and spectators at various locations in and around the 7-on-7 camp at BYU, however, were proof that the tournaments are more popular than ever.

Fun and games

Make no mistake. The 7-on-7 passing tournaments aren't as fun as real football games for the state's high school players and coaches.

But they are a blast for the players and coaches who participate in them. Despite games being played in stifling summer heat, they are spirited and competitive. Teams usually play a guaranteed number of games in pool play, then move on to a tournament.

In 7-on-7 football, there are no linemen, and players don't wear pads. Offensive players aren't tackled. To be considered down, they simply have to be touched by an opposing player. Teams receive points for touchdowns on offense and for recording turnovers on defense.

"At this time, it's all we can do," said Alta coach Les Hamilton, whose team won the Ute Shoot on June 7. "They can have some fun. Defensively, we can get in our pass coverages. Offensively, to get the timing down is pretty big. You don't want your kids getting too up or down on 7-on-7. I want my kids to compete and have fun."

The 7-on-7 tournaments can be team-building experiences. Since at least the early '90s, when Snow College held an annual passing tournament, football programs have had 7-on-7 competitions marked on their summer calendars. One of the reasons for that is players are likely to bond while competing against other teams.

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