LITTLE ROCK, Ark. --- The quarterback snaps the ball to himself, then completes a short pass over the middle. Touchdown? Not quite. A defender got his hands on the receiver about a yard short of the goal line.
It's a scene you can find all over the country -- a game of touch football on a hot summer afternoon. Only this game has referees. And yard lines. And a scoreboard.
This is 7-on-7 football, the high school gridiron's answer to summer league basketball and one that appears to be growing across the country. It gives quarterbacks and receivers a chance to sharpen their skills -- and it gives coaches, parents, sponsors and even recruiting experts more time around these young athletes in what might pass for the off-season.
"We keep 'em busy. If you're not working, you're getting behind," said Kevin Kelley, the coach at the private Pulaski Academy in Little Rock who helped organize a tournament here that included 24 teams from Louisiana and Texas.
That type of travel is hardly unusual. This month, in fact, Hoover, Ala., is playing host to the National High School Coaches Association National Select 7-on-7, which last year included teams from as far away as Pennsylvania and Utah. This year's event will include 32 teams, whittled down from about 200 after qualifying tournaments. Nike is one of the sponsors.
Events like this have become commonplace in the football-crazy South, but this is hardly a regional phenomenon. Rob Cuff, executive director of the Utah High School Activities Association, estimates at least half the prep football programs in his state participate in 7-on-7.
"I think it's grown considerably," Cuff said. "I think it's kind of the thing to do right now in the summer, especially for your skill-position people."
Chase Daniel, the former Missouri star who joined the Washington Redskins this year, recalls playing 7-on-7 as a high school quarterback at Dallas-area powerhouse Southlake Carroll.
"I think it was the most helpful experience that I got during the summertime," Daniel said.
The University Interscholastic League, which sets policy for most high schools in Texas, has a rule limiting what high school coaches can do during 7-on-7 tournaments. They can't coach or be "interacting with them," said Mark Cousins, director of policy at the UIL.
When a team from Allen High School in Texas traveled to Arkansas in June, players appeared to be enjoying themselves on the sideline without coaches around.
"We like that, because it teaches them team effort, team management, all of the above," said Louie Deniz, whose son plays for Allen.
7-ON-7: THE BASICS
Professional football teams use 7-on-7 as a drill, but high schools all over the country are playing 7-on-7 football during the summer, competing against one another in multiday tournaments.
A few questions and answers about 7-on-7:
Q: How long is each game?
A: Short enough that teams can play several in one day. At a national tournament in Hoover, Ala., this month, a 22-minute game clock will run continuously until the final 2 minutes.
Q: How big is the playing field?
A: The offense starts a possession 40 yards from the end zone.
Q: First and 10?
A: Nope. The offense has three downs to gain 15 yards.
Q: One-hand or two-hand touch?
A: One-hand is the rule of choice for both the Hoover tournament and a 24-team event in Little Rock, Ark., in June. That cuts down on the number of long runs after the catch and places a bigger emphasis on timing and precise route running.
Q: Isn't it easy to throw without a pass rush?
A: Perhaps, but the quarterback is required to throw within four seconds of the snap.
Q: Are there any other restrictions on the offense?
A: The offense must use a legal formation, which means no more than five eligible receivers. At the Little Rock tournament, the quarterback would start each play by snapping the ball to himself off a small stool. Without a center, 7-on-7 was actually 6-on-7. At the Hoover tournament, where teams have the option of using a center to snap the ball, all passes must advance beyond the line of scrimmage. And no running plays, of course.
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