And that’s exactly what Shawnee, Southeastern, and Troy worked for when they participated in Wittenberg’s passing camp. Several more area teams have been going to 7-on-7 camps throughout the state in the past weeks, as the start of official high school practice looms just under two weeks away. Many area squads, including the Braves, are stepping up conditioning and working on fundamentals to be prepared to begin practicing for the 2010 football season.

“We’re really starting to step it up and get ready for the season,” Meeks said. “We’ve got some more work to do, but the kids are excited, and we’re all excited.”

Even the fans are excited, as several dozen fans came out to watch the camp, many of whom were general fans and did not have any direct connection to a player or coach. And that does say something, because 7-on-7’s can be lack-luster for an attention span.

In a 7-on-7, two teams play each other on a 50-yard field, with only seven players playing on each team, none of which are lineman. Each team is allowed ten downs per possession, and, after the ball is snapped — or simply tossed up to the quarterback from another player, depending on the team — the quarterback can then throw to any number of receivers. And, that’s the purpose of the 7-on-7 — to work on passing drills and defensive schemes.

“It’s not real football; it’s a 7-on-7,” Meeks said with a laugh after the camp when asked to give his description. “You don’t have any of big guys coming at you if you’re a quarterback; you’ve got more time to sit back there and throw the football, so it’s not real.”

But?

“But it’s great for working on things,” Meeks said. “It’s good practice.”

It’s not only good practice for the participant, but it also has a positive impact on the host, especially when the host is a university, explained Wittenberg assistant football coach Andy Mitchel, who ran Wittenberg’s camp.

“Running the camp is a good way to get the local athletes to [our] campus,” Mitchel commented. “[Plus], it allows our staff to get to see them play first-hand.”

As far as the practice goes, however, Shawnee got their money’s worth from Wittenberg’s 7-on-7.
“We won all three games we played,” Meeks said of the Braves’ day. “We take it with a grain of salt. When we’ve done poorly at these things in the past, we’ve gone on to have some good seasons, and when we’ve done well at these things in the past, we’ve sometimes gone on to have some not-so great seasons, so you really can’t measure it. You just want to see who can compete; you want to see if guys are going to make plays and compete, and we did that today, so I’m pretty pleased.”

Meeks said that several players stood out in his mind that performed well during the camp.

“Brad Jarzab did really well today [at] quarterback,” Meeks said. “He’s probably going to be our starting quarterback this year. Steven Sarven and Xavier Jordan did really well at receiver, and both of those guys are returnees for us from last year at receiver. On the defensive side, Brad MacLeod did a nice job, Ryan Mayfield at inside linebacker did well; I’m really pleased with their play [especially]. Nick Hines at safety did real well too. So, we had some guys shine.”

Shawnee is coming off of a 9-4 season in which they advanced to the regional finals before losing to Cincinnati Wyoming 14-7 in a closely contested game. The Braves are looking to build off of that success, and they continued with their off-season training last week, as they are using up the number of allotted days they have remaining from the OHSAA. Shawnee played a 7-on-7 scrimmage against Xenia on Thursday, and then had a practice on Friday at their field. They wrapped up their off-season schedule with practices on Monday and Tuesday, in addition to a 7-on-7 scrimmage they hosted on Tuesday.

“It’s great practice,” Meeks said. “We’ll be ready for the start [of the season].”

Wittenberg’s 7-on-7 passing camp wasn’t the only one in town last week, as Springfield High School held their third annual Wildcat Passing Tournament at the school’s soccer stadium on Monday, July 12.
“It a great way to practice,” Springfield head coach Rick Robertson said after the Wildcats’ camp. “It’s a good game-like environment to see how guys play in, but it’s still not something to be looked into that far [in terms of success].”

Springfield hosted Beavercreek, Dayton Dunbar, and Richmond (IN) in their three-hour camp. The Wildcats participated in a 7-on-7 camp at Notre Dame in South Bend on June 26, but still have several more training days left. Springfield will be playing at 7-on-7 camps at Middletown High School this Thursday, July 22, and next Thursday, July 29, from 5-8 p.m. each night.
“Then,” said Robertson, “it’ll be time to start practice.”
And, after practice, the real football comes.