How 7-on-7 football at Slippery Rock High gives local teams change of pace in offseason
When it comes to preparing for the high school football season, the days of summer can be repetitive.
In holding a local 13-team 7-on-7 event Wednesday, Slippery Rock High coach Larry Wendereusz aims to spice things up.
“When you look at it, you’re competing against somebody different,” Wendereusz said. “It’s a change-up. It’s a different part of the grind, but it’s a good change-up for our guys.”
Wendereusz said he’d been interested in holding such an event since he was hired at Slippery Rock and saw the school’s facilities. He’s organized the event through conversations with Grove City High coach Sam Mowrey and Gaillot, talks with the West Penn Football Coaches Association and word-of-mouth through local 7-on-7 sessions.
This will be the third year Wendereusz and the Rockets host it, having taken part in something similar at Freeport prior to that.
“We did (it) with Coach John (Gaillot) there at Freeport,” Wendereusz said. “The following year, him and I were talking and he was like, ‘You know what, Coach? I’m done, I’m not doing it anymore. If you want to take over, you can do it.’ We’ve been doing it ever since.”
It’s given teams a different way to teach their players in a more engaging setting.
“Any time you do 7-on-7, you’re looking at your timing with your receivers, your running backs and your quarterbacks,” Wendereusz said. “To me, defensively, you’re looking for the communication piece. We all know it’s not true football — we’re in shorts and t-shirts — but it is working on that chemistry with your team.
“It’s working on the little things offensively and defensively that you can work on now before you put those pads on.”
County teams Butler, Freeport, Karns City, and Moniteau will join Slippery Rock. As will Grove City, Lakeview, Laurel, Mohawk, Oil City, Reynolds and Sharpsville.
Seven fields will be used at once during the event, including the turf field at Troy-Alan Stadium, both soccer fields and the band field closer to the middle school. The 7-on-7s are not structured in tournament form, however.
“It’s more instruction,” Wendereusz said. “We’ll compete for about 25 minutes or so then we’ll rotate and do the same with other schools. It’ll be roughly 10-15 minutes on offense, 10-15 minutes on defense — just doing more teaching than the actual competing for a score.”
The differences in strategy among the attending teams add a different flavor, as well.
“I don’t know what kind of offense Keystone runs,” Wendereusz said. “That’s where, to me, you work your stuff. ... When you get at it (in competitions) and you’re playing your backup free safety at inside linebacker because you’re competing to win a 7-on-7, that’s not helping you win games in September and October.
“I would much rather us — and our schools that are coming — work on their stuff against the different offenses and defenses that are there.”
The Rockets are also hosting a competitive lineman challenge, which will take place on the junior high practice fields. Those who participate in that will flip and push a FlipSled, drive a five-man sled, play tug-of-war and do the bench press and pro shuttle. Northgate will be joining just for the lineman challenge.
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