LAPLACE — On a bright and sunny Wednesday morning that had but a few clouds on the horizon, whistles could be heard on the public fields behind the St. John the Baptist Parish Library in Laplace.

Wayne Reese Sr. stood to the side, a white towel dangling over his neck as he watched his McDonogh 35 secondary run a Cover 2 defense against Newman’s receivers.

All Photos by Bradley Handwerger / WWL-TV.com

McDonogh 35 completes a pass against the Newman secondary Wednesday during 7-on-7 summer drills in Laplace. Both schools are part of a seven-team league working passing.

Fewer than 20 yards away was Greenies head coach Nelson Stewart, standing in the middle of field while instructing his quarterback what to look for on a specific route.

Welcome to the new era of summer training for high school football, where 7-on-7 passing camps and leagues have become the norm and not the rarity.

“This is something we’ve all benefitted from,” St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica said.

Think of it as the football’s 21st century version of baseball’s American Legion league or the summer basketball leagues.

While Monica and East St. John coach Larry Dauterive all have been participating in these leagues for more than five years, the explosion in popularity has come within the past few summers.

According to Stewart, it was only a matter of time.

“Everybody has figured out the advantage of it,” Stewart said. “It’s more than just throwing the ball around. You can get out and run some of the things you run on Friday night in June and July competitively against live competition.

“That’s an advantage a lot of programs never had. You’re not running on air, you’re running against another team. You’re able to see what you can do and really evaluate your kids.

“It’s win-win.”

Monica and Dauterive both decided this past summer to host a league in Laplace after the one they attended in Gonzales fell apart.

Originally it was to be only their schools plus West St. John, which also participated in the East Ascension passing league.

Jesuit, Newman, St. Charles, East St. John, West St. John, McDonogh 35 and Hammond all come to the Laplace league. Newman also hosts one on Thursday mornings involving itself and another team. And there’s also a league that goes on at Tulane one day a week involving several area schools.

Many more of these leagues dot the state.

According to Louisiana High School Athletic Association rule 15.10.1, “During the summer months before regular practices, players may meet with coaches for chalk talks and supervised participating in a weight program, calisthenics, conditioning drills, and other drills without pads. Helmets and shoes shall be permitted.”

That makes these 7-on-7 passing leagues completely legal and within the rules, something all coaches see as a positive in preparing for the fall season.

“It gives you and opportunity to stay fresh on coverages, routes, throwing the ball, catching the ball throughout the summer without having to just do it with yourself,” Jesuit’s Wayde Keiser said. “It gives you more reps to get you more mentally prepared and physically prepared for the season.”

The only cost, Dauterive said, is $300 per school, which basically covers officials and paint for the field. Though only a few weeks old, the Laplace league already has gotten some street credibility.

West St. John misses out on a touchdown when a receiver can't haul in a pass during 7-on-7 drills in Laplace. Seven teams participate in the league hosted by East St. John and St. Charles Catholic.

“We’ve had people calling,” Dauterive said. “Next year, hopefully, we’ll expand.”

Those who benefit the most would seem to be schools like East St. John, where Dauterive said he can’t afford the time it takes to get his players to college camps that do the same thing.

“What’s happed is a lot of people go to these weekend camps, like to Auburn,” he said. “My kids all work.”

And so it goes that local schools can get good work in during the summer without having to travel, something unheard of not too long ago.

“As more and more schools did it, it gave you more opportunities to find people,” Stewart said. “It used to be you only had one or two schools and you went against them twice. Now, with leagues, it takes the guess work out of it.

"We realized the benefit of running it last year by the time August hit.”