It is football ... kind of.

A football is used and there are passing patterns. There are coaches and the quarterback needs to read the defense.

But there are no helmets. T-shirts and mesh shorts are worn instead of shoulder pads and game jerseys, and there are not the requisite linemen it takes to conduct a real game.

Welcome to the world of 7-on-7 passing competitions, a rite of summer to help quench the ever-growing thirst for all things football.

On fields across Western Pennsylvania -- and beyond -- skill position players gather in this part-competition, part-unofficial practice to work on pass routes and perfect timing against opposing defenses that hopefully will result in victories once the calendar turns to autumn.

The University of Pittsburgh organizes one of the biggest 7-on-7 camps in the state, with 40 teams taking part last month.

On a smaller scale, Upper St. Clair and coach Jim Render played host to a 7-on-7 tournament a few weeks ago with the Panthers, South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, North Hills, Penn Hills, Thomas Jefferson, Perry Traditional Academy and Altoona competing.

It was at the Upper St. Clair camp where Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak -- who has guided his team to WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles twice in the past four seasons -- spoke of the benefits of such a gathering as he watched his squad square-off against Upper St. Clair.

"For the most part, this comes down to experience and to give the kids some reps," Cherpak said. "You really can't judge a kid fully by what they do out here because, obviously, there is no equipment or anything like that. It just gets them in situations where they can go against another team."

Which is what North Hills defensive coordinator Pat Carey sees as the most advantageous component of such 7-on-7 camps.

"These things aren't really like playing football," Carey said. "We have to always remember that. But, a camp like this is really good because there is a little bit of competitiveness out there. That really gives you an advantage going into the season and you get to see kids in a competitive atmosphere."

What 7-on-7 camps also do is provide a personal showcase of sorts, allowing players who will be fighting for a job in the fall to give a preview of their talents to their coaching staff.

"If there are some positions open, we tell a kid, 'Hey, get out there and show us what you can do, this is your chance to open our eyes,'" Cherpak said. "That leads into [training] camp and that lights a fire under a kid.

"You like to see kids take control and become leaders. Something you get from a 7-on-7 is that you see who wants to compete, you see who the competitors are."

One such player who understands as much is quarterback Tino Sunseri, who graduated from Central Catholic High School this past May and is headed to Pitt where he'll be a quarterback on coach Dave Wannstedt's roster.

"The biggest thing is that it is not built on winning and losing spots, as much as it is built on making an impression, you know, showing the coaches that they can trust you, that they can count on you in the fall," Sunseri said. "When you put on pads, a whole lot of things change. But as far as throwing the ball and catching the ball, 7-on-7 can give you a chance to get some timing down and let you develop a little framework for your offense."

Carey, who admitted that 7-on-7 camps are much more beneficial to offenses than defenses, does use the time as a sort of evaluation period.

"What this does is gives us a chance to see where we stand within ourselves," Carey said. "From there, we can make some judgements with our own kids. I think the way you have to look at these kinds of camps is that the real battles are within your team for spots on the field, not against the teams you are competing against in the 7-on-7 camps."

And another battle is against the calendar. In the past decade, high school football has been advancing toward a year-round endeavor, with preseason camp opening in August, games running until December (for those teams that make a deep postseason run), weightlifting and conditioning following just after the New Year and then the majority of the 7-on-7 camps begin as the spring turns to summer.

Truth is, if a coach's team is not getting together throughout the year, that team has become the exception in high school football circles nowadays.

"If you are not doing it 12 months a year, you are not keeping up with the people in your league," Carey said.

"It is somewhat unfortunate for kids in that it is sometimes difficult to be involved in other sports nowadays just because of how intense each program is. And that is the same for basketball and baseball and whatever sport it is. It is hard on the kids, but, nowadays, going 12 months a year is what you have to do if you want to compete."

But there is a balance that needs to be struck.

"We are smart about it," Carey said. "And that is the key. You can't have a kid doing too much, going from pitching a baseball game to playing a basketball game and then coming out to football in the same day. You just have to communicate with the other coaches and be smart about it.

"We know how important these 7-on-7 camps are, but we know that it isn't how we are ultimately measured -- that comes on Friday nights."