CARLETON – Jay’len Strong got rocked.
The Airport football player flew backward and the ball popped loose.
It was the biggest hit of practice.
But the tackle didn’t come from a teammate.
He was sent sprawling by his mother.
The devastating hit by Tasha Strong was the highlight of the annual Mom Mania event held at the end of practice on Saturday, Aug. 15.
“It’s a fun day,” said senior Holden Otter, who also took a big hit from his mother. “It’s a good way to come out of the first week of practice and get us focused.”
The opening week of training camp with two-a-day practices can be a grueling experience for high school football teams.
Airport coach Derek Anderson has found a way to keep his players engaged.
The Jets open at the first minute allowed by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, holding a practice at 12:01 a.m. each year.
The first week concludes with Mom Mania.
“It clears some of the fog of the football landscape,” Anderson said of fun events to bookend the tough opening week. “I saw a story about some other teams doing it, so I decided to try it. We even do it with our Junior Jets (youth) program.”
The players look forward to being brought down by their mothers.
“It gets everyone involved,” said senior lineman Wally Sister. “It’s a fun way to end the first week.”
The Jets come into 2026 with a bit of momentum.
They lost their first seven games last season, but rallied to finish on a two-game winning streak.
“If you look at our record, 2-7 was not good,” said senior running back-linebacker Patrick Murphy. “We’re trying to come out and prove ourselves.”
“Ending with two wins was good for us,” added Otter, who will play guard and middle linebacker. “It lit a fire under us.”
Anderson is hoping his team picks up where it left off.
“We talk a lot about leaving a legacy and doing things the right way,” the coach said. “That (the two-game winning streak) shows that they know what it takes to win. Now, we have to do that at the beginning of the season, not just the end.”
The players have made a commitment to that in training camp.
“We put in the work,” Murphy said. “Everyone is in better condition.”
The Jets expect their lines on both sides of the ball to be stronger this fall.
Sisler was a two-way starter last season and Otter returns after missing much of the year with an injury.
Silas Satneck also is a returning starter on the offensive line and Jackson Nichols started a year ago on the defensive line.
“The offensive line put in a lot of work and our defense is stacked,” Murphy said. “We had a lot of underclassmen last year. This year they are more mature.”
“We learned a lot,” Sisler added.
If the line blocks well, Airport has the potential to have explosive offense with quarterback Colton Alston and running backs Strong, Cash Nye and Mason Stoneburner back.
Murphy, Nye and Stoneburner give the Jets a strong group of linebackers.
“The defense has been working to be more physical, bring violence and finish,” Anderson said.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Airport players prepare by taking hits from mom | Training Camp Report
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Niles Kruger, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
