Jets still progressing ahead of fall camp
The goal for the Adams Central Jets in 2024 will certainly be to have another season that culminates with a trip to Indianapolis to play for a state title.
Their preparations for the campaign ahead however, started a little over 100 miles north of where the 2023 season ended. Huntington North was the site of a four-team scrimmage event that saw Adams Central, Huntington North, West Noble and Norwell begin tuning up for the new season on Thursday night.
Conditions were comfortable for the fans in attendance. Many spectators filled the large set of bleachers on the home side of the stadium. The smaller set of seats along the other sideline was mostly full.
An impactful senior class for the Jets graduated back in the spring, leaving big shoes for the next group of players to fill.
On Thursday, that new crop of talent displayed plenty of positives as well as teachable moments, something that coach Michael Mosser anticipated given how early it is in the calendar, but wants to see his team clean up as the start of training camp gets closer.
“We struggled quite a bit in the first two games (against Huntington North and West Noble), and then against Norwell we did rather well,” said Mosser. “Part of the problem was just not having everybody on the same page and that’s summer.”
Mosser said many of the struggles came when the team went away from using play cards, showing that the roster still has plenty of room for growth.
“So at this point, I learned we’re not as far as I thought we were,” said Mosser. “But that’s OK, it’s summer. It’s where we normally are.”
Mosser did like how “physical” the Jets were and the effort they put on the field. He believes that team “leadership” is something that is “still developing”.
While noting the team still has plenty of work to do, Mosser pointed out that his players showed “promise”.
He enjoyed having his players compete against different teams and gain valuable experience in game-like situations.
“You get a lot of benefit because you just get reps,” Mosser said when discussing the impact of scrimmages like the ones held on Thursday.
“And it’s fun to see different teams and how they stack up against you defensively,” he said. “In the past we’ve just done Norwell and we had like three varsity segments offensively and defensively. That’s good, too, but I like the variety of seeing different teams. And I think that’s good for our kids to see that, as well.”