The Helias Crusaders' football team thinks of itself as a family.
Friday night, it was Mom's time to shine.
"Our moms do so much for us and I think sometimes we can take that for granted," Crusaders coach Tim Rulo said Friday night after the annual Mom's Night program at Helias. "It's nice to give something back to them.
"It's a great event and we're so pleased to be able to have them come out here and share some time with them."
The two-hour event included a question-and-answer session and some time on the practice field.
The chance to interact with the women is always a highlight, Rulo said.
"I really love things like that, it's a great chance to get to know them a little bit better and let them know that we have their son's best interests at heart," he said. "We want to be transparent, so they don't think we're keeping anything from them."
There can be some uncomfortable topics brought up during the session, such as play-calling. That doesn't bother Rulo.
"We know everybody is thinking things, so it's a chance to get things out in the open and be totally honest with them," he said.
The moms spent the last 30 minutes of the program out on the field with their sons, going through drills at their individual positions to get a taste of what happens at practice. There were a few plays run as well.
"This is a good event for all the mom's to come together and enjoy themselves," Rulo said. "We need to appreciate every thing we've been given and this is a chance to do that."
Helias, which has wrapped up its first week of practice, will have its Media Day this morning at the new stadium.
The Crusaders, who will play in a Jamboree next Friday at Blair Oaks, will host Hannibal for the season opener and first game at Ray Hentges Stadium on Friday, Aug. 18.