Nanih Waiya’s Shia Moore had some big shoes to fill heading into his junior season.
The Warriors were coming off one of their most successful seasons in school history but were losing star running back Chris Smith to Louisiana-Lafayette who rushed nearly 4,800 yards in his career.
As a sophomore, Moore rushed for a meager 198 yards. As a junior, Moore not only filled those shoes but made made a name for himself and etched his name in Nanih Waiya football history, leading the Warriors to the school’s first-ever state championship in football, rushing for more than 1,800 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns.
Moore is also the first player selected to the Winton County Journal’s Eleven Players to Watch, highlighting players in the Winston County Journal coverage area featuring Louisville High School, Winston Academy, Nanih Waiya, and Noxapater.
“I knew he had the ability,” Nanih Waiya coach James Courtney said. “He’s a Division I football player in my opinion. He will get that offer eventually. He had a good year last year and we expect him to do that again this year. Running behind the line we had last year, we expected him to do that again this year.”
Moore, who is 6-foot and weighs 210 pounds, was a bruising presence for the Warriors this past season. Courtney said Moore runs a 4.5, 40-yard dash and benches 270 pounds and squats 450 pounds while power cleaning 275 pounds.
“He’s a strong kid,” Courtney said. “And that’s with him missing a good bit of time in the weight room because of baseball. He’s a high 4.5 kid and runs really well for his size.”
Courtney said Moore has offers from several Mississippi junior colleges and Tulane has shown some interest but he is yet to get his first Division I offer.
“He has several junior college offers but I believe he will get a Division I offer once he gets his ACT up there,” Courtney said. “Tulane was really interested and I expect all of the jucos to offer him before it’s said and done. Honestly, I think he’s perfect for today’s football in my opinion. He’s a strong, powerful running back that can get behind his pads. It just takes one falling in love with him. We’ll take him to several camps this summer and get him in front of some coaches and see what happens. Kaleb (Warren) didn’t get his offer until late. You have to earn it when you are from a small school.”
Moore was also a force for the Warriors on defense where he totaled 89 total tackles. He had a pair of 13-tackles games against Winona and Noxapater with a 12-tackle game against Stringer. He also had 12.5 tackles for loss on the season. As a sophomore, Moore started on defense and 119 total tackles.
“Shia never has a bad day of practice,” Courtney said. “He literally never gets tired and practices that way. He’s what you want in a football player. He keeps his mouth shut and gets it done with his effort. He is a good spirited kid and never has a bad day. He’s the total package. I’ve coached some that if they aren’t getting the ball, they will sulk on you but he’s not that way.”
Moore is also a standout for the Nanih Waiya baseball team, where he starts in centerfield. Moore hit .397 this past season and was second on the team in RBIs.
“Shia is a great kid and a hard worker,” baseball coach Tyler Rogers said. “He’s a talent and one of those kids you just love. He’s a game changer for us in baseball. He has a lot of tools in baseball that a lot of people don’t. I don’t know which sport he like best but I think he can play somewhere if he wants. He has the size and strength that coaches are looking at, that’s for sure. I believe if he went to a good program, he could move on after that. There’s no telling how good he could be.”
