Moore looking to continue success at LBJ

Austin LBJ produced two Division I signees in 2008 and could produce a couple more in 2009, including explosive wide receiver Jeremy Moore.

There are several things that go along with having a successful football season, mostly good things but us few that can be unpleasant to say the least.

Austin (TX) LBJ wide receiver Jeremy Moore is experiencing both of those this spring.

Moore was one of the biggest reasons for the reemergence of the Jaguars as an elite program in Central Texas this past season as they won a share the District 17-4A title and finished 10-3 before falling in the state quarterfinals to eventual Class 4A, Division I state champion Lamar Consolidated.

Some of the fallout from the Jags successful season came via head coach Claude Mathis leaving as the coach who guided the Jags to the playoffs in each of his three seasons at the helm left for a huge pay day at DeSoto.

“It just makes the guys that are juniors work that much harder to try and get better,” said Moore of how he and his teammates have reacted to losing their head honcho. “We lost a great coach, but we can’t let that cause us to lose our program and everything we have built.”

Part of an LBJ senior class that includes three star linebacker Kerry Hyder and a home run hitter in running back Omasha Brantley, Moore says that despite the school being right in the middle of a coaching search, the intensity of the offseason workouts has stayed at a high level. “(The seniors) knew we would need to step it up and we have,” said Moore. “We have gotten a lot of the underclassmen in the weight room and we have lot of guys that are working hard everyday and focusing on being the best football team we can be this season.”

Moore is not only helping keep the winning tradition going on the east side of Austin, he is also helping himself in the recruiting process.

Moore enjoyed a fine junior season in which he caught 18 passes for 294 yards with eight of those receptions going for touchdowns while playing along side Texas commit D.J. Grant. Like Grant he has a freaky combination of quickness, speed (4.5), and size (6-3, 170) and already has a good understanding of how to use his size and put his body between the ball and defenders. Continuing to show his athleticism, Moore also plays basketball at LBJ as the Jags just wrapped up their season with a trip to the Class 4A regional quarterfinals and is currently participating in track running 400-meters, and the 800-meter and 1600-meter relays.

Listing the usual suspects like Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M that are sending him tons of mail right now, Moore also says that there are several out of state schools that are on his radar as he lists Georgia Tech, Minnesota, and Ole Miss among his top suitors.

One of the out of state schools however has really caught his eye.

‘I really like Georgia Tech,” Moore said. “I have a sister that lives in Georgia and I’ve liked them for a long time. I think that would be a good atmosphere to be a part of.”

The east side of Austin once produced some of the state’s top players with the likes of Kenneth Alexander, Shon Mitchell, and Sedrick Shaw to name a few but the talent level and competitiveness of inner-city Austin football took a nose dive recent years. With the recent success at LBJ and with Grant and Moore’s former teammate Ricky Cavanaugh signing with Big 12 schools however, Moore is reaping the benefits of the urban renewal in the capital city.

“I think that people have realized that they can’t knock us just because we are from an urban area because we have athletes too,” Moore said. “We work as hard as anybody and it shows.”