“We’ve got a young team this year,” said Garrett Moore, a senior midfielder on Colquitt County High’s soccer team. “My goal is to help out the younger players, see them improve, and advance the soccer program here. We’ve only got six seniors this year, and only three of them played last season. Still, we’ve got a good team. We’ve got to get better every week and win close games.”
Moore, one of the three seniors with significant playing experience from last year, is in a tough spot this season. It’s his final year of high school soccer, and every player wants his or her senior season to be a good one. But this year is just one of those years. For Moore, the Packers may have peaked a season too soon for him. Last year’s team was loaded with seniors – 16 in fact. Colquitt had a good year, advancing to the second round of the playoffs. For 2015, though, all those seniors are gone. With only a handful left to take their place, this could be a rough soccer season.
Moore, however, remains unfazed. He is an excellent player who loves the game. All he wants to do is get out there on the pitch and play as much and as often as he can. At just 17 years old, Moore has always been one of the younger players on the field, and he has always held his own.
“It can be intimidating out there against faster, stronger players,” he said. “But I’ve just always played through anyway.”
Moore is one of the focal points of the Packers attack. He can control a game whenever he touches the ball, and he knows how to get the ball to his teammates. Moore is also a student of the game, and he’s willing to adjust his game according to what the defense gives him. It’s worked out pretty well for him. At the time of this interview, the Packers were 6-1-5 (but were 0-3 in region play), and Moore had five goals and three assists. Despite the adversity of this season, Moore is happy with the way his team has played.
“The underclassmen have been great,” he said. “They listen to the seniors and take our advice.”
Between club soccer (he plays for Southern Soccer Academy South Georgia) and the high school season, he spends most of the year playing the game he loves. Balancing school and sports is always a tricky proposition, but Moore has found a way to make it work. It all comes down to priorities and time management.
“You just have to make time to do your homework,” he said. “You just have to get it done.”
Special Feature/South Georgia/May 2015
Garrett Moore
Colquitt County High School
Moultrie, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
