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Sports
Player’s of the Past: Riccardo Moore By: Tim Crane web posted August 26, 2010  SPORTS – Tim Crane is spotlighting
Riccardo Moore as
this week’s Player of the Past. Moore played Linebacker for Strom
Thurmond between 1994 and 1998. After playing for Mars Hill College as
a Defensive End and taking the 2002 sack Title, Moore is now a Computer
Specialist with Seivels Bruce Company in Columbia SCPlayers of the Past Name: Riccardo Moore Head Coach (s): Bryan Smith Years at ST: 1994-1998 Football Accomplishments: Sack Title in 2002 at Mars Hill Position(s) Played: Defensive End at Mars Hill, Linebacker at Strom Thurmond Present Occupation/Residence: Computer Specialist, Seivels Bruce Company in Columbia SC College Football: Mars Hill College (MH). 2002 led South Atlantic Conference with 10 sacks and also had two interceptions and multiple fumble recoveries. Teammate Khalid Abbullah was drafted by Cincinnati Bengals and played three years in the NFL. Played against former Strom Thurmond teammates; Monk Coleman and Joe Navarro at North Greenville, Tyrone Rouse at Newberry and Joe Morgan and Josh Yonce at Presbyterian. At Mars Hill we played a 4-3 defense and my junior season there were four ST graduates starting on the defensive line. That was special to all of us; Asinia Knight, Leroy Collier, Tellex Lanham and myself. The defensive scheme was the exact same as what we ran at Strom Thurmond, when they handed out the playbooks it was déjà vu! Riccardo Broadwater and Omar Collier were also former Rebel standouts that played with me at MH. Thurmond’s Defensive Coordinator at that time, Art Mann, played at Mars Hill with Coach Barnett (MH Head Coach). Mann helped get a lot of Thurmond players into college and always kept up with us after we were there. I think that’s one reason a lot of Rebel players went to Mars Hill. We ran the same defense, we didn’t get into trouble, had a good track record, did what coach wanted us to do and we played with a lot of heart. Marriage/Children: Married to Rhonda with one son, Tre, 10 years old. Best Memories of ST Football: Getting ready for the games, listening to Phil Collin’s song “In the Air Tonight” and playing with some great teammates are some of my best memories. In 1997, we had a lot of preseason hype but finished the season 2-8. Damien Dugar was our star running back but he tore his ACL against Batesburg-Leesville, near the beginning of the year and our season went downhill. I started at defensive end, but was moved to linebacker and had 82 tackles. My senior season was the only year I played football because I concentrated on basketball in the prior years. It was a great move for me as I got to go on to play college football. Tellex Lanham had 100+ tackles to lead the area in 1997. He went to Furman his first year out of high school, but transferred to Mars Hill his sophomore season. Coach Ron Duncan linebacker coach, Coach Lewis Scott was defensive line coach, Coach Frost coached the defensive backs that year and they all did a great job with us. They preached 11 men to the football, Blue Steel Pride. Antwaun Hillary was our quarterback (CoCo’s and Aramis’ older brother). He could pass or run, just like the rest of the Hillary’s. He had a cannon of an arm. He went on to play quarterback at Catawba College. We had a world of talent, but it seems when Dugar went down, the wind went out of our sails. One of the toughest opponents we faced was Silver Bluff. They were one of the best Wing T teams in the state. They were dangerous with it and that’s why they probably still run it. The Wing T offense was simple, but hard to stop. Like I stated, we only had two wins that season, but still had a chance to get into the playoffs. A loss to Midland Valley in the last regular season game sealed our season though. We had a few overtime losses and the season was only a few points from ending much differently. Even though things didn’t go our way, we continued to play all 11 men to the football. Blue Steel Pride, all 11 T’s to the football when on defense. There is nothing like Friday nights at Strom Thurmond High School. The atmosphere was always great. When I stepped onto the “T” at midfield, on a Friday night, I knew it was something special. Busting out of the banner that the cheerleaders were holding up was an awesome feeling as we looked up to see all of our hometown fans pumped and ready for us to take the field. We went to camp in the mountains of North Georgia. It got cool some nights but was hot during the day. Camp was tough but it made football players out of us. The comradeship of the players was great and helped us to form a true team. I still keep contact with some of my former teammates. Leroy Collier and I graduated middle school, high school and college together. We got our college degrees on the same day. In 1995 we lost to Daniel, in 2005, exactly 10 years later, we won it all. That was a great feeling for our school and community. I was fortunate enough to play college football, but to me, it was about the degree. I didn’t want to be known as just a football player. Kids get screwed up seeing the NFL players with jewelry, cars, and money. Sometimes they lose focus and don’t realize college degrees are worth more than football in your lifetime. Education is the most important thing. My mother always told me to get out and see other parts of the world and be opened minded. There is nothing wrong with living in your hometown, but it is good to get out and appreciate other cultures and experiences. I wish some of the youth today would understand that there is more to life than sports. Education should always be the top priority. How does your team compare to today’s teams: Our team was the generation when players started to get bigger, stronger and faster. It was the beginning of what we have now; year round football, technology/science in sports, sports medicine, etc. Thurmond did experience a drop off for a few years but then Sawyer came in and turned the program back around. Sawyer has philosophy; kids don’t have to bench 400lbs to be great football players. They only have to have heart and dedication. They will be made stronger and faster. It’s remarkable of how average players can be transformed into studs with just heart and dedication at ST. Everyone buys into the program and that’s why we are successful and will continue to be successful. Hobbies/interest: Head Coach of Pop Warner team in Columbia (Eastside Raiders), working out/weightlifting, playing video games, catching Strom Thurmond games when I can get back to area. One place you would like to visit that you haven’t yet: (I) would love to go to France to check out the culture. I’ve heard the food is really good there too. © Copyright 2010 EdgefieldDaily.com All original
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