Junior Kyle Moseley has been preparing his whole life to lead the Panthers on the football field.
“He’s grown up around the coaches here and feels that he has to be successful,” said Brent Moseley, the passing game coordinator and Kyle’s dad. Moseley said he has been involved in his son’s sports since he was six.
“Kyle started hanging around here in 1997 because his dad was a part of the original coaching staff,” head football coach Chad Phillips said.
Kyle started playing quarterback in the 7th grade at Rising Starr Middle on Tuesday nights, but on Friday nights he was a ball boy at Starr’s Mill varsity games along with teammates Josh and Timmy Roberts. Today they are starting together on varsity.
Once Kyle came to high school, Moseley said he started coaching his son for the first time and that changed things.
“My dad is hard on me and it helps that I can talk to him at practice and at home,” Kyle said. This extra time with his dad coaching him has taught Kyle to not only be a good quarterback, but also to be a good leader on the field. Playing with friends that Kyle has known for years also helps the team.
“We have been pretty good friends and now we are closer,” Timmy said.
Kyle is also close with junior running back Gerren Smith, who is replacing the injured John Smith.
In his debut, Kyle completed 9 passes for 86 yards against the North Cobb Warriors. In his second start, the Panthers’ running game was dominant against Fayette County’s defense, so Kyle attempted just 5 passes for 11 yards.
“We ran the ball really well against Fayette, so there was no reason to throw it,” Kyle said. Phillips is pleased with his quarterback’s progress.
“Kyle was poised in his first Friday night experience,” Phillips said.
Even though Kyle looked calm and collected, Kyle said he still felt some butterflies before the game.
“In the first game against North Cobb, I was a little nervous because it was my first start, but once we got playing, it felt good,” Kyle said.
Kyle said he believes that against North Cobb it was necessary to throw more because the throwing game was having more success than running the ball.
After two games, the Panthers are learning what works and what doesn’t as they prepare for their next opponent, which is at 7:30 p.m. Friday at West Forsyth.