CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Moody Trojans are going to look a lot different this year. Not because they have different players, but because they have more experience. 10 returners on both sides of the ball in UIL 5A-DII District 15.
"We're way above the curve right now," Michael Cantu, Moody football head coach, said. "There's a lot of kids coming back, so the retention is there."
Moody senior linebacker and 3-time defensive captain Adrian Ayala is excited to lead a veteran front seven group.
"Everybody is returning," Ayala said. "We only graduated one from our front seven. Our secondary is doing a lot better too. We struggled a little bit with that last year, and they're coming off a great offseason."
The Trojans slot-T offense brings back a stable of running backs led by Adrian Luna and a quarterback that has a year of varsity experience.
"Dylan (Prado) does a great job of keeping everybody on the same key," Cantu said. "He's very calm. He's very smart, and he does a great job running our offense."
This fall the Trojans dropped down to UIL 5A-DII like most of the other Corpus Christi ISD schools, adding Gregory-Portland to the mix for six total teams. Moody is projected to take the fourth and final playoff spot in district 14. A feat they have not accomplished in 20 years.
"Every chance I get I try to remind him that the Moody Magic is real, and if you start to win football games they'll start to come out," Captain Roland Martinez, Nueces County Sheriff's Office, said.
The 2004 Trojans were not expected to achieve much that season. They earned a big overtime win against Ray and eventually secured a playoff spot after defeating Miller 41-7.
"It defied all of the expectations, and then to capture the district title then was completely unexpected," Captain Martinez said. "It was something that meant a lot and it actually showed that Moody could be known for football."
A moment in Moody history that Martinez' son Ramsey hopes to share with his father. The Trojans are 19th on the Texas high school's current football list for playoff droughts.
"We have a chance to do something," Ramsey Martinez, Moody senior center, said. "Change the culture around here, and he's always saying we need to make the playoffs. I think we can re-write it, make the playoffs and win a first round, so that's what I'm hoping to do this year."
"The Trojans start their season with a road game to Tuloso-Midway on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
