- April 26, 2024
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Me: What would you say you learned the most from this year?
Moody: I took on more of the administrator part of being a head coach. Having an AD like (Steve) DeAugustino has helped me, because the rules always change, and you don’t want to have any violations or anything. It’s sad to hear what happened to University. So, having DeAugustino, I’m able to go to him and ask questions.
Me: What’s different from this year and your time at Spruce Creek?
Moody: I had a better season, in terms of winning, but, I know I had a tougher schedule this year. And, I know I love being in Flagler County. It’s a better supporting staff, administrators; it just feels like family. Not to say that it was bad at Spruce Creek, but it’s a lot more family-oriented, and the community really comes out and supports the teams, through winning seasons and losing seasons.
Me: Any play calls or something similar you wish you could get back?
Moody: I don’t think I would change any of the calls, but there are a couple of referee calls I wish I could change from our Mandarin game (laughs). But, there were times, in the red zone, when we attempted a field goal but probably should’ve gone for it. You gotta teach the young kids to be testy. Field goals are supposedly safe, but I want to teach our kids to go and get it. I don’t think we played it safe the whole season, but six is better than three.
Me: Who would you say is the person you lean on the most for coaching advice?
Moody: I have college coaches I still talk to, but I lean the most on Norris Lightsey (FPC assistant coach). He’s done it longer than me, and we have a relationship where I can ask him whatever, and he tells me the truth. I think that’s the just type of staff we got. Close. That’s why you can take a young team that fights hard, ends up losing, but we can still keep them close together.
Me: What do you hope your returning players learned from this season?
Moody: We played against some of the best teams in the state, and we were still close to make it to the playoffs. Going into the offseason, we gone work really hard, and I think they already know what they gotta do. Being that close and being that young has to stick in these guys’ head.
Me: What are you most looking forward to next year?
Moody: The development in our offensive line. We had one starter return. You always like to see four starters return. We got Que’Shaun Byrd, who was right under 1,000 yards, even with one starter return, and that’s hard. He still had good numbers, but he had more passing yards, because we wanted to get him out in the opening, but I’m interested to see his senior year with a more developed offensive line.
Me: Any regrets?
Moody: You always have regrets when you lose. As a coach, I would love to call a perfect game; that’s what we strive for. And, I always regret our players’ injuries.
Me: Is this something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life?
Moody: I wouldn’t say for the rest of my life but for a very, very long time. I’m 37, and the way my family situation is set up, I can just coach. As long as it doesn’t get crazy with the school system, I can do this for a while. But, this is what helped me be successful. I’m from a single-parent home, but I always had a group of men helping me stay positive, and that’s what helped me get to college and remain positive, so I’m going to always do something to give back to the youth until I die.
(For more photos, go to palmcoastobserver.com)
