Male Athlete of the Year: Lee Moses

Lee Moses

Posted 6/24/14

Lee Moses claims he wasn’t very good at football when he first put on shoulder pads as an 8-year-old in the North End 49ers program. He also claims he wasn’t too good at track, either, when he …

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Male Athlete of the Year: Lee Moses

Lee Moses

Posted

Lee Moses claims he wasn’t very good at football when he first put on shoulder pads as an 8-year-old in the North End 49ers program. He also claims he wasn’t too good at track, either, when he gave it a shot as a freshman at Bishop Hendricken High School.

Now that he’s an All-State regular in both sports, it’s a little hard to believe him, but his recollection of his humble beginnings speaks to exactly what makes Moses one of the best athletes in the state.

He never let himself believe that he could get by without working at it.

“It’s been a long run – working hard, practicing a lot, a lot of great coaches,” Moses said. “I’ve learned so much from them and I’ve been surrounded by so many great players. I watch people who have done it before me. I saw how hard they worked. I just wanted to do what they did.”

He’s done that and more.

With his willingness and desire to work paving the way, Moses authored a year so good that even Hendricken’s storied history doesn’t have many to match. In the fall, he starred for Hendricken’s football team in its run to a fourth consecutive state championship. In the winter, he won his second consecutive long jump state championship and added two sprint medals, and in the spring, he added another long jump title at the outdoor track state meet. If not for a hamstring injury suffered in the 100-meter dash, he likely would have won that, too.

But even without the perfect finish, it was a near-perfect year.

“It’s been amazing,” Moses said.

He came to Hendricken with plenty of athletic potential, and flashed it for the freshman football team right off the bat. He gave track a try, too, just to have a sport in the winter and spring.

He set the course for big things.

The last two years, Moses has been a starting defensive back for the Super Bowl champion Hawks. From day one, he was making big plays all over the field.

“Just his athleticism makes him special,” Croft said. “He took his lumps as a sophomore but he played well. His closing speed is incredible. A lot of times, he’s chasing people down and making touchdown-saving tackles that don’t show up in the box score.”

Moses emerged as a bigger threat on both sides of the ball this past season, as a junior. He was a game-breaker at the wide receiver spot, and he made huge plays as a kick returner.

“He just got better and better and more confident as the year went on,” Croft said.

Along the way, he was responsible for two plays that defined Hendricken’s season. In a comeback win over La Salle in the season finale, Moses caught a 53-yard touchdown pass that put his team ahead for good in the fourth quarter.

Then, in the Super Bowl against Cranston East, he delivered the play of the season. The ’Bolts had just taken a one-point lead with only 14 seconds to go before halftime, but Moses returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a game-changing touchdown. Hendricken never trailed again.

“I looked at the clock and realized we were about to go into halftime,” Moses recalled. “I thought they were just going to kick it short. I remember when they kicked it long, it bounced up, I caught it and I didn’t know where to go. I looked and Nate Gyampo waved me over so I just followed him.”

Moses added two more touchdowns in the second half as Hendricken held off East for its fourth consecutive Super Bowl championship.

“It was big to win another one, especially with the young team we had,” Moses said. “It was great to battle and get it done. We had to work really hard to get it back to where we were the year before. It felt great to do it.”

Moses didn’t have much time to bask in the glow, with the indoor track season starting immediately after football ended. Already a state champ in the long jump, Moses cemented himself this past season as one of the top sprinters in the state. At the indoor state meet, he finished third in the 55 and fourth in the 300. After running those races – and a relay – Moses settled in for the long jump and won it for the second year in a row.

“Lee has been without a doubt one of the best sprinters to come along since probably Will Blackmon, there's no question about it,” said Hendricken track coach Jim Doyle. “He’s probably even more versatile in the fact that he can long jump over 20 feet.”

In the outdoor season, he shined in big meets, beating his chief rivals in the 100-meter dash at the division and class championships. At states, the injury robbed him of another medal, but not before he won his third long jump championship.

All his success on the track has been built on the same work ethic that made him a football star.

“I didn’t know what I was doing when I started, but once I got more into it, I realized I’m actually good at this,” Moses said. “So I just kept working hard at it.”

His coaches took notice.

“He’s a guy that works hard, that really has an unbelievable amount of talent,” Doyle said.

With another year at Hendricken left, Moses may yet have more in the tank. On the football field, the Hawks would like to find ways to get him the ball more often. And on the track, he should be one of the top returning sprinters in the state.

“To some extent, the sky’s the limit for him,” Croft said.

Colleges have already come calling, some looking at him for football, others for track. The summer and this next season will determine where he lands.

For his part, Moses will just keep working.

“I’m just going to focus on my schoolwork, and keep working hard,” he said. “Just getting ready for the next level.”

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