Mooreville snaps winless streak as McDaniels shines
Aug. 29—It's a brand new world for Mooreville football.
The Troopers came into Friday night's opener against Hatley on a winless skid that stretched all the way back to October 21, 2021. The streak finally came to an emphatic end on Friday when Mooreville thumped the Tigers 48-6.
"I'm just proud for these boys," Mooreville head coach Jimmy Young said. "We're proud of them for their hard work and stuff they've put in, the perseverance and resilience to keep working hard and keep being relentless and trying to get a win."
Freshman quarterback Wyatt McDaniels led a prolific offensive performance for the Troopers. He finished the night completing 12 of 16 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. He also had seven carries for 96 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
"For his first start ever, I thought he came up there with some poise and he commanded the huddle," Young said. "He ran it like he was supposed to, made some good reads. There's some little things we've got to clean up, had a couple of misreads. But he was accurate with the football and ran it well. I thought he played up to his potential and think there's a lot more in store for that young man."
Senior Eli Hussey also had a big night, hauling in three passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
McDaniels playing so well right out of the gate as a freshman is a good sign for the program, too.
"I'm excited for him as he leads these boys, for sure," Young said. "He's just got those natural qualities and stuff. I think he's a playmaker, he's got the it factor. He's a tough, hard-nosed competitor, so to see him come out and compete like that, it's a relief to have a player like that."
Twenty-two months between wins is a long time. Ending the streak was a big deal for the Troopers.
"At the time, I wasn't even really thinking about it, just getting on kids for giving up outside contain or running the wrong routes or mental mistakes," Young said. "But when it was over, just to see my kids' excitement on their face, makes it all worthwhile."
There's still plenty of work to be done for Mooreville, as the Troopers face East Union this week. But now that they know what it's like to win, they have something to build off.
"It's been a long time since these kids have gotten one, so just the excitement that it's brought them has been worth it all," Young said. "I think that's going to hopefully propel us to prepare better for our purpose, which is to go out there and win football games and glorify the Lord while we do it."
