'Scariest day of my life': Mainland's Phillip Moore thankful for second chance at football

DAYTONA BEACH — Phillip Moore made his first catch for Mainland High's football team count.

Two weeks ago, he hauled in a 6-yard pass from Dennis Murray Jr. for a touchdown, the first of his varsity career, on the opening play of the second quarter in the Buccaneers' 62-0 first-round playoff rout of Satellite.

Moore, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound junior, jogged back to the sideline, looked up and offered a sign of gratitude.

Bucs return to regional final: Mainland rallies past Rockledge, hosts Sebring for spot in Class 3S Final Four

"I was like, 'Thank you God for letting me get back on the field, to help contribute with my team, to try and get back to the state championship since I didn't experience that last year,'" Moore said ahead of last week's regional semifinal against Rockledge.

It might go down as little more than a footnote in the grand scheme of Mainland's quest for a second straight appearance in the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 3S football championship game, but for Moore it marked the signature moment of a personal journey.

Little more than a year earlier, Moore's football dreams— and, more importantly, his life — were in jeopardy.

'A terrible, terrible, terrible sight'

About halfway through English class on Oct. 26, 2022, Moore suddenly lost consciousness and fell backward out of his chair. Natasha Nelson, a support teacher in the classroom, was startled initially by the sound and quickly realized Moore was having a seizure.

A seizure, according to the Epilepsy Foundation, involves sudden, temporary bursts of electrical activity to the brain. The bursts can cause involuntary changes in body movement or function, sensation, behavior or awareness.

Moore foamed from the mouth and shook violently on the ground. Nelson rushed to his aid and supported his head and neck while most of the students exited the room and flooded the hallway.

Christian Hudson, a two-way lineman for Mainland's football team, returned from the bathroom to witness the commotion. Moments earlier, he had cracked a joke to Moore during class.

"As I'm walking back, I see the door open and I see all the students clear out the room. I was like, 'What's going on?' They talking about, 'Something's wrong with Phillip.' I walk in, go in look and I see a student holding Phillip. He's on the ground, unresponsive and stuff," Hudson said.

"It was really traumatizing seeing my teammate on the ground. … I'm just trying to make sure my brother is OK. I was just making a joke with him in class before I left. To come back and see him like that really messed with my head."

Next door, Mainland football coach Travis Roland was alerted to the emergency. He rushed in to help Nelson and student stabilize Moore. Roland estimated he was with Moore for between five and seven minutes until medical personnel arrived on the scene.

"Scariest day of my life was seeing that situation happen," Roland said. "Every bad piece of a seizure you could see was there, all the signs and stuff. He was foaming at the mouth. His body's shaking and moving. Eyes in the back of his head. All of that. It was a terrible, terrible, terrible sight."

Moore regained consciousness prior to being loaded into an ambulance, Nelson said, though he was not speaking and remained in a daze.

"His eyes were open, but he wasn't speaking. It was like he was confused when they took him from me and put him on the stretcher," Nelson said.

'That was God covering'

Cynthia McGuire-Moore was working at the Holly Hill daycare center she owns upon receiving a "panicked" phone call from Roland. Within five minutes, she rushed to her car and drove to the school.

According to McGuire-Moore's recollection, her son was born healthy and had never encountered any sort of illness worse than a common cold through his 16th birthday. First responders transported Moore from Mainland High to a nearby hospital. In between, he endured a second seizure, McGuire-Moore learned upon arrival.

"I was scared, not understanding a healthy child that just had a seizure all of a sudden," McGuire-Moore said. "We were praying and hoping everything would be OK. It was frantic not knowing."

Moore underwent MRI testing, where it was discovered that he had bleeding on the brain. He was airlifted to a larger hospital in Orlando, and stayed for overnight observation and testing.

Though the seizures happened during football season, Moore had not played a down in the better part of two months. He reaggravated a toe injury in the Buccaneers' second game, a Sept. 9 home loss to Bartram Trail, and wore a cast until November.

"That was God covering," his mother said. "Had he not had the seizure and come out of the cast, he would have been on the field. We would have eased him back in there. He had the seizure to let us know something was going on in his body."

Moore had a second MRI on Dec. 21, and then went in for brain surgery on Jan. 11. He had a benign tumor removed, McGuire-Moore said. To this day, the reason for Moore's brain bleed is still unknown. He has had no further seizures, though Moore will continue to take medication through January, at the earliest.

'I wanted to be out there'

As soon as he understood that he would lead a healthy, normal life, Moore began asking about a return to the football field. Discharged two days after his seizures, he watched from the sidelines that night as Mainland clinched the District 9-3S title with an 11th straight win over rival Seabreeze.

Moore attended all of Mainland's postseason games as the Bucs embarked on a memorable path to a first state final in 19 years — including road trips to Rockledge, Jensen Beach, Fort Myers and, finally, Fort Lauderdale.

It was a bittersweet month-and-a-half for Moore, who was thrilled to see his teammates competing for a ring but desperate to join them in the battle.

"I wanted to be out there with my brothers. I've been knowing some of them since I was like 6 years old," Moore said. "Thinking I might not be able to play again was just scary."

Moore participated in non-contact activities during spring ball, often viewed as a critical period of evaluation for college recruiting as coaches from around the country pass through high school hallways and practices. He gained clearance to compete in seven-on-seven competitions during the summer, and was declared full-go ahead of the start of fall camp.

Roland felt a bit of reservation during Moore's first few games, but the defensive back's thumping hit against Lake Minneola put him at ease permanently.

"He hit a guy so hard, dead smack in the middle of the field," Roland said. "His helmet came off, and he was like, 'Hoo! God, that felt good.' That's when I was like, 'Alright, he's good.'"

'It really has humbled me'

Moore has suited up for 11 of Mainland's 12 games to this point, making 29 tackles with 15 solos and three tackles for loss. The Bucs will host Sebring at 7:30 p.m. Friday for a spot in the Class 3S Final Four.

Three days after catching the touchdown against Satellite, Moore was recognized by the Daytona Beach Quarterback Club. He received the Lee Corso Award, named after the ESPN College GameDay analyst — a Sanford native, and the club's longtime end-of-year speaker.

The Lee Corso Award is given to an athlete that best exemplifies the theme of "coming back from adversity," said Nick Fedorovich, the club's high school committee chairman.

"The fact that he had the blessing of doctors to return to football kind of amazed me," Fedorovich said. "(Roland) started telling me the story of what happened with the seizures and everything. It was scary not only for his family, but for his teammates. It was a pretty spectacular comeback, in my mind."

Moore added: "I was very blessed to be honored. When I was in the moment, I just thanked God. I'm not glad it happened to me, but the way they honored me, in the moment it meant something to me."

Nothing means more to Moore, however, than getting a shot to help Mainland win an elusive second state football championship. He's thankful not only for the chance to play the game he loves with and for the people he loves, but for a fresh perspective.

"It really has humbled me, honestly," Moore said. "Before it happened, I used to just slack off at practice. That motivated me to work harder.

"For other people, I would say don't take things for granted. Any day, it can be taken from you. I give it everything I've got. I give it my all. I don't want to take no time off. Every chance I get, I go all-out."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: Mainland DB Phillip Moore overcomes adversity