BY BEN WAIT
STARKVILLE — When Rylan Moore was younger, he tried his hand at several sports.
He played basketball and baseball and even ran track and cross country as a sophomore at Starkville High School. But nothing compared to what he felt when he was kicking around a soccer ball.
Moore began playing soccer at 4-years old and at age 10 he had made a decision to play soccer exclusively. A senior for the Yellow Jacket squad, Moore will play in the Baptist Rehab Services Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star Soccer game 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Arrow Field in Clinton.
“You could say it was my first love,” Moore said. “I just enjoy it more than I have any other sport. No one in my family’s ever played soccer and they were all kind of surprised I picked it. It just gets me more than anything I’ve ever done.”
Moore has helped the Jackets to a 7-4 record with five goals and seven assists in his final season.
Although he doesn’t put in as much extra work on his game lately, when he was younger that wasn’t the case. Moore recalls playing soccer on off days from practice. Whether it was kicking the ball around in his back yard or heading to the sportsplex to play a pickup game, he was always trying to get better.
“It was a lot of just playing soccer on my own,” Moore said.
First-year soccer coach Rob Fyke has known Moore for a long time because he has spent several years teaching at Starkville. Taking over as the soccer coach, Fyke said he has gotten to see what type of player Moore is.
Fyke called him a “good all-around player,” and knows how important he has been to the success of the team and helping him make the transition as the soccer coach.
“He’s the complete package,” Fyke said. “He can go all day long without getting winded. He has a hundred percent control of the ball with both his left and right foot. He’s very accurate and precise with his passes. He’s a very smart player on the field, knows the risks and he’s able to manage those risks properly with his decisions. He’s got a lot of little tools that help also. He’s got the ability to finish the soccer ball when needed as a midfielder and he’s got the ability to step it up physically if need be against a more physically dominating team.”
Fyke said it’s obvious that Moore has worked on his game for a while and has put in the extra work to be successful.
Moore doesn’t describe himself as an aggressive player, rather he feels like he is the type of player that is patient.
“I play what comes to me at the time,” Moore said. “It’s more of in the moment kind of deal. I don’t really think about how I’m going to play before the game or after the game. It’s just what’s happening in the game, I just go with the flow.”
Although Moore likes soccer, he is more focused on his education and doesn’t know if he will play soccer at the next level. Fyke said if Moore does decide to play, he will have no problem finding a roster spot at a junior college.
Fyke is happy for Moore, but knows this is also good for his team and the Starkville community.
“It’s an honor not only for him but it’s an honor for Starkville soccer to have somebody represent our community on the all-star team,” Fyke said. “He knows that and he’s going to represent well when he gets there with both his character and his soccer play.”
With half of a season remaining and the all-star game to come, Moore has a few more chances to play the sport he loves. When he heard he was going to play in the all-star game, he said he processed it slowly but soon became excited.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I was younger,” Moore said. “When I first joined the high school team, one of the seniors got picked back then and it’s kind of like a pay off for hard work.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.