Today’s interviewee is new Cedar Grove coach Roderick Moore, who inherits a program that won Class 3A for the fifth time in eight seasons last year. Moore was Dougherty’s offensive coordinator last season and came home to DeKalb County, where he played at Druid Hills and coached most of his career at McNair and Redan. Cedar Grove faces more rebuilding than usual as three first-team all-state players have transferred, and a fourth, quarterback E.J. Colson, graduated early to play at Central Florida.
1. What attracted you to the Cedar Grove job? “It’s a great opportunity. A lot of people say there’s a bull’s eye on our chest, but I’m not afraid of pressure. I know the expectations and the legacy we have to live up to. I’ve been at rebuilding jobs at McNair and Redan and Dougherty County. Here at Cedar Grove, it’s a little different. Instead of coming to a place where the cupboard was bare, now I’ve got a full cupboard. I’ve got some food in the refrigerator that I can make a meal out of. We’re not starting at ground zero. At the end of the day, it’s about us as a staff putting players in the right place to be successful.”
2. Cedar Grove has won its five state titles with three coaches hired from within the program. You’re coming from the outside. How has the transition been? “We got some pushback from some parents and players. Some have left. Some are still here. As far as me, I’m from the eastside [of Atlanta]. I started my coaching career at McNair when the game with Cedar Grove was the War of Bouldercrest Road. I know this community. Some of the players here, I coached their fathers or uncles, or their mothers were in my classroom, so it’s full circle for me. But I just let my actions speak for me. I’m not big into talking and trying to convince people. I let my work speak. ... The players have embraced it, and I think they realize that I’m tough but fair. We did lose some guys from last year, due to graduation or transfers, and so we’ve lost a lot of our depth. But any time you lose pivotal guys, you just have to look at it as an opportunity for some new guys to step up. We’ll be all right.” [Curious about the old War of Bouldercrest, GHSF Daily researched to find that McNair led the series 5-2 and won two region titles while Moore was on staff there starting under head coach Johnny Gilbert.]
3. What’s the scouting report on this year’s team? “We’re going to be good defensively. We’ve not going to be as big as we normally are, but we’ve got a good group of athletes and will be just as fast and quick. On offense we have some playmakers who can make some plays. We’ll be more of a downhill running team compared to a zone team. We’re going to try to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and when the opportunity comes, we’re going to take our shot. We want to play with speed and have our playmakers make plays for us. ... Before, we had depth. Now, those [backup] kids are starting, and we don’t have as much depth. When you lose 20 guys, and 10 are D-I quality players, then that hurts. We’re making no excuses, but I’m telling the truth. We’ve just got to stay as injury-free as possible. [Taking over at quarterback will be sophomore King Parrom, a left-hander who backed up Colson last season.]
4. What’s the mindset of your team as defending champions? “It’s a confident group, but as a coach, you want to make sure that you never have an entitled group. It took them a while during spring practice to turn the page to the new season. We had to break them down and teach them that we are a new team. This isn’t last year’s team anymore. It may be the same group of guys, but you have to humble them a little bit and make sure the message gets through that you have to start over each year.”
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