Northwestern Grad Hopes to Face the Redskins

Bryan Pierre, in nine years as the head football coach at Northwestern High in Hyattsville, has led the Wildcats to a playoff appearance in 2003 and several seasons around the .500 mark.

Pierre, a former teacher at Hyattsville Middle School, has helped send some of his standouts on to the college level - and beyond. He has had much success with wide receivers who have excelled after leaving the Wildcats.

One being Larrone Moore, who finished his college career last season at Delaware State as a wide receiver and as of Wednesday was in training camp with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. The Colts will host the Washington Redskins on Friday night in a pre-season game.

"I wish the game was at home," Moore told Patch in a telelphone interview Wednesday from training camp. He obviously would have enjoyed leaving tickets for family members if the game was being played in Prince George's County.

Moore was born in New York, his family moved to Washington, D.C. and finally settled in Hyattsville before his freshman year at Northwestern. There is a bit of fan rivalry in his family with relatives of his being Redskins, Eagles, and Cowboy fans.

Moore admits it may be tough to make the Colts' roster. "Honestly, right now it seems hard because they have their set of receivers. We don't get too many reps in practice," he said of being a non-drafted free agent. "I am learning a lot. It is a big adjustment (from college). I am just working the best way that I can... It is hard to show your ability. You never know. If they cut me another team may pick me up."

Moore has been able to meet Peyton Manning, the all-pro quarterback for the Colts who is dealing with a neck injury. Moore said Manning has attended meetings with other players on offense in recent weeks although he did not play on Saturday at St. Louis. "He is a very cool guy. He tells me to keep on working," says Moore on Manning.

As a freshman Moore said he played youth football in the Hyattsville area, with the Lamond Riggs Athletic Association, since his family arrived late that summer. He was moved up to the varsity as a sophomore with the Wildcats.

"He was a fast guy. He was all about speed," commented Coach Pierre. "He was a fast guy from day one."

Moore saw limited action but did not have a catch for the Colts in a 33-10 pre-season loss at St. Louis. Last year at Delaware State he had 24 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 18.8 yards per catch and his longest gain was 85 yards.

He also returned 15 kickoffs for a whopping 522 yards, an average of 34.8 yards per attempt, with two touchdowns and a long return of 90 yards last season at Delaware State. It was this speed that attracted the attention of the Colts and Packers.

Another former Northwestern standout is Anthony Young, top wideout last year for Division III Frostburg State University in western Maryland.

Last season Young led the team with 56 catches for 739 yards, an average of 13.2 yards per catch. He scored 5 touchdowns in 10 games and returned 15 kickoffs for 250 yards and 2 punts for 20 yards.

How many catches does Young, now a junior, think he can grab this year?

"I don't have a set goal. Last year I didn't have a set goal," he told Patch earlier this week. "I just wanted to do what I could to help. I got the opportunity to have a big role on the squad. This year I plan to (build) off last season and go from there."

Young attended Archbishop Carroll High in Washington, D.C. as a freshman and then transferred to Northwestern for his last three years. As a standout player, he was also recruited by Salisbury University, another Division III school in Maryland. Last year the Frostburg Bobcats lost to Salisbury in their last game of the season and Frostburg ended up 2-8 overall. "This year we know what we have to do," says Young of his team's record.

"Every year we have set goals. We are tired of mediocre efforts on the football field. We are deeper at every position. We definitely have a lot of new recruits who we can count on this year. We have a lot of new talent," Young added. The Bobcats were 1-9 in 2009.

Tilmon Parker, a junior teammate at Frostburg, has been impressed with Young. "He is the man. He is good. He comes to play and loves to practice," said Parker, who is from Upper Marlboro and played at Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School.

So how would senior teammate Thomas Kennedy, a product of Largo High, try and guard Young? "I would not let him get off the line," Kennedy said with a laugh. Another former Northwestern wide receiver now at the college level is Daniel Adams, a freshman at New Mexico.