Leland High School’s Rhyen McCoy and Jamarcus Moten have a friendship that is built on respect and admiration.
McCoy, a senior, is the team’s quarterback and leader. When the right decision needs to be made, Moten says that McCoy will always make it.
“Rhyen knows the game like a mother knows her son,” Moten said. “Rheyn is an impressive guy. His work ethic really inspires me, and the way he can read coverage on the field is amazing. There are a thousand great things I can say about him. He is always pushing me.”
The Cubs’ quarterback is equally complimentary of Moten, a junior running back who gained more nearly 1,000 yards last season.
“Jamarcus is an amazing athlete and a great team player,” McCoy said. “He can do a little bit of everything, and he can to make us better. He is kind of like my little brother, but at the same time he is also a very strong person and a great leader.”
Both McCoy and Moten say the sky is the limit for their team this season. Leland opens its season up on Aug. 26 at McEvans. The Cubs then travel to Simmons on Sept. 2 before their first home game against South Delta on Sept. 9.
Leland High School head football coach Ricardo Tigler is entering his fourth season at the helm of the Cubs, but Coach Tigler’s team did not play a single game in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Coach Tigler, a graduate of Leland High, said earlier this summer there are no reasons why his program can’t accomplish what it has done in the past.
“For me, Leland has always been the place that had blue collar kids, hard-nosed kids who were tough and resilient. It wasn’t about having all the talent all over the field. We just had kids who went through the program the right way. It was just kids doing the stuff the right way and understanding it was a privilege to play football at Leland.”
Said McCoy, “It would mean everything for us to get back on top again. The L on my chest means a lot. We come here every day, and we are coming here every day to get better. It is only up to us to win.”
