Police officer Martavis Moore works the night shift for the Greenville Police Department. From 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., he is patrolling the streets of Greenville, doing his best to keep the city safe.
Each night is a long night for Moore. He doesn’t get home until 8 a.m., after he takes his children to school.
After sleeping for about five hours, he picks his children back up before finally arriving for football practice at Greenville Christian School.
Moore is in his sixth season as an assistant coach for the Saints’ football team. At GCS, he coaches defensive backs, which was the same position he played when he was at Ray Brooks High School, Mississippi Delta Community College, and Central Arkansas University.
“Coaching here is my safe haven,” Coach Moore said. “It is something I love doing. It is my me time, and it gets my mind off things. When I come over each day, I know everyone is going to make you laugh. The kids are going to make you laugh and all the coaches are going to make you laugh.”
Moore didn’t plan on becoming an assistant coach when he starting working with the Saints in 2016. Coach Moore’s friendship with fellow assistant, Justin Leavy, was what initially brought him to Greenville Christian. Coach Moore said he enjoyed being working with the players so much that he just kept coming back, day after day.
“He just came to practice and worked and volunteered every day, and it was great to have another coach around,” GCS head coach Jon Reed McLendon said. “We are very thankful for what he brings to the team. It is huge just having another coach, because there were only three of us coaches when he got here.”
Coach McLendon added that Coach Moore definitely deserves some credit for all the Saints’ success over the last two seasons. After winning a state championship last season, the Saints, ranked as the top team in the state of Mississippi, are even more dominant this year.
Varmario McGee, Jaterrious Elam, Trey Rhodes, Kelvin Lons, Jaheim Grant and Patrick Travis are the leading defensive backs at GCS, and a group that has helped Greenville Christian dominate their opponent’s passing attack each week.
“Our secondary has gotten so much better thanks to Coach Moore. What he has done is he has come in everyday and been consistent. Anything that needs to be done, he is looking out for it. He is looking to help out anyway he can.”
Coach Moore added that, as a police office, he wants the players to always see him as a positive role model.
“I am doing this for free, because this is an opportunity to help with kids. The main thing I want to tell the kids is that once you leave there their are not any coaches to rely on. So after here, everything you do is on you. We believe we are giving you an opportunity, but once you leave here everything you do is going to affect you for the rest of your lifetime.
Greenville Christian wins by forfeit, again
For the third time this season, the Greenville Christian School Saints have won a game by forfeit.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Saints’ game this Friday against Rossville Christian Academy has been forfeited by Rossville Christian. The Saints’ have previously won forfeits this season over Northpoint Christian and Hillcrest Christian.
GCS’s regular season is scheduled to end on Oct. 22 at home against Delta Streets. GCS Coach McLendon said he is trying to find another opponent to play on Oct. 15, one week before the state playoffs begin.
“None of three have coaches that have forfeited have used corona as an excuse. Every time they say it is a health and safety issue. This is disappointing because our kids work really hard. Northpoint, at least, let us know two weeks ahead of time, and that gave us time to schedule Oak Grove.”
McLendon added, “I don’t have any hard feelings, but at the same time we have played teams where we were physically overmatched in the past and we still taught our kids that you prepare like you are going to win. Just like Riverside, I was appreciated that they came, and I think we did our best. We didn’t want to embarrass anyone and I felt that we didn’t embarrass anyone.”
