OXFORD – JaTyler Moore's high school football career at Winona had just ended with a 41-26 loss to Taylorsville in the MHSAA Class 2A State Championship game. Standing on the Vaught-Hemingway field, the runner-up medallion hanging from his neck, there were tears in Moore's eyes as he answered questions courteously, but in hushed tones.
“We accomplished big things," Moore said. "Nobody expected us to do this well.”
Moore was almost the entire Winona offense against Taylorsville, accounting for 176 of his team's 211 yards. “He played a good game,” said Winona head coach Joey Tompkins. “He has been our bell cow all year.”
He took many a ferocious hit from the Tartars, but kept going, and it was his play, running and passing, that kept the Tigers in the game until the fourth quarter. He accounted for 42 of 65 yards on Winona's first touchdown drive and 71 of 76 yards on the second scoring drive, which he capped with an 11-yard scoring run.
Thanks to Moore, the Tigers trailed only 14-13 at the half.
The Tigers were able to add two late touchdowns, and again, he was the workhorse. Following a shanked punt that gave Winona the ball at the Taylorsville 17, Moore ran three times for the touchdown. On fourth and five from the 12, he rolled right on a run-pass option, avoided a tackle at the line of scrimmage, and hurdled a defender into the end zone.
After a fumble recovery at the nine, he ran for five yards and threw a two-yard scoring pass to Jay Lofton.
For the season, Moore ran and passed for 2,836 yards and 40 touchdowns. In four playoff wins leading up to the championship game — three of which were decided by one score — he totaled 884 yards and 11 TDs running and passing.
Moore says he plans to continue playing next year at the junior college level.
