SUMNER — Since Marquise Moses graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck just four years ago, he’s had one thing on his mind: playing football at the next level.
“I’ve just been working out, trying to get bigger, stronger and faster,” Moses said.
A 170-pound halfback from Marysville, Moses admitted that he had trouble getting any kind of talent evaluator to notice him.
“Coming out of Marysville, it’s hard to have schools come all the way out to see you,” he said.
But Moses wasn’t deterred by the indifference, or ignorance, of scouts who chose not to see the talent behind a back that put forth the third-best season in school history, gaining 1,660 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns in 2004. Instead, he kept training and now the 205-pound back is so close to the realization of that goal that it might be just a month away.
For the immediate future, however, he’ll take racking up yards for the Snohomish Vikings, which have helped players like Moses achieve their goals both on and off the gridiron.
“I’ve got high school kids that have done so darn well, they deserve to be somewhere playing,” said Vikings owner and head coach Wes Fischer. “Whether it’s a financial reason, or their grades, or they got in trouble somewhere, they can play.”
Fischer has nothing but praise for Moses, which doesn’t come easy as the coach has spent more than 50 years in the minor league football business.
“He’s a big, strong, fast kid with a lot of talent,” Fischer said of Moses. “If he goes to college and takes care of his business, you’ll be hearing about him again soon.”
Moses, 24, is likely to go to college in the fall, whether it is with Eastern Washington University, or his top choice, Santa Monica. It will all come down to which situation fits better financially.
Vikings fans are getting used to seeing Moses carry the ball a long way, as he posted 100-yard games against both the Oregon Thunderbolts and the Pierce County Bengals.
He had a more difficult time June 26 against the South County Colts, gaining 75 yards on 17 carries and catching a handful of passes for 46 yards in a losing effort. Despite the Vikings taking a 9-0 halftime lead, it took Moses a half to get going, as the Colts crowded the line.
“They were filling gaps, making it difficult to break free,” Moses said. “But in the second half we changed to start getting me out on sweeps, which confused them for a bit.”
In the second half, Moses reeled off 40 yards on eight carries, but turnovers and penalties spelled doom for Snohomish, as it couldn’t stop the Colts’ high-powered offense from getting to the end zone.
The loss drops the Vikings to 3-3 on the season with two more games remaining, but for Moses, things are just starting. As he understands that sometimes you have to take a different route to achieve a goal, he offered advice to any football player coming out of Marysville.
“Just keep working,” he said. “Don’t give up until you get to where you want to be.”
