CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Moody Trojans fell just short of their goal to make playoffs last season, but they finished the year with a 5-5 record. Now their returning experience is bringing stronger confidence.
"Moody is like family now," said junior running back Kayden Dufour. "When I came here they changed my whole motto."
“You know it's like a brotherhood over here," said senior defensive lineman Robert Garcia. "It feels like family. You know we're always here for each other. The coaches are there for us, and it just feels great to be back."
Moody returns seven starters on offense including 5-foot-10 senior quarterback Dylan Prado and Dufour who already has a Division I offer from UTSA. He leads a backfield corps with three seniors.
"They're leaders on this team and I'm happy they're here," said Dufour. "It's not just me putting effort into this team. I see them also putting effort. They're ready for this season and ready for whoever comes our way."
After a great conversation with @coachtimyoder I am blessed to receive my first offer from UTSA!#BirdsUp🤙🏾@bdammone @rivalsjavi @utsarivals @coachmcantu @coachjohnson_10 @gpowersscout @samspiegs pic.twitter.com/SlxzAr42S4
— Kayden Dufour (@kayden_dufour) February 7, 2025
The defense brings back four starters, including Garcia. He believes in the guys around him.
"We have our linebacker Traevon Dyer. He's a good guy. Shows up everyday," said Garcia. "He puts in the work. He's fast an strong. Then our interior guys are pretty big boys. They're strong. Then we have our two ends, me and Cash (Orgas). He's fast strong and I got faster this year and stronger."
Dave Campbell’s projects Moody to finish sixth in UIL District 14-5A DII, two spots out of playoffs. The Trojans run one of the better slot-T attacks in their division, but they’ll have a newer o-line step up.
“Now they're all juniors, so juniors mixed in with a few seniors and they're pretty good. They're pretty salty. They're big and strong," said head coach Michael Cantu. "We're looking forward to it. They might be new there, but I don't think it's going to slow us down.
Moody hosts Tuloso-Midway for their season opener on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at Cabaniss Stadium.
