Marcellus Moore is ready for more responsibilities

PLAINFIELD – It’s not rocket scientist-level analysis to pinpoint exactly why many NCAA Division I schools coveted adding Plainfield North’s Marcellus Moore to their roster.

Moore has blink and you’ll miss it kind of speed. The kind of speed that allowed him to bring home a gold medal from the 2019 U20 Pan American Championships in Costa Rica as part of the 4x100 relay team in a record time of 38.62 earlier this summer.

Moore’s speed is an obvious weapon on the football field, as well, a fact not lost on multiple schools that tried to secure his services for collegiate athletics. Moore eventually decided on Purdue University, where he will participate in both football and track and field for the Boilermakers.

But before he suits up to participate in the Big Ten and tries to add his name to an incredible short list of athletes who have won three consecutive state titles in the 100-meter and 200 sprints at the state track meet, Moore has some unfinished business to tend to for the Tigers football program.

The first thing to check off on that list is a return to the playoffs, for himself and his Tiger teammates.

“We have to eliminate mistakes,” Moore said. “Last year, we were seven points away from being a playoff team. We lost a lot of games in real close matchups. But if we do what we are supposed to do, we’ve got a lot of talent. We just have to outwork other teams and be disciplined.”

Moore served as something of an offensive utility knife for the Tigers last season and led the team in receptions. But Moore, like the Tigers, didn’t seem to have consistent moments where everything clicked.

Moore expects to line up at wide receiver, where he’ll likely find himself most of the time at the next level, but he genuinely will play wherever asked and wherever needed.

“Wherever the team needs me is where I’ll play,” Moore said. “As a leader, I’ll fill in wherever the team needs me to be.”

Plainfield North hopes that whatever role that ends up being it will be one that will allow Moore to find some open space to utilize.

“He’s just got a very unique skill set,” Plainfield North first-year coach Anthony Imbordino said of Moore. “He’s very fast. We definitely want to make sure that we are putting him in position to make plays when he has the ball and even when he doesn’t have the ball.

“We want to make sure that he’s making plays or opening up an opportunity for someone else to make plays.”

“We definitely want to try to find ways to get me the ball and allow me to use my speed as much as possible,” Moore said.

Good plan. And while Moore is expected to shoulder a good portion of the offensive load for the Tigers, there are plenty of others, most notably fellow receiver Jaylon Tillman and running back Nate Simpson, to help Moore try to avoid becoming a marked man in the Plainfield North offensive attack.

“It’s unique, and it is a good thing,” Imbordino said. “At the end of the day, all of those guys want to win a football game. If one guy has five catches and another has 200 yards rushing, they are happy for one another. They have been playing together for a long time, and I think they just want to see each other be successful and have a team that’s successful.”

With all of that taken into account, Moore still knows that many a defense will set its sights on trying to shut down a Big Ten recruit.

“I get the sense that people are trying to shut me down, but I kind of play with a chip on my shoulder,” Moore said. “I never look at myself as just a speed guy. I definitely have a mindset where I’m not going to look at anyone who is bigger than me. I see everybody as a football player. That’s how I approach things.

“I feel like I’m a physical player, but I also have my speed and can use my elusiveness, as well.”

But as such, Imbordino and Moore are both resolute in their common goal: winning in whatever way it takes to do so.

“Once we get later in the season, teams are going to start taking him away, and that’s going to open up some things for other plays,” Imbordino said. “And he understands that. He knows that we’re going to need him to make plays even when he’s not getting the ball.

And with that, Moore is going to be used early and often. He welcomes that challenge.

“We’re using him on offense, we’re using him on defense, and we’re using him on special teams,” Imbordino said. “He’s a kid that just wants to help his teammates out, to be successful and win football games. We’re very fortunate to have him on our football team.”