Suburban Life Male Most Valuable Athlete: Jalen Moore, Glenbard West, junior, football

WHY HE WAS SELECTED:

Glenbard West junior running back Jalen Mooe ran for 221 yards on 30 carries yards and three touchdowns in his varsity starting debut, a 45-28 win over Maine South.

Moore talked about his performance, the significance of the win and more with Suburban Life sports editor Joshua Welge. Here is an edited version of the transcript:

Welge: How big of a win was it to beat a team that had beaten Glenbard West the last couple years?

Moore: It was a very big win for us. We'd been preparing for this game since June. We spent the entire summer preparing and working hard to beat Maine South and we finally achieved it.

Welge: Do you think you surprised some people?

Moore: We knew we could beat them, and we prepared for it, but I definitely feel like we surprised some people. We showed that Glenbard West is back and ready to be a state contender.

Welge: How'd you do it?

Moore: I think our running game was really dominant with the offensive line. The offensive line blocked amazing, the big guys laid everything on the line for us. We put our helmet and shoulder pads down and ran through them.

Welge: Did you expect that many touches?

Moore: I knew I would get the ball; I didn't think I would get it as much as I did. I knew I had to capitalize on the opportunities that I got and I did it.

Welge: To those who haven't seen you play, what kind of a running back are you?

Moore: I'm a pretty fast running back. I like to put my shoulder down and run through to try to hit the hole as fast as I can. Ground and pound, but I got the speed to get loose in the secondary.

Welge: Do you have a favorite pro sports team?

Moore: I like the Los Angeles Rams. I like [running back Todd] Gurley, I like to run like him.

Welge: What's your favorite movie?

Moore: Friday.

Welge: What music do you listen to to get hyped for a game?

Moore: I like Lil Uzi Vert.