GLENVILLE – Darren Moore faced a difficult decision -- one that would shape the rest of his life, for better or worse -- at an age when most teenagers’ biggest concerns are who they are taking to prom or what they are wearing to school.
His mother, Wanda Moore, died at the beginning of his senior year at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Md. She was a single parent, and the only immediate family he had after her death was his older brother and sister.
Baltimore is the setting for HBO’s “The Wire,” a critically acclaimed series that depicts life in a crime-ridden city where drugs and gangs create a dead-end environment that all too often leads to murder or prison for young African-American males like Moore.
The television show is fictional, but the events it depicts aren’t.
“It’s not the best town at all,” Moore said.
In his opinion, he had two options after he lost his mother. One was to stay in school, shine on the football field and, hopefully, earn a college scholarship. The other was to become a thug, join a gang and make a living on the streets, by any means necessary.
Fortunately for Moore, he chose the former.
“Nobody was there to tell me what to do,” Moore said. “Nobody was there to tell me to keep going. But I’m a hard-working person. Even when there isn’t any hope, I just keep pushing forward.
“The things I have been through, people don’t think I should be here. But I have managed to stay positive. I have overcome a lot in my life. The main thing is my mom’s death. I knew I couldn’t stop or give up.
“There wasn’t anyone there to tell me what route to take. That route was easy; this route is hard, but it’s worth it. I want to make my mom proud. Going that route would have hurt her even more even though she had already passed away. That was the main reason I chose this route. I knew I couldn’t do that to her.”
His athletic ability brought him to Glenville State College of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“Getting an opportunity at Glenville was a gift from God,” Moore said. “I’m thankful for it.”
The 23-year-old Moore is trying to become the first person in his family to receive a college degree.
“I just want to show my people there is a better life out there,” said Moore, who has an 18-month-old daughter named after him. “A lot of my family didn’t want me to go. They think I’m going to mess up and not finish, but I’m going to prove them wrong.
“My major is business management. Basically, I want to find a job or open a business and take care of my family. I have a couple of ideas. I have been thinking about starting a dry cleaning business after I graduate.”
Moore is the only returning starter on a defense that allowed 25.5 points per game last year, when Glenville State finished with a 7-4 overall record and 6-2 league mark.
It isn’t much better on the other side of the ball. The Pioneers have only four returning starters on an offense that scored 27.0 points per game last season. They are tailback Brian Harden, receiver Antwan Stewart, lineman Bo Cielinski and tight end Jamie Hamrick.
“I have never had to replace that many players before,” said Glenville State Coach Alan Fiddler, who enters his seventh season with a 40-26 record. “It’s a challenge, but we had a good spring and a good recruiting class.
“We feel pretty good talent-wise. We are just as good as we have been. We just have to come together as a team quickly. If we can do that, we will have a pretty good season. We will see what happens, I guess.
“There is going to be a lot of competition. A lot of them need to step up and take advantage of the opportunity they have.”
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Moore broke up seven passes, had one interception and made 61 tackles last year. He also recorded one sack and four tackles for loss. He also recovered two fumbles and forced another.
“He is versatile,” Fiddler said of Moore, a junior who has played safety and cornerback for the Pioneers. “He is a fast kid who can run and cover people against the pass, and he is a physical kid who can come up and make a stop against the run. He can do a lot of things for us back there.”
That includes providing leadership to an almost brand-new unit.
“He has to take care of the back end and make sure everybody is on the same page and in the right coverage,” Fiddler said. “If he can do that, it will really help.”
Moore is ready for the responsibility.
“It puts a whole lot of pressure on me,” he said. “I have to show up. I have to step up. I have to be a leader. I have to show the players coming in the tradition that is there. I’m the only one left.
“I have to be the quarterback of the defense. I’m cool with it. I have been in pressure situations. I know the calls and coverages. I can handle it.”
Moore is confident in himself and his teammates.
“With the talent that we have and the defensive staff that we have, we should be pretty decent if everybody can learn the defense,” he said. “We like how we are flying under the radar this season. We are going to shock everybody.”
If that is to happen, the Pioneers need a breakthrough season from quarterback Darold Hughes, a Florida International transfer who threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns in eight games as a backup at Glenville State last year.
“We feel good about him,” Fiddler said. “He is one of the more talented quarterbacks in the league.”
Glenville State will host former conference rival West Virginia Tech on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at Morris Stadium in the teams’ season opener.
The Pioneers lead the series 31-19-3.