Ameen-Moore carries Mullen to state title
DENVER -- When the television cameras eventually find Adonis Ameen-Moore -- and they will, because they have a way of gravitating toward young, personable athletes -- they will like what they see. He has the million-dollar smile and the gregarious personality to go with it. He's quotable, charming and a straight shooter who has eaten just the right amount of humble pie.
"My uncle named me," he said of his fitting first name. "You know, it's the Greek god of beauty."
In the moments after the Colorado large-school state championship game was decided at Invesco Field Nov. 29 with Ameen-Moore's Mullen High School defeating Cherry Creek 20-16, many of the other 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds greeted interview requests with shyness or uncertainty. Ameen-Moore embraced every question with a where-have-you-been-all-my-life manner. He patiently answered every query, to the point that his friends and relatives began heckling reporters still peppering him more than 30 minutes after the game had ended, delaying their celebration.
Prominence has its price.
The talented running back rushed for a game-best 132 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner in a victory over his school's archrival. Most of those yards were well-earned against a determined Cherry Creek defense he had battered once before in the regular season.
Somewhere around the middle of the third quarter, Ameen-Moore and his teammates began to wear down the Bruins with dives and sweeps and an occasional play-action pass worked into the mix. One face-to-face look at Ameen-Moore reveals why he is so difficult to handle.
"You don't see a sophomore that size every day," Cherry Creek senior safety T.J. Shantz said.
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He's a load at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, and he loves carrying the ball. His teammates have nicknamed him and his backfield mate, senior Josh Ford, Thunder and Lightning. Ameen-Moore said he never really notices the looks on the faces of opponents forced to tackle him and isn't aware if his brutish runs take a toll as the game wears on.
"I try to go out the same way I came the play before," he said. "I don't really look at it like that."
He's not the sort to feel sorry for an opponent anyway. He has been working hard for years already just to get to this point. When he was just starting out in football in second, third and fourth grades, he was often one of the biggest kids on the team. Coaches wanted him to play other positions, but he was unwavering.
"Every summer I would run around the park to lose weight so I could play running back," he said.
College recruiters already are circling, two years before he will be ready to pick a school. He said in-state schools Colorado and Colorado State are interested as well as Clemson, Wisconsin and UCLA. More will surely follow, and Ameen-Moore said he hopes to eventually land offers from his two favorites, Alabama and Texas. He has family near both schools, and family is what he cherishes most.
When he was in the sixth grade, Ameen-Moore decided after some consideration that he didn't like the fact he was known only by his father's last name, Moore. He wanted to pay respect to his mother's side of the family so he added her last name to his, becoming Ameen-Moore.
At an age when many of his peers are doing their best to steer clear of parents and grandparents, Ameen-Moore credits his for giving him direction, setting high goals and having big expectations. He has maturity beyond his years on and off the field. It allows him to learn from the mistakes and struggles of others around him and not just his own experiences.
His father, William E. Moore, is a heroic figure in his life for doing only what fathers do, sticking around and seeing his son through.
"I see some of my friends that don't have father figures and how that affects them," Ameen-Moore said. "My dad has been there for me every step of the way. Ever since I was little, no matter what it has been, my dad or my grandfather."
His first state championship season didn't come easy this year. Ameen-Moore played hurt much of the season and wasn't at full speed for most of his games. He began to feel better only in the playoffs, after dealing with a high-ankle sprain since Week 3.
"I knew I was going to play whether it was hurting or not," he said.
Toughness and durability are becoming his trademarks. His resiliency has impressed his coach. Dave Logan used to spend his Sundays as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. Now he spends them as the play-by-play radio voice of the Broncos. He has spent a life in football and has seen many prodigies come on strong and fade away.
He says Ameen-Moore has a bright future because he is grounded.
"He's a very talented kid," Logan said. "He's a hardworking kid. He's been everything that you could ask for, especially from a young pup.
"He can be a lot better. There is no such thing as a sophomore being as good as he can be."
Ameen-Moore competes in basketball in the winter and runs track in the spring and believes he's decent at both. Football is never far from his mind. His goal over the next two years is to win two more state titles while continuing to build a name for himself.
"It's real realistic, but it's really hard," he said. "Don't get me wrong, we've been practicing since June 4 all the way until this."
Ameen-Moore wears No. 34 for a reason. He idolizes perhaps the most famous running back in history, who made the number famous but whose career ended before Ameen-Moore was old enough to see him play.
Walter Payton's poster hangs in the wall in his bedroom. The late Chicago Bears great ran with a bull's intensity and sweet moves that earned him the nickname Sweetness. When Ameen-Moore was in sixth grade, he made a towel that he wanted to wear dangling from his belt in games, just the way Payton did. His mother wouldn't allow it because of the message written on it, "Second coming. Second Sweetness." She believed it was disrespectful.
Ameen-Moore still has the towel and it still serves as one piece of motivation, but he also has graduated to more high-tech ways of showing his appreciation for Payton.
"I put pure Payton on my iPod and watch it before the games," Ameen-Moore said.
When the games start, the kid does a fair imitation.
Kyle Ringo is staff writer at the Daily Camera newspaper.
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