A tough act to follow: Record-breaking Caden Moore leaves mark at Cambridge

Cambridge High's football program has advanced to three consecutive Ohio High School Athletic Association playoff appearances under head coach Ray Leek.

If they are to extend that streak to four, job one for Leek will be to replace the talented triggerman for all three of those playoff runs in standout senior QB Caden Moore.

"Caden will be hard to follow as the quarterback here at Cambridge," Leek explained. "Caden has just had an outstanding career, all the records he holds speak for themselves. He's been a tremendous leader for our program, and has set the tone with his tremendous work ethic.

"Not only is he a great football player, he's just a great kid as well," Leek added. "He just loves to go out and compete. Probably the most competitive person I know, doesn't matter what sport or activity it is. We have a ping pong table in the locker room, and Caden would go at it like it's a playoff game. That's just who he is, and it's a huge part of him having all the success he has had."

This season, Moore put up some eye-popping numbers with a 67.3 completion percentage, hitting on 226-of-336 passing attempts for 3,202 yards with 34 TDs. Moore added 357 yards rushing on 148 carries with another nine rushing TDs. His season totals were 43 total touchdowns, 3,559 total yards with an average of 297 yards per game.

Moore, the son of Brian and Tiffany Moore, said he wanted his senior season to be special and wanted to make sure to continue the playoff streak. He credited a rigorous offseason workout program that helped prepare him for his final season as the Bobcats' signal caller.

"I went back and watched film from my junior season and looked for things I could improve on," Moore explained. "And I kind of felt I didn't compete to my fullest capabilities, so I wanted to make sure in my final season that I did that. I watched a lot of film, identified some things I could do better and went to work to improve in those areas. So that, along with having some great friends and talented teammates, worked out for us."

Moore credited those teammates for helping him have a standout season, including his starting offensive line which consisted of Andy Ogle, Angelo Rocco, Conner Mobelini and Caiden Dillion, and a pair of key backups in Sylus Fisher and Jacob Riggs.

Moore had a bevy of talented players at the skill position slots including receivers Davion Bahr, Devin Ogle, Xander Caldwell and Owen Feldner, along with brothers Trey and Beau Stottsberry.

"I've been playing with these guys since grade school, except Xander who came in our freshman year," Moore said. "We had another big target coming into the year with Jake Valentine, who unfortunately got hurt and missed the season. He would have been another huge weapon for us.

"Those guys are all so talented and able to make plays," Moore added. "It made my job pretty easy really, just get the ball to them and they did the rest. It was just a real good feeling to line up with all those talented players, who are all also my good friends. It made our success even better for all of us, that we got to enjoy it together."

Those impressive numbers were recognized with Moore being named 1st Team Eastern District, 1st Team OVAC, 2nd Team All Ohio, 1st Team Buckeye 8, a finalist for Big 22 Player of the Year and Academic All Ohioan.

Moore also etched his name squarely in the Cambridge football record books with numerous school records. Moore now holds the school mark for career passing yards with 6,517, career TD passes with 68, TD passes in a season with 34, career rushing yards with 1,150, career TDs with 87 and career points with 524.

In addition, Moore showed his tremendous leadership skills with the time and work he put in with freshman backup QB Garrett Carpenter this season. Carpenter, who will get the first shot and taking over for Moore next year, is ahead of the game due to Moore's work with him according to Leek.

"Caden has had a huge part in bringing Garrett along and getting him ready," Leek offered. "Garrett has the chance to be a special player as well. And Caden made sure to do everything he could to help him. That's just the type of selfless leader he is. He cares about our Cambridge program and wants us to continue to have the success he helped us achieve the last three years."

Moore said helping Carpenter was a no-brainer.

"I've known Garrett for a long time, and fortunately he came out and played football last year as an eighth grader," Moore explained. "I saw him throw the ball in the offseason and told him you should play quarterback, and he was open to the idea.

"So, I helped him with his throwing, working on a quick release, things like that," Moore added. "I tried to spend a lot of time with him in practice, explaining the timing of the routes, things like that. He's going to be good, and I hope he helps us keep the playoff run going. And honestly, break some of my records too."

Both Moore and Leek credited a special bond between the two that helped foster the gridiron success the Bobcats enjoyed during their impressive three-year playoff run.

"Coach Leek has been sort of a second father figure to me," Moore explained. "He's worked with me since I was a sophomore to where I am now. He helped me progress my game more than I ever thought possible. I feel he really helped me get the most out of my ability.

"The trust between us is special," Moore continued. "I mean, I would tell him something I saw on the field, and he would listen to it and really take it in. And a lot of times make a change to take advantage of what I brought to him. I definitely trusted Coach Leek, and I feel he definitely trusted me which I feel was a key to us having so much success."

Leek echoed his QB's assessment of the player-coach relationship.

"Caden and I have a special relationship," Leek said. "I coach our quarterbacks, so we spent a lot of time together on the field and also watching film. Most of the time, we just kind of knew what the other was thinking. Just a knack for seeing situations the same way. That trust really helped us get the most out of relationship, on and off the football field."

Moore didn't just stick to the football field for an outlet for his competitive drive, as he is also a key contributor for coach Kyle Pertuset on the Bobcats' basketball team, as well on the baseball diamond for coach Jamaal Lowery.

"I started as a young kid playing soccer and flag football," Moore stated. "Then that grew into baseball, basketball, I played them all. I just loved playing sports with my friends, and once I got to high school, I was like why would I want to stop doing them all.

"Basketball was probably my favorite through middle school into my freshman season," Moore said. "Then in my sophomore season football took over for me. But I wasn't going to give up the rest of my sports, I loved spending that time with all my friends."

As for the future, Moore has the opportunity to continue his football and academic careers at the collegiate level with at least 10 Division II and III schools expressing interest in him. Some of the possible destinations include West Liberty, Walsh, Capital, Bluffton and Otterbein.

"Caden has the opportunity to play football at the next level and I have no doubt he would be successful at it," Leek said. "But right now, he's undecided about what he wants to do, and I will support him in whatever decision he makes."

For Moore, attending college is a definite next step for him. The decision comes down to trying to play football and excel in the classroom or to just focus on earning his degree.

"If I want to play football, I know I have the opportunity, and I appreciate having that opportunity," Moore said. "That's definitely an option, and I'm going to keep it open for a while. But education is my number one thing to get. So going to college and getting a degree in whatever I decide to major in is the number one goal. Because that's what you're going to be doing the rest of your life. So right now, I'm still deciding on which way to go."

kstutton1@gannett.com; 1-330-806-5692.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Record-breaking Caden Moore leaves mark at Cambridge