Dante Moore Displays Resiliency in Detroit City Championship Victory

Written by ISD correspondent Andrew Mentock

The 2021 Detroit Public School League championship game was played on a cold and rainy evening on Friday. This presented 2023 quarterback Dante Moore‍, a top Notre Dame target, and his Martin Luther King (Mich.) Crusaders with the opportunity to defeat crosstown rival and Midwest powerhouse Cass Tech for a second time this season.

Moore dominated in the first matchup between Cass Tech and King on Sept. 10. The high school junior completed 18 of 25 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-34 win. 

“It's a rivalry game. Of course, you always want to win against a rival,” Moore said. “It's going to be the city championship, so it's even bigger than the last game. But overall it's just being out there with the guys, having fun. Whatever the weather is, have fun and just be in the moment — just come out and be the city champion and just kick butt tomorrow. That's all.”

The city championship game was held at a neutral location, Northwestern High School, which was packed by both fanbases.

With nearby parking lots full or closed to the public, eager fans chose to tailgate just outside the stadium. They cooked hot dogs and enjoyed a few beverages, mindful of oncoming traffic while parallel parked. Once street parking was full, fans and journalists illegally occupied the grassy median between east and west Grand Blvd. — adopting the mentality of “you can’t tow all of us.”

After failing to score in the first half, King trailed 15-0. Moore, who hadn’t thrown an interception all season coming into the game, was picked off at midfield, ending a promising drive. 

But despite the frustrated crowd and uncharacteristically poor start, Moore remained locked in and quickly moved past his interception. 

“The quarterback is always going to take the blame,” Moore said. “I could have thrown it better, out of bounds and away from the DB. But quarterbacks throw picks. Tom Brady throws picks, probably the best quarterback ever. It's natural for us. I'm not really thinking about it.”

In the second half, King responded with 21 unanswered points and shut down the Cass Tech offense to win 21-15. Moore completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 233 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns. 

This may be Moore’s least impressive stat line of the season, but the Cass Tech defense is full of three- and four-star talent, especially along the line. Not to mention, it was so cold and wet that fingers easily turned numb and wrinkled.

Moore also may have had to assume a bigger role in running the offense with King’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator out for health reasons.

In speaking to a source who’s evaluated the 2023 signal-caller, those at the next level feel that Moore is that he’s still raw but possesses incredible potential. He has a strong arm, good size at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds and enough mobility to throw on the run and escape the pocket when necessary. 

Most importantly, he’s extremely accurate and has completed 74.4 percent of his passes on the season. Other than the uncharacteristic interception on a broken play, he never put the ball in danger. 

“He's making good decisions,” said King head coach Tyrone Spencer.

Just as important as his on-the-field production, Moore has also made it a goal this season to improve as a leader. He’s not naturally outspoken, but knows the more he picks his teammates up and remains composed under pressure, the better King will be. 

“His character stands out the most,” Spencer said. “He's just a kid that everybody likes, and he's somebody who's always really supposed to be at. I think coaches [at the next level] admire that. I also think he's a poised football player. He's never too high or too low so that always helps us having somebody who's locked in the game.”

Based on stats from King’s social media and the Detroit Free Press, Moore has completed 93 of 125 passes for 1,698 yards, 24 touchdowns and one pick. 

He’s also the team’s punter and has a pretty decent leg, flipping the field on more than one occasion against Cass Tech. On a punt in the second half, he even pinned Cass Tech inside their own 15. 

King is 7-1 on the season, which includes two forfeits. The Crusader’s lone loss came in the first game of the season, losing 42-40 on a last-second Hail Mary at Carmel High School (Ind.).

This upcoming weekend, King is scheduled to travel to Cincinnati Moeller (Ohio) before and a week later the Michigan High School Athletic Association state tournament begins.

“The biggest thing right now is to go 1-0 every week,” Moore said. “You can't think about the future, just be in the moment.”

Ranking
ISD: 94 (four-star)
247: 95 (four-star)
Rivals: 5.9 (four-star)
ESPN: 87 (four-star)
Composite: 99.17 (five-star)