He Has a Game Plan for His College Years : Scott Moberly Will Combine Football, Faith

Most high school seniors have a tough time deciding what college to attend and which major to pursue, but Scott Moberly of Huntington Beach High School has the next seven years of his life planned.

Moberly will leave for Provo, Utah, four days after the 27th Orange County All-Star football game next Friday to begin his career at Brigham Young University.

He will prepare for the 1986 season by lifting weights in the Cougars’ weight room before practice begins in August. After his freshman season, he will leave school to go on a two-year missionary assignment for the Mormon church, which operates BYU.

The 6-foot 3-inch, 235-pound defensive tackle will redshirt a season after he returns from his mission, leaving him three years of eligibility.

It’s a very organized life for an 18-year-old.

“I could be a 25-year-old senior,” Moberly said.

Things weren’t always so orderly for Moberly. He only began playing organized football at Huntington Beach and never figured he would play in college.

Moberly said he played terribly in his freshman season. Only after he was named an All-Sunset League selection as a junior did he realize that he had a chance to earn a college scholarship.

“I didn’t have a lot of experience like some of the other players, and I never lifted weights seriously until after my junior year,” he said. “The main thing I was worried about was being better my senior year than the year before because I had seen so many guys taper off as seniors.”

There was no letdown for Moberly. BYU, Oregon, Colorado, Utah and Arizona all offered scholarships. He made his last recruiting trip to BYU in late December. He plans to major in business.

“That’s the school that I always wanted to go to,” he said. “The WAC (Western Athletic Conference) has a reputation of being a passing league, and I love to pass rush. I consider pass rushing the strength of my game.”

Moberly will anchor the defensive line for a South team that is hoping to narrow the North’s 15-10-1 series lead at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium. He is one of four South players who will attend BYU in the fall.

“I had a comfortable feeling when I visited BYU,” he said. “I have a lot of friends and relatives there. I want to get there early so I can get acclimated to the altitude.

“I don’t want to walk into the school the week before practice starts. I plan on staying with friends.”

Moberly became a Division I player by working diligently in the Oilers’ weight room. He added 25 pounds between his junior and senior seasons and increased his bench press from 235 to 285 pounds.

“I was big as a junior, but I wasn’t that strong,” he said. “I thought I could play both offense and defense my senior year, but I got wore down to the point where I wasn’t playing well defensively, so I concentrated on defense after the second game of the season.”

Moberly, who alternated between nose guard and right tackle for the Oilers, will play right tackle for South Coach Bill Crow. Scouts have been impressed with his speed, which was good enough to earn him a starting position on the Oilers’ basketball team.

“All I did was rebound,” he said. “I would score about four points and get 14 rebounds. I’m really not much of a basketball player.”

This summer, Moberly is working on a weight program prescribed by BYU’s weight coach. He’s concentrating on improving his upper and lower body strength.

“It really hasn’t been much of a summer so far,” Moberly said. “I get up in the morning, work out for three hours, have lunch, get some sleep and then come to football practice. After the basketball season ended, I decided to get serious about football. I’m hoping all this hard work pays off.”