Building a bright future for Riverhead football

Rasheen Moore, a Riverhead High School alum and star wide receiver from the 2008 football team that posted a 12-0 record and won the Long Island Championship — considered one of the best teams in school history — has dedicated his time and energy the last six years toward rebuilding the local youth football program from its grass roots.

Moore was the No. 1 option in the passing game during the championship run with his natural speed and ability to create space through precise route running. He caught 34 passes for 684 yards to go along with his 10 touchdowns en route to hoisting the trophy. With his passion for the game still overflowing, Moore wants to impact the area’s youth, giving them the football tools necessary to succeed once they hit the middle school level and beyond. In addition to coaching, Moore is now offering individualized training sessions to any kid who wants it.

“A lot of parents are starting to feel that Riverhead isn’t the place to be anymore as far as sports goes,” Moore said. “They’re moving to other areas where they see not just the community coming together but just being one family from the top down. Riverhead has lost that part of it — a part that I grew up with. When I was growing up the whole community was behind everything we did.”

The dwindling numbers on the varsity football team can be directly correlated with participation in the town’s youth programs. The more kids who get involved at an early age, the more they’re willing to see out their careers through the high school level. 

“If you’re a parent and you’re watching your kid not learn, not grow, not get any better in a program, would you keep them there?” Moore said. “That’s the question we as coaches have to ask ourselves as far as what we’re doing here at the youth levels.”

Moore was thrust into youth coaching seven years ago because nobody else wanted to do it. Over time, seeing the results of his efforts has only encouraged him to push harder to try to impact more young players in the area. He’s been coaching the 10- and 11-year-old football teams exclusively, putting a final imprint on them before they head to the higher levels.

“The first year I got involved, I was shocked to see how bad it was,” Moore said. “The coaching staff I had with me at the time decided to just call it quits. They didn’t want to do it anymore. It was too much of a headache for them. I just have too much passion for the game to give up on these kids.”

Growing up in a winning environment, Moore wants to regain the parents’ trust in the program. He knows that it all starts in the peewee leagues and he’s dedicated to teaching the knowledge he’s gained over his many years of playing football. He went on after high school to play flag football at the highest levels because his passion for the game just never went away. 

“I’m constantly trying to improve and I learn more every day,” Moore said. “The techniques I teach translate to other sports as well. It’s not just football, even though we may be doing football-style drills. Even after that first year, and losing all those games, I still felt great because I knew they all got better in some way and that’s what it’s all about.”

Even with a full-time job at Amazon, Moore still finds time to coach and train because that’s where his passion truly lies. His training sessions include a range of footwork and balance drills that mimic game-time moves impacting a player’s ability to react and make the correct play. 

“Once I was able to see how they use my knowledge and training during games, it’s such a gratifying feeling,” Moore said. “Seeing a kid do something I taught in our training sessions just off of pure reaction, there’s nothing better. Our youth program is going to get back to where it was. We have the right people in place and we’re all determined to bring Riverhead sports back. And I can truly say that the middle-schoolers coming up, they’ve been coached very well. That could be the next group that makes a huge impact on our community. I just hope we can keep them all together.”