T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News

Boasting three touchdowns on 16 passes, throwing for 168 yards and rushing for 61, Isaiah Moreno, the Trinidad Miner’s starting quarterback, willed his team a victory with not just skill and talent, but a burning desire to win and change the culture of the programs he drives.

Isaiah spoke about his goals. The primary one is to give his hometown something they haven’t had for quite some time: the opportunity to compete at the state level.

“I want to go and do great things for Trinidad,” Isaiah said. “And hopefully have us going for a state championship here soon — whether it be for football, basketball, or both.”

When asked about how his year went, he said, “I think that it went pretty well, especially since Trinidad sports [hasn’t] been on the winning side of things too much (recently). So, I’ve been able to improve and help the whole team with football and basketball, getting some wins and just helping improve the culture of the program.”

Moreno’s dad, Chris, said, “He did extremely well in basketball last year. He was a big reason they were district champs. He helped that team out a lot. He also just became captain of the team… He’s a good leader. He pushes everybody and just does what he can. He wants his team to go somewhere they haven’t been in years, many years: To state.”

Although Moreno has been applauded by his coaches, peers and teammates for his leadership ability, his burning will to win was developed in one-on-one competition with his first sport, wrestling.

“When I was wrestling,” he said. “I did really [well] and won a lot, so it gave me a will to win — I got used to it. And it helped me understand that I had to train and get better if I wanted to keep winning.”

The hard work and training certainly translated for Isaiah in later years, with a dedication to his respective sports and a desire to help his team develop a winning culture.

Chris said, “He works hard every day. He’s always at the gym, working on football or basketball, all day, every day. We’re really proud of him.”

Although Isaiah dreamed of playing quarterback since he was a small child, he didn’t get the opportunity to play the position until he became a teenager.

“He actually got thrown into (being) varsity quarterback [during] his freshmen year,” Chris said. “He was really nervous. He was a lot smaller, so he knew he had to bust his butt to get to where he’s at now. And that’s what he did. He worked extremely hard. So, when his sophomore year came, he had improved a lot.”

Although QBing was a new experience in his teenage years, one in which he eventually excelled — for basketball — he always played center, competing in the post, despite his favorite player growing up being Tracy McGrady, a shooting guard famous for his outside play.

“I’ve always been the center, just because I’ve always been the tallest kid on the team. I really like it a lot, but I also wish I could play guard.”

When asked about his inspirations in football, Isaiah said, “My favorite player right now is Michael Penix (Jr). The player I always looked up to was Julio Jones. But I’m the QB, so I kind of had to change that up a little bit.”

What does the future looked like for the THS star player?

Isaiah said, “(My goals), short term, I just want to make it to the playoffs in football and basketball and hopefully look to compete for a state championship in either sport. Long term, my goal is to get into college for either football, or basketball and then hopefully play professionally at some point.”

When asked if there were something they’d like to tell the community, Isaiah’s mom, Shawna, said, “We just like for them to be there to support the Miners. There’s a lot of talent on the team. We just need the community support. They (the players) love the support. For football and basketball and for the girls too.”