Toast of the Coast: North Myrtle Beach’s Moore proved area’s biggest defensive force

Keyshawn Moore was unknowingly nearing another personal milestone.

His 400th career tackle on the horizon, the North Myrtle Beach linebacker was focused on something else. The Chiefs had little hope of making the playoffs without a win over river Myrtle Beach in Week 10 and his time with the team was dwindling either way.

Just as importantly, his shoulder was a wreck.

A lingering injury from his sophomore year – the first of three seasons in which he eclipsed 100 total tackles – wasn’t going to stop him from one last great performance. He finished with 19 all-important stops and a pass break-up against the high-powered Seahawks, helping North Myrtle Beach win the game and earn its best region finish since 2006.

“By the end of the night, I probably couldn’t even move,” Moore said. “It didn’t bother me during the game. As I got on the bus, it started hurting. It was pretty banged up at the end of the game.”

Weeks after the season ended, coaches from Myrtle Beach to Loris to Carolina Forest were still talking about the impact Moore had against their teams. The reaction was almost always the same.

Lose sight of No. 2, and, well, good luck.

That made sense, even though North Myrtle Beach’s overall record was just 4-7. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound middle linebacker was the area’s leading tackler (154) and added 12 tackles for loss, created five turnovers and scored two defensive touchdowns en route to being named The Sun News Toast of the Coast Football Defensive Player of the Year.

“How he played the game, so physical,” first-year Chiefs coach Blair Hardin said. “I want his legacy to be how he played the game, but also for our young guys to emulate how he played. You’re going to play tough and physical and fast. And that’s what he did.”

That doesn’t mean the coaches didn’t try to preserve him some.

“Both of his shoulders were shot at the end of the year,” Hardin said. “You could just tell through his body language. Those last few weeks, we didn’t let him put pads on in practice. But he responded every Friday.”

Saving him for game days was a decision that proved wise, as Moore was able to make one more impression. His career ended with a first-round playoff loss to Midland Valley the week after that victory over Myrtle Beach.

When it did, three years at linebacker amounted to 411 total tackles and 50 tackles for loss. He was named the Region VII-AAA Defensive Player of the Year this fall after earning first-team honors as a junior.

Throughout the postseason awards and all those tackles, his attitude never changed.

“I didn’t really think I was that person that people talked about,” Moore said. “I thought I was just a football player.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Toast of the Coast: North Myrtle Beach’s Moore proved area’s biggest defensive force."