Article by: Lindsey Plotkin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Photo by: Adam Vogler
When Little Rock Parkview Coach Bobby Bolding hired Maurice Moody as his offensive line coach ahead of the 2026 season, he also got a star three-way player.
Elijah Moody, Maurice's son, came to Parkview with his father and quickly took on roles as starting quarterback, outside linebacker and punter.
Bolding describes Elijah Moody as an "old-school football player," someone who wants to be on the field and make a difference no matter what.
"I needed an offensive line coach, and I really didn't know anything about Eli," Bolding said. "But I knew his dad and knew him for a long time. (I have) tremendous respect for him as a coach and all the success he had as a head coach and as an O-line coach. And he said, 'My son's a baller,' and I wanted Maurice. I didn't know his son was a baller, and he is."
Moody has an nontraditional approach to the quarterback position, as he is a runner first. He runs the ball like an old-school tailback, not afraid to drop his shoulder and run a guy over. He punts, which is not uncommon at the high school level. He's also a starting outside linebacker for the Patriots' defense, often in the middle of scrums or chasing a back down for a tackle.
"People, when they come in to tackle him, they got to make a business decision," Bolding said. " 'Do I want to keep playing, or do I want to hit this joker head on?' Because he can make you miss, or he can run over you."
Bolding said Moody's willingness and motivation to play both ways has led to other players wanting to do the same. The biggest challenge comes with getting Moody off the field to take a rest when he needs it.
Moody said he wants to be on the field for every play. To combat fatigue, Bolding will tell his offensive coordinator to let someone else run the ball, giving his quarterback a chance to catch his breath.
"The adrenaline gets me going, so I'm ready whenever," Moody said. "If the team needs me on defense, I go out there and get a stop. They need a touchdown on offense, I go out there, get a touchdown. The adrenaline, it really pumps me to do better."
Moody nearly led Parkview to a 28-point comeback win over Joe T. Robinson last week, rushing for 260 yards and 5 touchdowns on 22 carries while throwing for 64 yards and a touchdown on 2 completions. The Patriots fell just short, losing on a last-minute field goal.
Two of the touchdown runs were for 69 and 75 yards and were key in shifting the momentum back to the Patriots.
"I give credit to my O-line. A lot of those plays, we went out there in practice, they did what they had to do," Moody said. "It came game time, they applied the stuff that Coach taught us at practice, put in the game plan, and it worked to perfection. I mean, I couldn't do nothing without them, the big boys moving their bodies around. I just did the rest of the work."
Despite it being his first season with Parkview -- he previously played at Mills -- Moody said he quickly meshed with the offensive line. He credits his leadership style of leading by example for the tight bond, something he says he's only looking to keep growing.
"I like to be a good brother to them," Moody said. "They can pick me up, lift me up, even when I get to lollygagging around. They try to make me better, so we try to make each other better. I think that's really what takes this team to the next level. It's just our brotherhood."
For Moody, the sidelines are a family affair beyond his teammates on the field. His dad is an assistant coach and his younger brother, Josiah, is typically on the sidelines while their mom watches from the stands.
Elijah said having his entire family at games adds to his motivation.
"Seeing my little brother on the sideline, he's little," he said, "so I just strive to put everything I got on the line so he can look up to me so he will be able to see his big brother play and want to do stuff like that."
He added having his dad as a coach is special.
"It's a blessing in disguise," Elijah said. "When I hear affirmation coming from him, it means a lot more when he says it, so I go out there, put everything on the line. Just him being right there, being able to see me succeed, it probably hits on him too."
Bolding said that he has no doubts about how Maurice prepared Elijah to succeed, and now is looking to continue growing him as a player.
"When (Maurice is) out there ... he's not playing around with Eli," Bolding said. "Eli's going to do what he's supposed to do, or his dad's going to put his foot up in it. ... He coaches him hard out there, just like he does everybody else. Nobody can ever say, 'Well, Eli's playing because his dad' -- bull on them. Eli's playing because of Eli, and Dad stays on him pretty good on that field."
Bolding also said he believes Moody has the potential to be a Division I player and beyond, which Elijah says is his goal.
Moody's dedication to football knows no limits, which Bolding says is why he will succeed. Bolding said Moody is always working to improve some aspect of his game, whether working in the weight room, getting extra throws in or running extra plays.
"There's not a single question in my mind that he is a Division I football player, and he will play wherever they want him to play," Bolding said. "I'll tell you right now, if they want him to play guard, that sucker is going to put his hand in the dirt and play guard and go to work on somebody.
"He will do whatever it takes because he's just got that old school competitor mentality. He does not like losing. He does not like a 1-yard carry. He wants to turn 1 into 71, and that's a true competitor to me."