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Apex
A table outside Apex High’s library hallway entrance features eight or so photos of football seniors encased in standup placards. A QR code on each player’s glossy page contains college prospect information.
Apex coach John Mozerka uses the placards to assist players off the radar of Division I recruiters yet with the passion to continue playing at a lower-division program. The code can be scanned to transmit information directly to a recruiting coordinator’s database.
Great egalitarian idea. But what does that have to do with the placard featuring senior Kaleb Morrow? The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end is committed to East Carolina. Recruiters found him on their own.
Well, plenty if you learn Morrow’s story.
His family had relocated to Apex his freshman year. He was the new kid in town still awkwardly growing into his body. He doesn’t turn 18 until June — meaning he was a gangly 14-year-old freshman on the Apex JV team and a young 15-year-old sophomore in a backup role on the varsity. He needed time to develop his game.
Morrow found such support from Apex’s older receivers. They were guys on their way to find their college destination through the Apex library table placards.
? Trey Barbee, an Apex senior on the 2022 team, is a sophomore at Randolph-Macon College, a Division II program in Ashland, Virginia.
? Ian Bright (2022 Apex senior), Barton College, Division II, Wilson, N.C.
? Jack Welch (2022 Apex senior), Barton.
? Zach Lowe (2023 Apex senior), Mercer College, FCS, Macon, Georgia.
“Those guys helped me a lot,” Morrow said. “They helped me with fundamental stuff like footwork and releases. It meant a lot to have older players helping me.”
Such assistance is not a given in high school sports — or any level for that matter. It has to be developed from a team bond and maintained through a coaching staff’s continuity.
“It’s a small-town culture here,” Morrow said. “I like the small-town feel.”
The Apex library table was an outgrowth of Mozerka’s own high school athlete and coaching experiences in San Diego prior to relocating to North Carolina. He was an Apex assistant until promoted to head coach in 2021.
As a high school athlete, Mozerka played in a city with recruiters flocking to see talent that included future Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam and six-time NFL Pro Bowler La’Roi Glover. They weren’t looking Mozerka’s way, but he found the right fit at Sacramento State, which at the time was transitioning from Division II to I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision).
Later, as a young coach, he began to better understand the challenge athletes face to find the right fit college fit.
“Once I got out here, I saw there are so many more Division II and III opportunities on the East Coast,” Mozerka said. “I wanted to find ways to package information.”
Morrow’s emergence into a Division I athlete resulted in Apex adjusting its offense.
His freshman season on the JV team the Cougars utilized a spread offense that lacked a tight end. His sophomore varsity season Mozerka added some tight end formations. Although Morrow finished with only eight receptions for 85 yards, four were red-zone plays resulting in touchdowns.
Apex won a conference title in 2022 with a 10-2 overall record. The Cougars advanced to the second round of the playoffs before a suffering a loss against Hillside.
The offense adapted to a tight end focus Morrow’s junior season. He caught 30 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns. Apex finished 7-4 with a first-round playoff loss to New Bern.
“We were an up-tempo offense, but we’ve slowed it down with a tight end and multiple backs,” Mozerka said. “He’s an in-line blocker that gets loose on play-action and run-pass-option. That’s his forte, and we decided to maximize it. He has pass-catching ability and he’s shown some pop on his blocking.”
Morrow’s senior season numbers on a young roster are down with seven catches for 109 yards and one touchdown through five games, but he is confident the offense has made strides under sophomore quarterback Kyle Hulse. Apex bounced back from a 1-2 start with back-to-back conference wins over Panther Creek and Cary.
Apex (3-2, 2-0) travels for a 7 p.m. Friday game at Green Level (1-4, 1-1). The conference title tests arrive the following two weeks against Apex Friendship (4-1, 2-0) and Middle Creek (2-3, 2-0).
“We’re coming together,” said Morrow, sounding like a supportive senior teammate. “Our young quarterback is getting better every game. We’ll see what we can do the next couple of games.”
Some emerging players might earn a library table placard.
This story was originally published October 3, 2024, 6:00 AM.