Orange MooneyOlathe North
Position: Running Back
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 180 lbs.
Year: Senior
Stat to Note
Mooney was a First-Team All-Desert Region selection last season as a running back at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona.
The only thing more mysterious than the arrival of the ballyhooed Mooney is the lack of press-clippings and statistical coverage from what seemed to be an impressive junior season at St. Mary's. What we do know is that Mooney has generated quite the buzz around the league since his arrival, and he could be the next big name in a great line of Olathe North running backs.
On Mooney's gamefilm he possesses tremendous speed, vision, and fluidity with the ball in his hands. On quite a few occasions he took snaps out of the Wildcat formation, which would make him perfectly suited for Olathe North's offense. Two years ago James Franklin was unstoppable out of the Wildcat formation for the Eagles, and he ended up rushing for 2,500+ yards and winning the Simone, on top of leading the school to state title. Not to say Mooney will even make half the impact that Franklin did, but the fact that he is familiar with the Wildcat formation should only help with his transition.
The last big name transfer into the league was Brett Ginn, who transferred to SM West in 2006 to play running back and linebacker. Ginn had been an All-District performer at Timberview High School, in Mansfield, Texas, prior to his arrival at SM West. We never saw his full contributions in the league as he tore his ACL in the third game of the Viking's season and didn't play again.
What kind of impact will Mooney have? It's hard to say, but he is going to a school that has had quite the successful history of running backs, and if he can perform in the Sunflower League anything like the way he does on his gamefilm, watch out.
