advertisement

Class Acts: Downers North's Moore balances many interests

Try saying this three times fast: Nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering.

Now try studying it.

That's the college plan for Downers Grove North senior Brady Moore, who counts a love of science as one of his many interests.

Many, many interests.

It's not often you see the combination of football offensive lineman and cello player, but that's Moore. He's also a rugby player and bass fisherman who competes on the math team and in scholastic bowl.

There's probably something missing from the list, but that's fine. There aren't enough hours in the day for much more.

"It's a pretty full schedule," he said. "During football season it's much busier but after that it doesn't seem that bad. I'm able to recharge on the weekends."

Not only was Moore named to the IHSA All-State Academic Team this school year, he also earned a selection to the Illinois Music Education Association all-state team with his cello playing.

Amazing accomplishments considering he's taking eight classes during an eight-period day - six AP classes with no lunch or study hall, which doesn't feel too rugged after taking nine classes as a junior thanks to Zero Hour. With all that on his plate Moore still boasts a 4.84 GPA on a 4-point scale and scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.

No wonder Downers North football coach Joe Horeni put him in the heart of the offensive line at center even though he stands 5-foot-11 and weighs only 200 pounds.

"If you were going to build the prototypical good kid, you'd build Brady Moore," Horeni said. "Of all the football positions to play as a cellist, offensive line is the last one you'd expect. But he breaks all the stereotypes."

Moore has come a long way in a few years. He received a bunch of Cs and Ds in middle school but immediately buckled down when high school kicked in. He took advantage of an innate competitive spirit to thrive during his time at Downers North.

"School's just another game for me," he said. "I really think the reason I have good grades is because I like competing with my classmates and friends."

Moore will attend the University of Illinois to study nuclear engineering. He'll enter college with so many credits from AP tests that he'll likely double major or take on a minor or two, perhaps in cello performance. He might also study abroad.

His football career is over but he's looking forward to playing club rugby at Illinois.

"Don't tell coach Horeni, but rugby is my favorite sport," he said with a laugh.

Moore's senior year didn't end the way he hoped due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced schools to close, but he's pretty confident he took advantage of every minute he spent at Downers North.

"I miss being in the classroom with my friends and classmates and teachers," Moore said. "If I didn't keep myself as busy as I did, I think I would have been bored."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit

In addition to being named to the IHSA's academic all-state team, Downers Grove North senior Brady Moore earned all-state honors from the Illinois Music Education Association. courtesy of Brady Moore
Brady Moore
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.