By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Miller Moss is all about living in the moment. He is at his best when the stakes are the highest and now he is ready to rise to another challenge.
After starting at quarterback for the Loyola High varsity football team last fall—the first freshman ever to do so—the Palisadian is taking his talents to the San Fernando Valley, where he hopes to lead Bishop Alemany to the Mission League title.
Moss transferred after last season for a chance to engineer the wide-open offense of new head coach Casey Clausen, who announced in December he was leaving Calabasas High for his alma mater, where he’ll be joined by brother Rick (also a former college quarterback), who will be the offensive coordinator.
“Loyola is an awesome school, it just wasn’t a great fit for me,” Moss said. “I wanted to go to a co-ed school. I looked at Mater Dei, Oaks Christian and [Gardena] Serra. Alemany has a great studio arts program and I love the coaching staff. I competed all throughout the spring to win the starting the job.”
Playing 7-on-7 for Premium Legends (ranked No. 3 in the nation), Moss was named a Top Ten 2021 prospect in the West region by Rivals.com. Having already received an offer from San Jose State, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound sophomore is staying focused on the task at hand.
“Even before I got to Loyola I was exposed to big-time football, so my preparation helped me be able to control my nerves,” said Moss, who grew up in the Via Bluffs and has made the Palisadian-Post Athlete of the Year list numerous times. I’ve always had a pretty good understanding of the game but I’m physically stronger and faster and the Clausens have really helped with my check-downs, protections and reading coverages.”
Practice opened yesterday at Alemany’s campus in Mission Hills and Moss still recalls the final game last year when his former team was up by four points before turning the ball over deep in its own territory and losing in the final minute to his current team.
“They’re our league rivals, so I’m sure Loyola is going to be really motivated to beat us—especially after what happened last season—but we’ll be ready for them as well. Knowing the offense backwards and forwards is the key. One thing about the Clausens is that they make sure you have one thing down before moving on to something else.”
Moss played multiple positions growing up, including wide receiver and middle linebacker, but he vividly recalls the moment he knew he was destined to be a quarterback.
“It was a playoff game with my Rancho team,” he said. “I was super sick and didn’t play in the first half but in the second I threw for three touchdowns and ran for one and we beat Cerritos 44-0.”
As an eighth-grader at St. Matthew’s, Miller used his accurate arm to lead the Rancho Dominguez Lobos to the AAU California 14U Super Bowl and on to the Nationals West Finals.
Asked what he enjoys most about his position, Moss said: “I love creating. I love it when there’s chaos all around me and I have to make a play. I’m confident I can make any throw. I can throw it short, intermediate or deep and I definitely have a pass-first mentality. I expect a lot out of myself. The tougher the situation gets, the better I get.”
Moss started training with quarterback coach Steve Clarkson at the age of 7. He began playing tackle football in fourth grade for the Westside Vikings and had quite an impressive debut, throwing for two touchdowns, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble. He led the Pop Warner squad to city championships in 2012 and 2013.
As a sixth-grader at Willows School he led the seventh-grade flag football team to the Pacific Basin League title. Also an exceptional basketball player, he won a national AAU championship with the Tri-City Ballers in 2010. He attended Windward School in seventh grade, then transferred to St. Matthew’s. He quarterbacked the Lobos to the West Coast title while calling his own plays.
“I’m a huge Tom Brady fan,” Moss admitted. “Mostly because of his mental approach to the game and his obsession with winning. I also like Aaron Rodgers—he’s the most technically sound.”
Over the summer he attended a Rivals 3-Stripe Camp at Cypress College as well as the USC and UCLA Elite camps. On Monday, he was at a 3D QB Camp in Huntington Beach with L.A. Rams quarterback Jared Goff.
Miller isn’t the only athlete in his family. His 12-year-old sister Addison is in New York for five weeks, dancing at Lincoln Center for the School of American Ballet.
No matter where football takes him in the future, when he’s done playing Moss wants to come back to live in L.A. He enjoys hanging out with friends at Garden Cafe or Will Rogers State Beach.
“This is home,” he said. “I‘ve always loved it here.”
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