Moore or Less: Friday Night Lights

After four decades chasing wins on diamonds and gridirons from Seagoville to Switzerland, Merv Moore says goodbye to Friday nights before trading the press box for a batting cage in Bohol.

By Merv Moore • Shop in Seagoville • August 21, 2026

A Football Coach Who Coaches Baseball

I have always considered myself a football coach who coaches baseball. Football was my first love. It got its hooks in me before I ever picked up a bat.

But baseball came easy to me. I never met a pitcher I could not hit, and I never walked up to home plate intimidated by anybody standing on the hill.

I was obsessed with winning championships, because that is who I studied. My favorite coach was Jimmy Johnson, and his blueprint was the only one I trusted.

My baseball pregame routine was built to rattle the other dugout before the first pitch was even thrown.

My teams walked with a swagger. We expected to win every single game we played, and we usually did.

In Switzerland, I had the hardest working baseball program in the country. We were an arrogant bunch, but we walked the talk.

That mindset carried me through programs in Brunei, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Philippines, and it is the same mindset I bring to a press box.

Why I Am Walking Away

Next year, I am retiring to Bohol Island full-time to build an elite baseball and softball academy, the final chapter with my wife by my side. I have spent two decades building programs on other people’s fields. It is time to build one on my own.

Before I go, there is unfinished business. The last time I covered high school football was during the 2021-22 school year. I had a fun time covering the Class 4A Dumas Demons athletic program.  I learned that Aaron Dunnam is one helluva coach. 

Five years is a long time to be away from Friday nights, and I am not walking back into this season quietly. I intend to make it count for the young men and young women making lifetime memories every week under the lights.

Year Two Is Where It Happens

As a coach, I always loved my second season running a program more than my first. Year one is a honeymoon. Everybody is still feeling each other out. Year two is when it gets real. The players know exactly what I expect of them, and I know exactly what I have and what I still need.

I have been scouting rosters and videos all summer, and I like the Crandall Pirates. I will be watching closely, not just for wins and losses, but for growth.

How much better can Crandall become week over week? What does this team look like in Week 10 compared to Week 1? That gap, more than any single scoreboard, tells me everything about whether a season can become magical.

The Measuring Stick

Some people around Seagoville believe sharing a district with South Oak Cliff is bad news for the Dragons. I do not see it that way.

The Golden Bears are the measuring stick for Class 5A football in this state. If Seagoville is serious about building something special, sharing a district with a program like that is not a curse. It is a blessing. You do not get better playing schools that cannot push you.

Talent Left on the Table

One of the biggest reasons Seagoville football has never risen above the pack of Dallas ISD lightweights is not talent. It is that head coaches have not been able to recruit the talent already walking the halls at SHS to play football.

I live next door to a couple of high school aged kids, one of whom is pushing 230 pounds. Neither one plays for the Dragons. It reminds me of the 1980s, when Seagoville football was good, but could have been great.

Back in the era of “My way or the highway,” players like Ricky Valentine, David Berry, David Morgan, and so many others were not allowed to compete. 

The Dragons have had the horses to reach the third round of the playoffs for forty years. Getting all of that talent on the field at the same time has always been the problem.

One Last Friday Night

I am not your ordinary sports writer. I am an “old” school reporter who calls it like he sees it. I do not get close enough to coaches that I cannot write honest opinions. 

If you love prep football, you are going to love how Shop in Seagoville covers the Dragons and the Pirates this fall. Anyone can write game previews and recaps. That’s boring.

Get ready for 1980’s-style hometown football coverage. Our Prep Football Hub  will have daily articles that keeps local fans informed and entertained. The journey begins April 24.