- April 19, 2024
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Philip Moultrie plays with his daughter Naomi after he comes home from football practice. Photos by Jeff Dawsey
Moultrie led Matanzas to a 30-0 win over Seabreeze this past Friday.
Moultrie likes to find Naomi in the stands when he's on the sideline to hold up No. 1, signifying that she's his No. 1 fan.
After a long day, filled with schoolwork and the grueling of football practice, Matanzas senior running back makes it inside his home and is immediately met by his smiling, year-old toddler daughter Naomi.
When he picks her up and dedicates his next moments to her, all is OK with the world. But, when he first learned that his middle school sweetheart Yeiska Alvarado was pregnant, nothing was OK.
“The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘Dang! I just messed up not only my career but hers too,’” Moultrie said. “And I was so scared to tell my mom. And, when I finally told her, she just started crying and didn’t talk to me for a whole week.”
“It was hard because I didn’t know what to do,” he added. I was still a child. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to take care of my own child.”
Wanting to do the right thing, Moultrie and his family met with Alvarado’s family and discussed a plan that would allow both young teens to remain in school. Both families agreed to help with the pregnancy and babysit, so Moultrie and Yeiska could continue their education.
New life
With the arrival of baby Naomi, life changed for Moultrie. A lifestyle characterized by hanging out with friends in the wee hours of the morning, not taking anything seriously and sometimes disobeying his mother altered into a routine that kept his head in the books while spending ample time with Yeiska and his baby girl.
“I was not as mature as I am now,” he said. “I didn’t do my best in school. Having Naomi made me grow up fast, and now I have to take everything seriously to take care of her and make sure she has a good life and is raised right.”
While Moultrie could never imagine life without Naomi, he made it clear that other teenagers should not follow in Yeiska and his footsteps.
“I’d tell any young teenager not to have a kid at a young age,” he said. “You have to grow up too quick and focus on a child. Focus on school.”
A football life
Moultrie has also developed on the football field. These days, he is known for doing anything that helps the team succeed. This offseason, he was moved to running back from wide receiver. At the beginning, he didn’t like the move but now he says it comes more natural to him.
“I really like it now because I get a lot more touches,” he said. “Instead of lining up as a receiver, getting about five touches per game, I touch the ball like 20 times.” In three games, Moultrie has running totals of 115 (FPC), 207 (Mount Dora) and 168 (Seabreeze) and five touchdowns.
“I’m very satisfied with myself,” he said. “I’m doing well in school, on the field, and I’m taking good care of my daughter. Most kids at a young age don’t take care of their responsibilities as a parent, and they don’t try to stay in school. So, that’s why I’m satisfied with life.”
Say that again: “I’d tell any young teenager not to have a kid at a young age. You have to grow up too quick and focus on a child. Focus on school.”
PHILIP MOULTRIE
