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As he prepared for his high-school journey, Christian Moon figured he would expand his athletic horizons.

“Growing up, I never played football until I got to high school. I always played baseball,” said Moon, a senior at Callaway High. “When I got to high school, I thought I want to try something new and just have fun.”

That began a four-year football journey for Moon, who was an offensive lineman for a program that enjoyed a remarkable run of success.

Since the start of the 2016 season, Callaway has reached the state semifinals three times and the quarterfinals once while winning a pair of region titles.

“My freshman year, I started (on the junior-varsity team), and I thought I really like this,” Moon said. “I stuck with it and kept working, and I was getting in the second half of the games my junior and sophomore year backing up (Keiondre Jones). I thought that was great, and it gave me something to look forward to my senior year.”

Moon was a reserve offensive lineman for a Callaway team that went 12-2 last season and made it to the state semifinals before losing to Brooks County.

As Moon walked off the field that December night, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to a sport that’s come to mean a lot to him. Fortunately for Moon, he won’t have to.

Moon, who is finishing off his senior year at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, has agreed to join the football program at LaGrange College, and he’ll be a freshman on the team this fall.

“I’m ecstatic,” Moon said. “I think about all the people that don’t get opportunities to play college football — it doesn’t matter what level. I feel really blessed to have that opportunity.”

Staying at home is important for Moon, who has a fourth-month-old daughter with his girlfriend, Ann Trainer.

“I feel like it was the best fit for me to stay close to home with my kid and all,” Moon said. “This just gave me an opportunity to continue my career in football, and also get my education.”

Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins is thrilled to see Moon get this chance.

“It’s a great opportunity for Christian,” Wiggins said. “He’s worked hard throughout his high-school career, and he’s been a valuable player for us. He was able to play different positions on the offensive line, and he was always there when we needed him.”

Wiggins said that Moon “has worked hard during the recruiting process. He visited a lot of schools to find the right fit, and I’m proud for him.”

Moon is a part of the most successful senior class in the history of Callaway’s football program.

The Cavaliers are 47-9 over the past four seasons, and they’ve won 11 state-playoff games during that stretch.

Moon was a part of a close-knit group of offensive linemen, and he treasures the time he spent with his football family.

“It’s the bond you build with your teammates, especially being an offensive lineman because we’re a family within the family,” Moon said. “We’re the front-line guys that are there to take all the blows and not get any of the credit, but we do it because of the love for each other, and the love for the team. You can’t really describe that with words.”

For three of those seasons, Moon was a backup to Keiondre Jones, who is heading into his redshirt freshman season at Auburn and is competing to be a starter. Moon has enjoyed seeing Jones, and many of his other Callaway teammates enjoy so much success, and he’s grateful that he’s been able to share the field with them.

“Being close to K.J. and Jacob (Freeman) and all of them growing up, and just to see somebody achieving his dream and doing what he wants to do, it’s a great motivator,” Moon said. “You think about all the other people who don’t have the opportunity to get out on the field. You may think Monday gassers are bad, but you have to realize there are other people out there who can’t be doing what you’re doing, so you’re blessed. I feel like it was a great experience to play.”

One of Moon’s favorite high-school memories came on a game night last season when he and good friend Jacob Freeman were two of the finalists to be the homecoming king.

“Me and Jacob, we’ve been close for a long, long time,” Moon said. “He’s my brother. Me and him were talking, and we said if one of us gets it, we’re both kings. It was crazy. They said first runner-up, Christian, and then he won.”

Another memorable moment for Moon came in a late-season game against Jordan when he got to carry the ball a few times in a 51-0 victory.

Moon was hoping to finish his senior year in school with his friends and classmates, but that’s not going to happen.

Students have been out of school for more than a month, and last week schools across the state were canceled for the remainder of the school year.

Moon looks back fondly on the time he spent at Callaway High.

“I’m a very social person, so I talk to everybody. Just people I’ve talked to from other schools, they’re so big, and they don’t even know half the people there,” Moon said. “I feel like that’s what makes Callaway different. You know everybody, and that gives you a special opportunity to bond with everybody. It’s a great family atmosphere.