Why 'shy' Mikhai Moshay brings volumes of energy to Pearl-Cohn football this season

Pearl-Cohn senior defensive lineman Mikhai Moshay twirled off the field like a tornado.

He celebrated with teammates, got in his assistant coaches’ faces and stoked flames that were already burning white-hot on the sideline.

This is how Moshay lives these days.

The Firebirds’ most vocal leader let it all out after Pearl-Cohn’s defense stopped a last-minute drive and held on for an 18-13 win over Christ Presbyterian Academy on Aug. 27 in Week 2 of the TSSAA football season.

Moshay finished with 6.5 tackles and made a pivotal play in the final moments, sacking Jack VanOrman for a 13-yard loss to make it even harder for CPA (0-2) to find the end zone. Pearl-Cohn (1-1) dropped Lions tight end Wright Martin just short of the first down marker on fourth down with 24 seconds left.

<1 / 29

<2 / 29

<3 / 29

<4 / 29

<5 / 29

<6 / 29

<7 / 29

<8 / 29

<9 / 29

<10 / 29

<11 / 29

<12 / 29

<13 / 29

<14 / 29

<15 / 29

<16 / 29

<17 / 29

<18 / 29

<19 / 29

<20 / 29

<21 / 29

<22 / 29

<23 / 29

<24 / 29

<25 / 29

<26 / 29

<27 / 29

<28 / 29

<29 / 29

“(The defense was) down when we came out, because we had just come off the field, but I picked my brothers up and they picked me up,” said Moshay, who also had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in Pearl-Cohn’s Week 1 loss against Montgomery Bell Academy. “We just went out there and did that thing. It wasn’t just me.”

Pearl-Cohn defensive coordinator Andre Davis had a heart-to-heart with his senior defenders this summer about finding a leader among them. The Firebirds’ 2023 Class 4A state championship team had those types of guys, mainly linebacker Zeion Simpson-Smith, who’s now playing defensive tackle at MTSU.

This year’s team has championship aspirations too. But a few months ago, it lacked a voice.

“We put a lot of pressure on him. We push him hard. We probably go off on him more than anybody. I know that’s a lot on him,” Pearl-Cohn coach Tony Brunetti said. “Sometimes a kid is trying and giving all he got, but you’ve got to push harder.”

That approach has lit a fire under the 6-foot-5, 204-pound edge-rusher, who doesn’t consider himself a loud person, even though he’s the player who leads the team out of Pearl-Cohn’s locker room and is the first to slap the “Bully Ball” sign above the door.

“I’m a shy guy,” Moshay said. “I really don’t like to talk in big crowds. I get too nervous, I get to stuttering. When I’m with my team I try to break that because I know I’m going to need it in life in the long run. I know this is a brotherhood; they’re not going to look at me any type of way. They’re going to have my back.”

Moshay’s current offers include Illinois State, Tennessee Martin, Mercer, North Alabama and Columbia. And more opportunities could come.

“He has the potential to be a D1 kid,” Brunetti said. “He can hold 50 pounds of muscle (on his body). When his frame changes and he puts that muscle on, he’s going to be a wreck to deal with.”

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.