VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Battling back from adversity, especially injury, takes a physical and mental strength that not everyone is possessed with. Salem senior running back Willie Moore possesses that strength.

“Everything he’s doing on the field is not surprising,” said Salem head coach Mark Hall III. He’s a Division I player. What Division I program wouldn’t want that kid?”

During his first two games as a SunDevil, Moore has rushed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns, including one of the plays of the week, in which he dragged the entire Landstown defense to the endzone. Right now, he is thriving off the excitement of being healthy and hungry to attack everyday.

“Last three years, I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, so this year I had to show out,” Moore said. “A take it kind of approach. I’m going to keep that same hungry approach.”

During his sophomore season at Grassfield, Moore fractured his femur. In his junior season, he dealt with multiple ankle sprains, which never allowed him to play at 100%. Now, he’s fully back and providing for the undefeated SunDevils on their quest for a Beach District crown.

“I have a lot of people telling me I can do this,” Moore said. “My coaches at Salem told me, ‘Willie we think you can really do something for us’ and I said, ‘you bet.’ You see that confidence start to rise. … I don’t have one of those stories where I was great when I was younger. I would hope that they understand it took work, it took a lot of patience. I went through setbacks, but through it all, I rose and I just kept working hard.”

Willie and the 2-0 SunDevils will take on Bayside at home at 7 p.m. Friday.