By: Brad Welborn, Assistant Sports Information Director
NATCHITOCHES – There are Senior Days, and then there are Senior Days that feel like turning a page.
For the group of 12 Northwestern State seniors who will jog onto the Turpin Stadium turf one last time Thursday night, the moment is something more than ceremonial, it's a celebration of endurance, belief and the foundation they've quietly laid for what comes next.
The Demons (1-10, 0-7) close the regular season against rival and newly crowned Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin (9-2, 7-0) at 6:30 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+ and air on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.
The class being honored on Thursday represent the bridge to what the future holds for the program. Some have lived through years most teams only ever read about, coaching changes, shutdowns, heartbreak and the brutal grind of starting over. Yet the common thread is that they stayed.
"We've got a handful of these seniors that were here before we got here, and I think they can be as proud of their time at Northwestern State as anybody in the history of the school," second-year head coach
Blaine McCorkle said. "That may sound crazy because they haven't had the success they deserved, but what they've endured, all of those things that no program has had to deal with before. When this thing gets going, they can look back knowing they're the group that stuck it out through the roughest time. They ought to be as proud as anybody who has ever played here."
For Moore, however, there was a little more than just belief – it was legacy. His mother, Janice Miller Moore, is an N-Club Hall of Famer in track and field. His father, Glenn Moore, played football for NSU before becoming one of college softball's winningest coaches with more than 1,000 wins and enters his 26th year as Baylor's softball coach in 2026.
"It's been awesome being here and playing here," Moore said. "Carrying on my parents' legacy means a lot. A lot of my family are big supporters of this place, and them getting to come watch me play has been really fun."
Through two tough years, Moore never doubted what the future could look like, and what he has had a hand in building.
"You can already see the upward trend our team is taking," he said. "It's exciting that in a few years I'll be able to come back and support great seasons ahead. I'll always know I was part of turning things around. Sometimes hard work isn't rewarded right away — but that doesn't mean it isn't coming."
After missing three games due to injury Moore has had five catches for 172 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. Three of his five catches have gone for more than 25 yards.
George's journey has had its own layers. He battled injuries. He faced the fear and uncertainty of his mother's March cancer diagnosis. And somehow, it all sharpened his purpose instead of breaking it.
"I think that no matter the outcome, as a man, you should always fight and go to work," George said. "Always getting better. That's something Coach McCorkle has preached to us. Showing up every day and giving your all to get better."
The lessons, he said, reached far beyond football.
"It challenged me in a positive way," George said. "I was able to really look at myself and see some things that I needed to work on and things I could get better at in the future that are going to make me a better person. The culture here has allowed me to grow into that leadership role. That person that can go out and impact a group of people."
Even though wins have been scarce for the Class of 2025 the standard for the rebuild has never slipped.
"We say it all the time, being a Demon means we fight until the end," George said. "No matter what's going on, we put our best foot forward and show up."
That's what sits at the core of Thursday night and the final game for this class. Not a record. Not a score. A group of young men who kept showing up long enough to push the program forward, even when no one outside the locker room could see it yet.
"This is a unique group with a unique perspective," McCorkle said. "When we start winning, and we will, they're going to take so much pride knowing they helped lay that foundation."
And for one more night, the field they helped steady will be theirs.
Thursday's game will serve as NSU's Military Appreciation Day. The NSU bookstore is offering a 10 percent discount on all on-store purchases with military ID. The bookstore is located across the street from the NSU library at 912 University Parkway.
Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of the game, will have their Coca-Cola Caravan on campus from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. where fans can take a free family photo for the holidays prior to the game. The caravan will be located near Turpin Stadium.
