Dallas-area high school football stars, inspired by Travis Hunter, embrace double-barreled roles

Under the bright lights on Friday night, Byron Nelson’s Leo Almanza and Duncanville’s Dakorien Moore don more than just their shoulder pads: They carry the weight of the game on both sides of the ball.

Two-way stars have long been a staple on Dallas-area courts, with former Denton Ryan and Texas star Ja’Tavion Sanders and others leading the way. But the rise of Colorado sensation Travis Hunter has sparked a new wave of players eager to take on the challenge on both sides of the ball.

Hunter has become one of the most well-known college football players, with a NIL valuation in the millions and 1.5 million followers on Instagram. His rare ability to excel on offense and defense fueled his rise to fame. In Colorado’s Week 1 game against North Dakota State, Hunter played 124 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Although high school players in the Dallas area may not play 100 snaps, they say Hunter’s determination amazes them.

Almanza was set to play cornerback at Baylor, but when Byron Nelson head coach Travis Pride asked him to play wide receiver, he seized the opportunity.

“A bunch of kids would probably like to (play both ways),” Pride said Thursday. “I think what Travis Hunter is doing is showing that it’s possible. I used this specifically as an example a few weeks ago when I was talking to Leo. “There’s a kid named Travis Hunter at the University of Colorado who doesn’t come off the field.”

Many area players have played offense and defense, such as Billy Bowman Jr. of Oklahoma and Drew Sanders of the Denver Broncos, both of Denton Ryan, and X’Avion Brice of UNT Arlington Seguin.

Ryan and Seguin are both 5A schools. As entries increase in higher classifications, it is less common for athletes to play both ways.

It also reduces practice time at 6A schools because playing on both ends of the court demands a lot from an athlete. At Byron Nelson, the starting offense and defense practice together, so Almanza has to split time at each position.

But his coach said he does extra conditioning and stays after practice to make sure he’s ready for Friday night.

“He knows that with this territory he has to be in good shape because obviously a tired player is not going to help either side of the ball,” Pride said.

Almanza, No. 60 in The Dallas Morning News“The top 100 recruits in the Class of 2025 have a team-high 16 catches for 251 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 16 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Moore of Duncanville, News“, the highest-rated player in the class of 2025, also drew comparisons to Hunter. After someone tweeted that they had seen him play wide receiver, cornerback and punter for Duncanville, Moore replied: “Travis Hunter szn”.

Moore is Duncanville’s only player who contributes on offense, defense and special teams.

“It has to have an impact because (Travis Hunter) is so successful, and it raises his stock,” Duncanville coach Reginald Samples said. “But this wasn’t invented by Travis Hunter. We’ve been doing this for a while. Everyone has done it over the years. It’s just that Travis Hunter makes it popular because it’s on such a level that you can see it.

Samples said the team was giving Moore snaps at cornerback out of necessity, but he accepted the role.

Moore, an Oregon commit, has a team-high 309 receiving yards with 21 catches and four touchdowns while making four tackles this season. He also threw nine times for 262 yards (29.1 average), with two punts landing inside the 20-yard line.

“You don’t do it if the child doesn’t want to do it,” Samples said. “He’s not going to give you 100%. So when you see a child accepting it, it means they want to do it. It’s something they’re really invested in.

Like Moore and Almanza, South Grand Prairie’s Cade Wallace has embraced the “Travis Hunter role.”

This season, while playing wide receiver and cornerback, Wallace recorded 21 catches for 380 yards and six touchdowns, along with three interceptions, four assists and 13 tackles.

“He never told me about Travis Hunter, but a lot of kids look up to him,” South Grand Prairie coach Laban DeLay said.

On Twitter/X: @ronharrodjr

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