It was a little more than a year ago when Braden Moody’s season ended with a torn ACL in his right knee.

It was a big blow for the Warren Central offensive lineman, who was coming into his own as part of a high-powered offense, but he took it in stride. With one season left, the 6-foot-6, 280-pounder buckled down and worked harder than he ever had before.

When his senior season was over, Moody had come all the way back to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in Mississippi.

Moody will play in the prestigious Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game Dec. 16 at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg. It’s a sweet ending for a player who came back from his injury to once again play a major role in a successful season for Warren Central.

“It just means that all the hard work I put in in the offseason and coming back from the injury, and helping my team get to where we were at, it also helped me in the long run,” Moody said.

Moody played left tackle in 2016, and then moved to right tackle this season. While there are no individual statistics for offensive linemen, the success of Warren Central’s offense highlights the efforts of Moody and his companions up front.

Over the past two seasons, the Vikings have averaged 240.8 rushing yards and 362.5 total yards per game. They’ve run for 200 yards or more in 18 of 26 games.

“We take a lot of pride in it,” Moody said of the offensive success. “We just know that every week we have to come in and work even harder to not only match, but exceed the previous week’s game. Try to get more yards and give our backs a chance to get more yards.”

While the offensive line makes the impressive offensive stats possible, it rarely gets the kind of credit that goes to the backs and receivers who score the touchdowns and pile up yards. Moody said he takes that in stride, as well.

“It’s tough, but it’s part of the thing. You’ve got to love it. If you don’t, then it’s not for you,” Moody said.

This will mark the third time in four years that Warren Central has had a player in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, after Chris Stamps played in it in 2014 and Demarcus Jones in 2016.

Moody said he’s proud to continue that tradition and represent Warren Central and his teammates, and that he’s looking forward to seeing how he stacks up against the best players in Alabama.

Moody has gotten scholarship offers from a number of Mississippi’s junior colleges and Division I program Central Arkansas, but is still weighing his options.

He does not expect to sign when the early signing period begins next week. Wherever he winds up, Moody said the all-star game will give him a preview of what’s to come.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Moody said. “It gives me an idea of what I’m going to be expecting at the next level and how much I need to step my game up, and how much harder I need to work. It gives me that good assurance that if I can do this, I can go on to the next level and work harder and do it again.”