Photo courtesy of Heather Belcher/For Play Sheet Sports Princeton’s Brad Mossor catches a pass between two Nitro defenders in the Class AAA state title game against Nitro on Dec. 6 at UC Stadium at Laidley Field.

PRINCETON — Coming into the 2023 season, Princeton’s Brad Mossor was embroiled in a quarterback battle with fellow sophomore Chance Barker.

Both aimed to take the reins from the record-setting quarterback Grant Cochran following his graduation.

Mossor had a leg up in game experience having started at wide receiver as freshman in 2022 but when the decision came Barker was named the starter, leaving Mossor at receiver.

He accepted that challenge and mastered his craft, breaking program records for career receptions, receptions in a season and career receiving yards amongst others, leaving his mark in a more important way by staring in the Tigers’ 36-35 victory over Nitro in the Class AAA state championship game on Dec. 6 at Laidley Field in Charleston.

For his efforts, Mossor has been named the 2025 Randy Moss Award winner by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

The Moss Award, named in honor of Dupont standout, NFL Hall of Fame and All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss has been awarded annually since 2014 to the top receiver in the state as voted on by the WVSWA.

The Moss Award, the third awarded to a Princeton receiver since 2020 (Ethan Parsons 2020, Dom Collins 2023), is the latest feather in Mossor’s cap. He finished the season with 93 receptions for 1,508 yards and 13 touchdowns but more importantly helped power the program to a 14-0 record and its first state championship in its 102nd season.

Mossor, who finished runner up to friend and travel teammate Malachi Thompson for the Moss Award a year ago, edged the WVU signee for this year’s honors.

“We never had conversations about it,” Mossor smiled. “We both probably obviously thought (we’d win) but we were just two guys getting after it trying to make each other better.”

Already a first team all-stater prior to the arrival of former Parkersburg South head coach Nate Tanner, the latter found ways to create mismatches and opportunities for the former. Having coached the 2022 Moss winner in Cyrus Traugh, Tanner already had a good rolodex of wrinkles to apply with Mossor when he took the Princeton job in the spring.

“Coming into it with Brad I would compare it a lot to Cyrus,” Tanner said. “I thought they were similar players. Before I had even worked with (Mossor), I had coached against him so my expectations were he’d be similar player to that. He really capitalized on the opportunity. That was three years ago so I’ve grown as a coach too and saw some different things versus Brad that we didn’t really see with Cyrus because that was a different team. We were able to utilize him in so many different ways.”

After filling the role of the No. 2 receiver to Collins in ’23, Mossor stepped into the role of Batman in ’24 and produced nearly 1,300 yards but with that came a game plan emphasis from opposing defenses, particularly towards the end of the season when all-state running back Marquel Lowe was lost for the season.

That emphasis increased with Mossor returning as the only all-state skill player in 2025. But once Tanner and Co. gathered the necessary intel and saw how teams played Mossor, he often made halftime adjustments that paid off.

Against Bluefield Mossor had only 39 yards receiving at the break. He added 143 more in the second half. That trend continued in the postseason where he caught a game-tying 20-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-16 play with 14 minutes to go in the quarterfinal round against Herbert Hoover.

Last but not least was title tilt with Nitro where he caught one pass for 18 yards in the first half before adding four more receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

“I just had to trust the process,” Mossor said. “A lot of the times in the first half it wouldn’t be going the way I wanted to and we’d come out and be a very dynamic second half team. I just waited on my moment and when the play was called for me to get the ball I made the most of my opportunities.”

One of the ways Tanner optimized Mossor’s output at receiver was to motion him out of the backfield and put him in the slot whereas he played more on the outside as a junior. His versatility allowed him to threaten defenses in multiple ways and when they shaded his way teammate and fellow 1,000 yard receiver Wyatt Cline capitalized on his opportunities.

“As a receiver he can run the whole route tree,” Tanner said. “He can high point balls and he catches tough balls. He can make every catch and he has elite hands, probably the best hands I’ve ever coached.”

After three full seasons together as starters, Mossor and Barker both equally benefitted from where they landed following their camp battle in ’23. Barker finished with over 100 career touchdown passes, three first team all-state selections and the 2025 J.R. House Award runner up.

Mossor finished as a two-time first team all-stater, Moss Award winner, all-state captain and the championship game MVP.

“I was (disappointed) but I wasn’t,” Mossor said of losing that QB competition. “I was an athlete. I wasn’t as talented as I am now but I told (former offensive coordinator Chris Belcher) that I just wanted to go play. I didn’t even want to be quarterback anymore. Wherever I can fit in and just go ball.”

When asked if he feels good about that decision now, the answer is immediate.

“Oh yeah, now I do,” Mossor laughed.

Randy Moss Award Winners

2025 – Brad Mossor, Princeton

2024- Malachi Thompson, Nitro

2023 – Dom Collins, Princeton

2022 – Cyrus Traugh, Parkersburg South

2021 – Hudson Clement, Martinsburg

2020 – Ethan Parsons, Princeton

2019 – Drew Hatfield, Mingo Central

2018 – Evan Parow, University

2017 – Malakai Brown, Hedgesville

2016 – Carter Sebert-Sweeney, Nicholas County

2015 – Elijah Bell, Wheeling Park

2014 – Christian Johnson, jr., Jefferson