There are many ways a sign of respect can be issued, and Amaya Moreno has clearly earned it due to her play over the years.

She helped Mountain Pointe to the flag football state title game as a sophomore quarterback and then transferred to Campo Verde and led the Coyotes to the 5A state title a year ago.

In 37 games over the last two seasons, Moreno has thrown for 6,985 yards with a 69 percent completion percentage along with 108 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.

Oh, and she was named the best player in the nation by MaxPreps in August 2025.

All those accolades are signs of the type of player the senior is and definitely bring a level of respect to it, but it doesn’t give a lot of insight as to how she is received as a person. 

In order to get an idea of who she is rewind to the Coyotes’ game at Mountain Pointe last season.

Her former Pride tackle football teammates – specifically her offensive linemen – came out to watch her play against their school and classmates even after she left for Campo.

“I’ve never seen a younger player, male or female, get so much respect from the people around them,” said former Mountain Pointe tackle football coach Eric Lauer, who is now at Corona del Sol. “It was all because she did the work and knew the job better than anyone else.”

“I’ve never seen a younger player, male or female, get so much respect from the people around them,” said former Mountain Pointe tackle football coach Eric Lauer, who is now at Corona del Sol. “It was all because she did the work and knew the job better than anyone else.”

In addition, once she ingrained herself into the Campo program, where there was already an established quarterback who had more than 10,000 passing yards and 100 touchdown passes in her career, she was received well by teammates in a delicate situation.

“I kind of sat back and watched how she handled it all,” Campo coach Brian Coger said of Moreno being ranked No. 1 in the nation and also handling transition to a new school. “There’s always kind of a target on her and she handles it well.  She’s wise beyond her years and you kind of sit back and think when I was her age, I wouldn’t do that the same way.

“She takes it in stride and shows up ready to work and maybe more impressively, I’ve never seen her satisfied yet.”

And that might be the biggest indicator of the respect Moreno has earned in the football circles.

The work ethic might be incomparable.

Ever since she went from being the girl playing on the monkey bars while her dad, Frank, coached tackle football to playing with the boys after telling him she wanted to give it a try, Moreno has strived to be better daily.

“My dad was like, ‘Ok, but we have to see if you like it and if you do then you have to give your all to it,’ ” Moreno said. “That’s how it started and then I became a quarterback when I was eight and that’s when it got serious.

“From that point on it became my passion. I loved the leadership role of the quarterback and have control of your destiny and help those around you.”

Moreno has been flourishing ever since – playing both tackle and flag through her freshman year at Mountain Pointe. Lauer has said she was the best quarterback in the program as a freshman, but her size kept her from taking the field at the varsity level.

She played five games for the freshmen team according to MaxPreps, completing 61 percent of her 41 passes for 350 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions.

The numbers are solid, but not as telling as the O-line showing up when Campo beat the Pride 37-0 last season. She feels like their display of support was another sign of how she approaches sports.  She doesn’t want to be remembered as a teammate who they played with, she has a desire to know her teammates in order to lead them the right way.

“It was a community and I felt like I was part of it and it wasn’t a big deal for me,” she said of her time at Mountain Pointe. “I was just doing something I love, and I wanted to share it with everyone. I took it as another opportunity to learn and grow. There were a lot of great coaches and players around.

“I just tried to build those relationships around me, as all leaders need to do, and being able to build a community and now we continue to show that respect even if we don’t wear those same colors anymore.”

Moreno will get one more season to show what she can do on the field as one of the best dual quarterbacks in the nation, study more film than one might think is possible, bring together her Coyote teammates and take another shot of winning it all in 5A.

It’s all because the view from the monkey bars all those years ago wasn’t enough. She didn’t want to just watch the game her dad loved and coached. She wanted to be part of it and not just from any position.

Moreno wanted take on the role that is seemingly made for her – instincts, seeing the whole field, knowing how to watch tape, athletic ability, creativity, love for the game, leadership skills – as quarterback.

And there might not be anyone who does it or commands from respect within the state borders at this level.

“There’s a lot that goes into being prepared and winning that no one really sees,” she said. “You just see us playing, but there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s a mental game, and it starts long before the game actually starts.

“It’s been a lot work, and my dual quarterback side didn’t really activate until my sophomore year. I’ll never be complete as a player. I am going to do everything I can to put us in position to be successful.”

Send comments and story ideas to jskoda@azpreps365.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at AzPreps365Skoda.