For Mudcats worker, giving back is a labor of love

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- We live in a vibrant sports community. There are scores of recognizable faces and scores more folks you never see who really make things go.

Evan Moesta is one of those latter folks. Just 21 years old, he's already carved out a sizable niche in the local scene - and not just with his camera.

Almost every day, I try to get myself involved in sports," Moesta said.

During the summer, Moesta works a 9 to 5 with the Carolina Mudcats doing everything under the sun.

If the Muddies are his day job, his heart is firmly planted at Millbrook High School. Once a "painfully shy nobody" - his words - sports brought Moesta to life, starting with a job as videographer for the basketball team.

"Just from there, it took off," Moesta said.

Now a grad, Moesta is still entrenched at the school, determined to give Wildcat athletes a taste of the big time.

"At first it was just to help myself career-wise," Moesta said. "But now it's gotten into just a love of the people there."

Though it's not in the job description, Moesta has also become a mentor to Millbrook athletes. Not quite a grownup maybe, but old enough to impart some wisdom

"I'm a person who is going to be able to sit there and listen to them," Moesta said. "And communicate with then, and I'm not afraid to relate to them and give them experiences that I've had."

His spirit of selflessness extended deeper starting last December when Millbrook lost a beloved driving instructor, Jeff Wooten. Coach Woo, as he was known, ran what he called a cab service on big nights - New Year's, prom, offering free rides home. The goal - keeping kids from making catastrophic decisions.

Moestra decided he needed to take over that legacy.

"(Wooten) made such a great impact on Millbrook that there's something, something had to be done to kind of keep his legacy going on.

"I graduated from Millbrook with an open seat next to me," he added, "because of a girl who had passed because of a drunk driving accident."

As you'd imagine, it's rare when Moesta has a day off. Even when he does - he often winds up working anyway.

"Whatever at the end of the day, when you do go to bed, if you're satisfied with what you do, if you're at work happy doing what you do, you can't really go wrong," he reflected.

Call it a labor of love.