February 13, 2009
Daniel Rogerson
What he did: In the Central District final Saturday at Matoaca, the senior 152 was winning his district championship when he tore his ACL defending a shot from Matoaca freshman Xavier Edwards. Rogerson gutted out the remaining 45 seconds of the match, even scoring on a reversal, and won 9-4. An MRI earlier this week revealed the torn ligament, and Rogerson is unable to wrestle in the Central Region tournament. Age: 17 Strengths: “I’m good getting off bottom and most of the time, if I want to take someone down, I’m going to take them down.“ Three words his friends would use to describe him: Dedicated, trustworthy, and respectful. Was working to improve: Technique. “I could do things. Everything would just be a little sloppy.“ Match he can’t wait to watch: Matoaca sophomore Blake Roulo and Hopewell freshman Cody Allalla at 145 pounds. Biggest craving: “Anything greasy and bad for me. Anything that will mess up me cutting weight.“ Best sports memory: The final seconds of his championship match Saturday. “I heard my side, Dinwiddie, start chanting my name. It spread through mostly the whole gym. That got me a lot more pumped. . . . I didn’t feel anything, pain-wise.“ Biggest challenge: “Myself, self doubt. That’s definitely been the biggest hump I’ve had to get past in my wrestling career and in general. The first person you’ve got to beat is yourself.“ If he had one wish: His knee to be healthy in time to wrestle today. Possession he can’t do without: VMI hat. “I wear it in my warm up before a match, I wear it at school, at home, at my job. . . . I keep it with me all the time.“ On his iPod: Disturbed, Nickelback and ZZ Top. Facebook or MySpace: MySpace One thing most people don’t know: Loves to sing in the car. “Journey . . . That’s another one on the iPod.“ Plans for next year: Major in psychology and philosophy at Virginia Military Institute. Sports figure he looks up to: Professional cyclist Lance Armstrong. - Andee Sears
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