Dionte Rodgers has huge impact with Tigers, cracks touchdown mark with 19th score
ALTON – Dionte Rodgers has had a huge impact on Edwardsville's football team this season.
Rodgers, a 5-6, 150-pound sophomore, has broken loose for big runs and pounded the ball inside to find the end zone; Friday night's 44-6 win over Alton at Public School Stadium was a prime example of the kind of impact he's made this year as the Tigers went to 7-1 on the year, 5-1 in the Southwestern Conference with one more regular-season game to go, at home against Granite City Friday night.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
So much so that Rodgers set a school single-season record for touchdowns against the Redbirds, scoring three times to top Sam Mulford's 2012 mark of 18 touchdowns in a season with his 19th TD coming on a 60-yard run in the third term.
Rodgers acknowledges that he couldn't have had the success he's had this season without his offensive line opening holes for him. “The offensive line is basically the wheels of the car that we have to drive; without that, we wouldn't be able to drive it,” Rodgers said following Friday night's win.
Ever since the Tigers' Week 6 loss to East St. Louis, they've focused on continuing to execute, Rodgers said. “We just try to come out an execute every day;we've just bounced back every game, that's what we've tried to do.”
Rodgers considers playing as a sophomore on the varsity team is a blessing. “Me being a sophomore playing at the varsity level is a blessing as it is,” Rodgers said. “Me, being a sophomore, I just try to come out and work every day; I had to mature a lot faster than other people, but other than that, we just try to come out here that our coach asks us to do.”
One of Rodgers' gains came while the Redbirds were trying to bring him down as a group; Rodgers carried the pile along with him. “Saturday practices are big because we watch film and then go to the weight room,” Rodgers said. “It helps us stay in shape during the season and it also brings us strength.”
“I'm impressed with how he holds on to the ball,” said Tiger coach Matt Martin. “Knock on wood, we don't seem to have a lot of fumbling issues; he just does a good job.
“He's got a low center of gravity; he's strong. He's not very big, but he's strong for his size.”
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
