LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
PARIS – It’s a tall task to imagine a day better than Friday, Sept. 13 for Paris Cooperative High School (PCHS) senior Drew Rogers. In front of bleachers packed with hometown fans, he was recognized for his exceptional track and field campaign this spring, which ended with Rogers atop the podium in both the indoor and outdoor IHSA 2A High Jump State Championships. Minutes later, he led the Paris Tigers football team to a home win over the Marshall Lions.
Rogers’ achievements on the track were commemorated with the presentation of a road sign, one of several that will soon be visible when entering Paris. The sign presented to him Friday will hang on the fence by Tiger Field.
For Rogers, hearing his name over the PA speaker, followed by the applause of fellow students, staff, friends and family, was a meaningful moment. During the IHSA outdoor championships at Eastern Illinois University on May 25, the crowd that watched Rogers’ clear 6’ 8.75” on his way to a first-place finish was large, but mostly composed of strangers.
“It was really just standing in front of a big old crowd that I don’t know. Nobody knows my name. Nobody knows me,” he recalled. “But coming back to my hometown, I’m standing in front of the whole town of Paris, everybody I know, everybody I go to school with… it was pretty cool.”
According to PCHS athletic director Creighton Tarr, Friday night’s game provided the perfect chance to congratulate Rogers on his achievement.
“We wanted to recognize and celebrate Drew in front of as many people as possible. Back in May when he won the state championship, our students were out of school for the summer so we weren’t able to really recognize him the way we wanted to,” Tarr explained. “As always, we had a near sellout crowd at our first home football game of the season so it was the perfect time to get him in front of our students and community and honor him the way he deserves.”
Rogers is the first PCHS athlete to claim a state title in a track and field event since Chuck Matheny won the mile in 1952. The community’s continued support is an encouragement.
“It feels really good being able to do that and then walk out in the community and (have) people congratulate me…” he said, adding, “Without that support, I would just be a lone wolf if it weren’t for them (the community and school), so I appreciate everything they’ve done.”
Despite the attention Rogers has received in Paris and across the state, he’s keeping a level head entering his fourth and final season in the Orange and Black. After he concludes his final year as Paris’ starting quarterback this fall and another season on the basketball court, the long, springy Rogers will look to repeat history.
“I just go into to it like I got a job I need to do and I need to go win,” he said, later explaining, “(The championship) doesn’t change anything. Now that I’ve done it, I’ve got to back it up.”
After dueling with fellow Little Illini Conference jumper and Indiana State University commit Noah Gilmore for most of last season, Rogers will have to contend with a new roster of opponents his senior year. One of those opponents is Freeburg High School’s Matt Pluff, who placed third at the New Balance Nationals in Pittsburgh earlier this year with a 6’ 9.5” leap. Pluff did not qualify for the IHSA state finals in the spring.
“I know he’s pretty upset with how everything went down, so I know he’s gonna be coming for it this year,” Rogers, who also cleared 6’ 9” to break his previous record during a meet in Newton last season, explained.
Regardless of what awaits Rogers on the track, his performance last season has opened plenty of doors for his future. Currently, he is being pursued by several NCAA Division I programs including the U.S. Naval Academy, Army West Point, Indiana State, Eastern Illinois University, Ball State and more. Rogers also holds a plethora of offers from DII, DIII and NAIA programs across the country.
For Rogers, whose father and older sister served in the U.S. Navy for 21 and five years, respectively, the prospect of carrying on his family’s legacy of service as an officer and continuing his athletic career have started to take shape after his big win.
“I come from a history of that (Navy service)... really all I’ve wanted to do was to join the military after high school,” Rogers explained.
Rogers explained an engineering degree from the Naval Academy brings “a lot more job opportunities.”
“There’s obviously more pay, but most importantly, now you’re a leader in the Navy. Instead of being the one to take the orders, you’re the one leading,” he said.
Rogers plans to take his second visit to the Naval Academy after the conclusion of the Tigers’ football season.
Rogers, whose high jump career started by chance in eighth grade after Mayo track coach Nick Sanders placed him in the event (the Redbirds had already secured a de facto win in his normal event, the 200-meter relay), the guidance of coaches has been an integral resource for his success.
At Mayo, Sanders and fellow coach Mike Brouwer worked with him on his form, leading to a sectional win and an IESA state berth before the state finals were canceled due to COVID-19. PCHS coaches Dan Dundas and Taylor Birchfield provided transportation, advice and off-season training for Rogers too.
For the young Paris athletes who dream of being the next Tiger to secure a state title, Rogers’ own advice is simple.
“You’ve got to take a chance,” he said. “I had a coach that gave me a chance, and I tried it – it worked out… you’ve got to take chances, and sometimes you lose, sometimes you win, but the reward is always better.”