Neeko Rodgers Jr. dominates as Catholic Memorial exacts revenge on Wauwatosa East

He benches 385 pounds, deadlifts over 600 pounds and squats nearly 580 pounds.

Catholic Memorial coach Bill Young calling star defensive lineman Neeko Rodgers Jr. a "manchild" was the perfect description after Rodgers took over the Crusaders' seventh straight victory following a Week 1 loss with a 35-0 shutout of Wauwatosa East on Oct. 10.

The win moves CMH to 7-1 on the season and a win away from an outright Parkland Conference title next week against Waukesha South.

"If he was 6-foot-4, he'd be a national recruit," Young said of Rodgers. "I really mean that. The kid's got an absolute engine."

Young noted that Rodgers had one of the fastest 10-yard split times last year along with all-state speedster wideout and sprinter Marvanous Butler-Brown, while also throwing 51 feet in the shot put for CMH athletic director, special teams coordinator and track and field coach Matt Bergan.

"He's a great young man," Young said. "He's got high character. He's always there. He's never late and a great leader. We're very fortunate to have him."

Rodgers soaked up the limelight by adding to his all-state caliber resume this season with unofficially eight tackles for loss in the five-touchdown victory for CMH, along with being named the My24Milwaukee broadcast's player of the game.

The dominant display from Rodgers brought his seasonal numbers to approximately 49 total tackles, 27 tackles for loss and at least half a sack against Tosa East, which would put him on the cusp of double-digit sacks on the season at 9.5. His season high for tackles came in Week 1 against Division 1 state title contender Franklin when he registered 16 total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Pending the final Week 8 tally, Rodgers' number of 27 tackles for loss would lead the state by six going into the regular-season finale next week.

"The kudos go to my defensive coaches and head coach," Rodgers said. "They get us all prepped up and ready to go each week. They tell me what I need to do, and I go out there and I follow what they tell me to do. We execute."

Despite his rise up the statewide defensive leaderboards this season, Rodgers and the Crusaders pay the numbers no mind. The only thing that matters is the win column.

"It's just game by game," Rodgers said. "We don't move too far ahead. We stay on the team that we got. We don't look ahead. We don't look at stats to see what the other team did. When that week comes, we'll figure them out."

The likely soon-to-be Parkland Conference defensive player of the year and all-state selection at season's end was enjoying his moment in the spotlight, hoping his family had the game on their television screen to watch the big fella blow up Tosa East's offensive game plan from the opening whistle onward to being interviewed during the postgame festivities.

"I just hope my mom was watching," Rodgers said with a smile.

Last year left a sour taste in CMH's mouth in shocking shutout loss to Tosa East

If there's one coach that has no problem leaving last year in the past, it's Young.

But for senior Gabe Talla, the team's second-leading tackler behind Rodgers, last year's 27-0 shutout loss to Tosa East on Senior Night added a little extra juice to this week's preparation.

"We understood that these guys got us last year, and we understood that our responsibility was to make sure we stopped the run and establish good run support from the start," Talla said. "We had to make sure we kept the same intensity throughout the game and not let our foot off the gas at all."

Although the offense is still a work in progress for the Crusaders with double-digit penalties and miscues despite a five-touchdown performance, the defense was locked in from the opening Red Raiders possession. The home side didn't drive past midfield until deep into the second half when the Crusaders defense stoned Tosa East on a fourth-and-2 to start the final quarter.

"Last year stung, especially because it was on Senior Night," Talla said. "Our team came back motivated. We grinded all summer, all winter for moments like this and we just came out ready to play."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Catholic Memorial picks up big high school football win over Tosa East