Soccer
Favorite athlete: Kevin De Bruyne
Favorite teams: Man City and the Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: The double overtime win against West
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that happened while competing in sports: Tripping over the ball when going in for a tackle in practice
Music on playlist: Rock Music
Future plans: Get my PHD and become a doctor
Words to live by: “Do everything at 100% or don’t do it at all”
One goal before turning 30: Finish medical school
One thing people don’t know about me: I enjoy playing the guitar in my free time
By Mary Jane Souder
Soccer has been something of a family affair for Andrew Rodgers. Or at least it has been for the Central Bucks East senior and his father.
The middle of three boys, Andrew – who has been playing since he was three – could never get enough of the sport. Interestingly, neither of his brothers shared his passion for soccer and never played.
So, while some youngsters grow up dreaming of one day playing football in the NFL or baseball in the Major Leagues, 
Rodgers had a decidedly more modest goal when – as a youngster - he regularly accompanied his father to Central Bucks East soccer games.
“We would always go watch games because it was something to do, and it was super entertaining,” Rodgers said. “I always hoped that one day that would be me.”
Rodgers – in second grade at the time – was there when the Patriots won the PIAA 4A state championship in Hershey.
“I remember with our 2015 run when we went 26-0 turning around and seeing him and his dad greeting the team when we got to Hershey and saying good-bye when we left and cheering us on,” said East coach Josh Isaacsohn, a teacher in Rodgers’ elementary school. “He comes from a great family, and he and his family’s devotion to the program is simply amazing. They’ve been closely following and attending CB East soccer events for at least the last 10 years when they didn’t even have a son on the team.”
Andrew came by his love of soccer honestly since both his father, Brian Rodgers, and his mother, Susan Rodgers, played soccer themselves, and his mother sometimes joined Andrew and his father at games. Andrew tried a lot of sports – football, basketball, tennis, baseball, but it was always soccer.
“My dad introduced me to it because he played when he was growing up, and so did my mom, and they loved it,” he said. “As soon as I played it, I just really enjoyed it because it seems a lot more creative than a bunch of the other sports.”
When he reached high school, Rodgers was a member of the freshman team and – as a sophomore – the junior varsity. As a junior, he earned a spot on the varsity, and the script was going as planned.
Until a preseason practice.
“I was set up in a wall for a free kick, and I got hit in the head,” Rodgers recalled. “I didn’t feel good – I felt dizzy, and eventually, I went to the doctors, and I was concussed.”
In the blink of an eye, Rodgers went from the high of making the varsity to the low of sitting on the sidelines with a concussion.
“I missed the first few games because they were away games, and I wasn’t allowed to travel in the bus,” he said. “It was really hard to go from being super excited about the season to having to sit out on the sidelines and not be able to play.”
By the time Rodgers received the green light to return to action close to four weeks later, the players had taken ownership of their positions.
“That’s the difficult part,” he said. “You’re set back a little bit.
“I definitely had to work very hard to sort of come back into where I was playing. Eventually, I did get traction and started to
come back into the position I was playing. I got playing time and started a few games, and I even played in a few playoff games.”
Fast forward to this fall when a healthy Rodgers went to tryouts.
“This year I was concussed again,” he said. “It was very, very similar to what happened last year except the day after tryouts. I got hit in an Abington playday tournament.
“I didn’t feel anything initially, but I came off, and as soon as I came off, I was super dizzy, and it was all the same feelings as last year.”
It goes without saying, Rodgers was upset.
“I just wanted a smooth senior season, especially after what happened last year,” he said. “My first thoughts were to just take it as seriously as I can and do every possible thing to get me back to playing.”
Once again, Rodgers was sidelined four weeks and just recently received the green light to resume playing.
“I try and stay positive about it because I enjoy being on this team a lot, and even if I don’t get to play because of injuries, I still have the guys around me, and they’re all very great people, and it makes it easier,” Rodgers said. “I think coming back is a little easier this time because I know what to expect.”
With head balls a routine part of soccer, Rodgers – who has no limitations placed on him – acknowledged he tries to be more cautious without changing his game.
“I like to play it the way I always did because I feel like if I shied away, I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the things that I used to be able to do, and I don’t want this to take that away from me,” he said. “It’s great to be back. I know it’s going to be a great season, so I’m looking forward to that.”
After being sidelined close to a month in back-to-back season, Rodgers appreciates his time on the pitch even more.
“A lot more - you don’t really know how good it is until you aren’t able to play,” he said.
Rodgers, according to his coach, has handled a difficult situation with class.
“The way he dealt with his injuries – he’s just a very, very mature young man,” Isaacsohn said. “He does everything right, gets himself back, and each time he is on the road to recovery, he experiences another setback. But he is a stand-up young man and athlete who has taken any adversity thrown his way and turned it into good for the team.
“He’s quiet and can be soft-spoken, and he’s just doing what he needs to do to help the team, and he’s just always been the kid who does that.”
Looking ahead
An excellent student, Rodgers – who is enrolled in honors and AP classes - will major in biology on the pre-med track. He is uncertain of his college choice but is looking at large schools like Penn State, Pitt, Virginia among others.
“My ultimate goal is to be able to get a Ph.D and hopefully at some time in the future work in the medical field and hopefully play soccer on the side,” he said.
At East, Rodgers is a member of the Neuroscience Club and last year was involved in STEM research. This winter, he plans to join the ski club. Outside of school, he is involved in a volunteer group that packs food and distributes it to the homeless.
As for soccer, Rodgers is hoping to play some form of club sports. Listening to his coach tell it – any team would be fortunate to have him.
“When he plays, he just gives it his all,” Isaacsohn said. “There’s nothing tentative about his play. He’s just all about his teammates and East soccer.
“We have a saying, ‘E over me,’ and he is the epitome of that saying. He is an amazing kid off the field. I have kids that I teach now – they talk about him and look up to him. He is just naturally a great, great kid.”
