"He Leads by Example"

“Collegiate and Episcopal, tied 10-10, 1:16 left.”

 

“Maroon driving. Field goal attempt for the win.”

 

“The snap. The kick. Blocked!”

 

“Krystian Williams with the scoop and run.”

 

“Fifty-five yards. TD. 16-10 Cougars!”

 

“Defense holds. Huge road victory!”

 

Who blocked it? I wonder.

 

I send a text. Then another. Then another.

 

Finally, the answer. One word: Hayden.

 

My response: Of course.

Hayden Rollison is a senior and four-year varsity football veteran, two-year captain, and, at 6-3, 230, a dynamic force at tight end and middle linebacker.

 

“Hayden models what every coach wants,” said Coach Mark Palyo. “He leads by example, certainly, but also in voice whenever he feels like there’s something the team needs to hear. He elevates those around him. He plays with emotion and a level of intensity that I personally think is fantastic.”

 

Rollison’s emotion and intensity paid great dividends that memorable late-September afternoon at EHS.

 

“We had an unbalanced line to the right,” he said.  “That drops both our linebackers down which is me and Eli Petty. We bulldozed the tight end. Brandon Watson and Krystian were on the fullback. Basically, it’s a numbers game. Right? Four people rushing two.

 

“Eli and I pushed the dude back. I was on the inside and luckily slipped behind the line. Laid out for it. Hit it with my right forearm. Krystian was in the right place. It was perfect. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the other guys pushing.”

 

Rollison began playing football for the Blue Star Cowboys in Hanover County when he was six years old. He’s been competing with joy and eye-of-the-tiger fervor ever since.

 

“What I love about football,” he said, “is that it’s such a team-oriented sport. Everyone has to be accountable, and there has to be good leadership to hold everyone accountable. On top of that, it’s physical. I don’t mind waking up the next morning all beat up and barely getting out of bed. It shows you’ve done something to help your team. And getting a victory on Friday…there’s nothing like it, for sure.”

 

Accountability and leadership are active ingredients in the secret sauce.

 

“You have to trust one another to do your job,” Rollison continued. “That’s how you bring success, offensively and defensively. On defense, everybody has a job, whether it’s coverage or blitzing or covering your gap. If a lineman goes in the gap that’s supposed to be the linebacker’s, that leaves a huge hole for the offense. On offense, if you run the wrong route or you can’t trust somebody to catch the ball, that creates opportunities for the defense.

 

“Then you have to trust one another that you’ve watched film and looked at the notes the coaches have made from scouting. You have to watch your film from the last week to see where you made mistakes, where you need to improve, and what you did well so you can apply what you learned to the next week.”

 

And leadership?

 

“That’s a big thing,” Rollison said. “It starts in the classroom. At Collegiate, we pride ourselves on academics. We’re all grinding in the classroom. We’re going to see our teachers. Underclassmen are looking up to us [team leaders] in the classroom as well as on the field.

 

“Football-wise, it’s about sprinting from station to station, about who’s giving 100 percent during practice. In the summer, it’s conditioning. That easily translates into games because in the games, you get tired. It’s about being able to push through being tired. It’s huge for the captains and leaders to be able to push through the pain and fatigue.”

 

Rollison’s stats bear out his preparation.

 

As a tight end, he’s caught 40 passes for 504 yards and two touchdowns. From his middle linebacker spot in the Cougars’ 4-3, he’s averaging six tackles and two assists per game. He also has two interceptions including one pick-6 and, with his tenacity and ubiquity, has generally made life challenging for opposing ball carriers.

 

With one game remaining, Palyo’s guys are 4-5 against a demanding schedule with no breathers and a razor-thin margin for error.

 

“Playing really good teams is awesome,” Rollison said. “It just makes us better. We’re playing for more than ourselves. We play for one another. We play for the School and the community. When we play these teams with a lot of DI commits, it’s about relying on one another, trusting one another, and holding each other accountable.”

 

Rollison hopes to continue his football career in college. He’s a straight-A student who’s seeking a challenging academic environment, but because he missed his sophomore year because of COVID-19 restrictions and part of his junior year with injuries, he began the recruiting process a bit late.

 

“Still looking at options,” he said. “There’s definitely a next [step], I hope.”

 

In the meantime, he’s eagerly anticipating his final season of baseball, a sport he’s played since he was five years old.

 

Last spring, he pitched and played third base. He batted .338 with 18 runs batted in. He was 1-1 on the mound, struck out 48 in 44 innings as both a starter and reliever, and recorded two saves and a 3.34 earned run average. He earned first team All-Prep League and second team All-VISAA honors.

 

“You know what you’re getting every day with Hayden,” said baseball coach Andrew Slater. “He’s a great teammate and an unbelievable competitor. He leads by example. He’s a confident kid but in a good way, and he’s always trying to make others around him better. He’s just a great, great kid. I know he’s going to do really well in whatever he pursues in life.”

~Weldon Bradshaw