Penn State LB commit Tony Rojas puts together impressive performance vs. Lake Braddock
Future Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas has put together some impressive performances throughout his senior season. Now 12 games in and still undefeated, the four-star playmaker has done it all for a Fairfax squad that hasn’t had this kind of success in a very long time.
While Rojas’ potential on defense has always been apparent, his ability to make plays at running back has been on a different level this season, totaling 1,849 yards and 30 touchdowns on just 168 carries. That’s 11 yards per carry.
Rojas was once again a game-breaker this past Friday. Earlier this year, Fairfax defeated Lake Braddock for the first time since the two schools began playing each other regularly in 2017. It was a signature win for a school that hasn’t advanced this far in the playoffs for over a decade. The rematch was an opportunity for Braddock to get redemption, only this time the stakes were much higher.
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Rojas had other plans, totaling nearly 250 yards rushing and five touchdowns offensively in a 63-21 win. But that was only half the story. Facing future Delaware quarterback Daniel Lipovski, Rojas was a machine defensively, too, racking up eight total tackles, including five sacks, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass deflection.
“He’s capable of doing that every game, but we just haven’t had him playing much in the second half,” said Fairfax head coach Trey Taylor. “That’s the kind of explosive player he is though. He came out to play. We have a little rivalry with these guys. In our first game, they said we didn’t deserve it, so he came out with a chip on his shoulder.”
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Rojas’ explosiveness is what sets him apart. Running a 4.4-second 40-yards dash and a 4.2-second shuttle, that’s been well-documented by now. Taylor said that the only player he’s seen locally with a similar burst is former Stone Bridge defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who went to Alabama and now plays professionally for the Washington Commanders.
“He’s capable of being whatever he wants to be. I’ve never coached a kid as athletic as him. We played him a lot at linebacker the first half of the season, but against teams like Braddock who pass a lot, we like to put him on the edge and let him loose. You see what he can do.”
Rojas and Fairfax, who earned the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs, now have an opportunity to win a regional championship this weekend. They face South County, the No. 2 seed, Saturday at 1 pm. A win would put them into the state semifinals.
