They say football is won in the trenches.
If so, Dave Rossi has had a big hand in Ursuline's march to the state semifinals, as the starting center and defensive tackle. On offense, Rossi is an All NE Ohio selection for his play at center, and has stepped up his game in the play in the playoffs at his defensive tackle spot.
Dave recorded two sacks and three tackles-for-loss in the win over Trinity in the opening round.
"I love not coming off the field,” Dave said. “It's just a great feeling because you feel like you have more importance in the game playing both sides of the ball."
At 5'11'', 210, Rossi is a senior captain and a selfless player. After starting every game at linebacker as a sophomore, he happily moved to the offensive line last year, and helped the Irish win a state championship.
Rossi earned All Steel Valley Conference honors for both football and baseball.
Dave carries a 3.5 GPA, and serves as a student ambassador for Ursuline while volunteering his time for the Todd Squad at Akron Children's Hospital.
"You have to be versatile in the classroom,” Dave said. “If you're versatile in the classroom, you can be versatile on the field. Sometimes it's hard to study after football, but sometimes you have to adapt to the way things are thrown at you."
