MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It's been a big year for Briarcrest Athletics — state champions in volleyball, basketball and, for the first time in school history, baseball.
Incoming senior Landon Rogers did something very few have done before him. He played a hand in winning two of those state titles: basketball and baseball.
“Golly, that’s amazing. It really is amazing to go back-to-back in a matter of what? Four months, he wins two state championships," Briarcrest Basketball Coach John Harrington said.
Immediately after hoisting the third basketball state championship trophy in program history following an 80-71 win over Brentwood Academy, Rogers was stepping up to the plate for the baseball team.
“You really want a break because it’s tiring. Basketball practice is really long, [your] legs get tired but winning state in basketball made my mindset want to get baseball one," Rogers said.
Despite barely getting in a preseason, Rogers was the kind of player head baseball coach Craig Hopkins could lean on throughout the season.
"I'm telling you that kid, he steps in and there’s not a big lag with him," Hopkins said. "We’ve had great players that can play third, we’ve had great players that handle the bat the way he does and get base hits, clutch base hits like he does, but he’s the total package.”
Rogers helped lead the Saints to their first baseball state title with a 12-11 extra innings win over Christian Brothers, a championship game that spanned more than 12 hours.
“After that long, long game we went back to a hotel and we were all just sitting in the room just taking it all in that we actually just won and then a lot of the guys were like, 'Man, we’ve got one, but Landon’s got two,' so it was fun," Rogers said.
It becomes a little more fun when you realize that Rogers has played a part in 50 percent of the programs' combined state titles.
In his junior season, as a third-year starter in baseball, he batted .331 with 41 hits and 23 RBIs while making clutch plays at third. Meanwhile on the court, being the sixth man, he shot 68% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc, while guarding one of the top players in the state during the championship game.
“We were limited on who we could put on their superstar, and up steps Landon, and he does a fantastic job on him. That was one of the keys to us winning that basketball game," Harrington said. "It’s not always the guy that runs the fastest [or] jumps the highest that’s going to be the best player in any sport. You’ve got to play smart and think the game through at every level and in every sport.”
Rogers doesn't just think several steps ahead each game, but in the greatest game too: life.
Year in and year out, he juggles schoolwork with both sports, hitting balls after basketball practice or shooting around at his church during baseball season.
“To be able to do that everyday and have that commitment level, you have to want it. It’s not something that you can just kind of put your toes in and see if the waters cold. You have to jump in with both feet and be committed and that’s what he is," Hopkins said.
Rogers said the ability to manage it all comes from believing in himself and having self-confidence.
“I’m telling you right now, if you have a lot of Landon Rogers on your team, you’re going to win a lot of state championships. He’s just got high character, and it rubs off on his teammates more than anything I’ve ever seen, and you see more kids acting and wanting to be like him," Harrington said.
Despite reaching the pinnacle of both sports, Rogers isn't content.
"Definitely not satisfied with two. I want to get two more so that’s the goal," Rogers said.
The incoming senior received his first college offer to go play baseball recently, saying that he is open to playing both basketball and baseball at the same school if the opportunity arises.