Quenton Rogers to play football at Eastern Illinois University
By FRED KRONER
Quenton Rogers had almost reached a decision.
He was close to finalizing a choice that would affect his entire athletic path at Mahomet-Seymour.
It was the fall of 2019. Rogers was about to start his freshman year at M-S.
He had played basketball and football for years – starting with football as a third-grader – which aligned with his thinking for the distant future.
“I wanted to be either an NBA player or an NFL player,” Rogers said.
He was thinking it was time to pick one path or the other.
He had almost selected his sport of choice.
“I used to like basketball more than football and was deciding to quit playing football freshman year to focus on basketball,” Rogers said.
Something told him to rethink that choice. Words from his father, Junior Rogers, proved prophetic.
“I kept playing the sport because of my dad,” Quenton Rogers said. “At first, I was thinking about not playing football until he said, ‘you should go out, you might want to end up playing still.’”
Rogers heeded the advice and it might be his best decision from the past four years.
He will graduate with both season and career receiving records at M-S.
What transpired can be summarized easily.
“I decided to go out and play, and then the love for football grew higher than ever,” Rogers said.
His interest became so strong that by his senior year, he was no longer playing organized basketball.
Rogers’ commitment to football led to him making a commitment to continue playing the game in college. He will enroll at Eastern Illinois University in August.
His coach with the Bulldogs, Jon Adkins, believes the best is yet to come for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Rogers.
“I would not be shocked if he goes to EIU and has an immediate impact for the Panthers,” Adkins said.
Rogers is not the same player he was when he joined the M-S freshmen team for the 2019 campaign. Back then, he was a running back and cornerback.
In the years that followed, he became the go-to wide receiver.
Rogers had a two-year varsity career for M-S.
“I started thinking I might want to play football in college my sophomore year because I started hitting the weight room and starting getting faster,” Rogers said.
His sophomore season, however, never materialized. He suffered a season-ending injury two days before the first game. He had already started making the transition from the backfield and was taking reps as a receiver.
Undeterred by the setback, Rogers returned to become the school’s first 1,000-yard receiver in a season. Twice. He reached that feat as both a junior and a senior.
His 2,396 career receiving yards are the new M-S standard. So are his 117 career receptions as well as the single-season mark of 59 he set as a senior.
“He is an absolute threat every time he touches the ball,” Adkins said.
The Bulldogs didn’t just use Rogers as a receiver. They found other ways for him to carry the ball. During the past two M-S seasons – both of which produced 11-1 records and an appearance in the Class 5A state quarterfinals – Rogers added another 1,139 yards to his totals as a runner.
Of that total, 704 came on 18 kickoff returns (an average of 39.1 yards per return) and another 435 were rushing yards.
He amassed 29 touchdowns as a receiver and 16 more as a runner.
“My favorite moment during my high school career was my junior year against Triad (in the playoffs),” Rogers said. “I took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown and I looked in the stands and everyone was going crazy.”
His desire to play in college became more realistic following a junior year when he snared 58 passes and gained a single-season school-record 1,255 receiving yards.
“Having a breakout season and being a big part in the 11-1 quarterfinals run was huge,” Rogers said. “I’ve always had a goal to play college ball since I was younger, but it came to reality after my junior year.”
Still, it took more than a calendar year – and a senior season when he earned Class 5A All-State honors from the Illinois Football Coaches Association – before Rogers had the offer he could embrace.
“EIU started contacting me around November/December 2022,” Rogers said. “Coach (Kyle) Derickson (associate head coach and receivers coach) said he liked what he saw and wanted to keep in touch.”
Rogers visited EIU along with North Central College. He also talked with coaches from Illinois State University and St. Xavier.
By the time he committed, he had three offers.
“The coaching staff at EIU made me feel very welcomed and comfortable so I was able to visualize myself being there,” Rogers said. “Location was a big part of it, and also a chance to play.
“I felt like I had a good relationship with the coaching staff at Eastern Illinois. Overall, it was the best fit for me and where I wanted to play.
“I see myself fitting in great. I wouldn’t have chosen EIU if I didn’t see myself fitting in there. The coaching staff even told me that they can see me being a top receiver here in the next few years.”
In Rogers’ case, Adkins said the numbers truly speak for themselves.
“Quenton is an incredible kid who has broken almost all of our receiving records,” Adkins said. “That’s how great of a player he is.
“I’m incredibly proud of Quenton and the career he’s had here. We are certainly going to miss him.”
Rogers still hopes he might eventually get a shot to play professionally, but is also planning for a career beyond football.
“My dream is to be a professional athlete, but regardless of what happens, I always want to be around sports, so I decided to major in sports management,” he said.
Rogers was the recipient of the M-S Sportsmanship Award.
“I feel like I’m a good teammate and I want to see my team succeed and I’ll do anything it takes to win,” Rogers said.
That will include making himself a better player.
“Something I know I can continue to work on is mastering my craft on the field,” he added. “Being able to be successful as a receiver, I know I can elevate my game that much more.”
His time with the Bulldogs provided unforgettable memories.
“It was great to play on the team that I did,” Rogers said. “It had great everything. I enjoyed showing up every day and wanting to get better.
“I loved playing under the Friday Night Lights. It was just overall a great experience.”
Rogers is now glad that he didn’t close the book on football as a freshman.
“I love the excitement that football brings,” he said. “Seeing the community and fans cheer or get excited for big plays, the Friday Night Lights atmosphere and being able to play a game with some of my best friends is awesome.”
As Rogers prepares to embark on the college experience, he has something of an idea of what to expect.
“I have two older sisters that have been through the process,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from them and I know I will have my own challenges.
“Transition can be difficult. Being close to home will certainly help this out and knowing that I have siblings that have already gone through this will be very helpful.”
He is looking forward to the new chapters that will be upcoming in his life.
“I feel like I can grow as a person and as an athlete,” Rogers said. “The college level is much different than the high school level, so I can push myself to perform and succeed at the next level.”
