By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Sometimes being persistent pays off.
It certainly did for Porter’s JP Rosado.
The Cowboys’ defensive back just wanted a chance to keep playing the game he loved. After not getting the looks some of his teammates did, he took matters into his own hands and it finally paid off.
Rosado will continue to play football for Graceland University, the NAIA school in Lamoni, Iowa, after making the decision official during a signing ceremony Tuesday at the Porter fieldhouse.
“I feel happy because I feel like my hard work paid off,” Rosado said. “I feel like I made my mom proud … I made everyone proud. I’m going to make Porter proud when I go to Graceland; I’m going to work my ass off … I’m going to give 110 percent.”
Rosado contacted a few coaches about his desire to continue his football career, including Graceland coach Jeff Douglas. Rosado was consistently persistent, and Douglas decided to give him a shot to play at the next level.
Rosado will join Cowboys teammates Kevin Garcia, Armando Payan and Jorge Gutierrez, whom signed to play for the Yellowjackets earlier this year.
“It’s good. He’s going with friends so it will help make the transition easier,” Porter coach Tom Campos said. “It’s good for them to get that opportunity.”
Rosado said that he and Payan, also a defensive back for the Cowboys, have worked out together during the summers since their freshman year. Rosado felt that it was friends like Payan that helped him achieve his goal.
“My dreams are coming true, my hard work paid off, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Rosado said. “Without them I wouldn’t be in this position.”
It was a pretty good year for Porter last season after the Cowboys earned a playoff spot in District 32-5A for the first time since 2008. The four teammates will aim to help Graceland improve after a 4-7 record last season.
Rosado, who earned both academic and athletic scholarships to help pay his tuition, plans to study computer science and technology in the fall. He knows that without keeping up on his studies, he can’t play football.
“My mom preached to me every day about school,” Rosado said.
The youngster played safety and cornerback for Porter, as well as a fixture on special teams. Campos said his work ethic was similar to the way he helped find a spot at Graceland.
“He was a spark plug for the team, always got the team going,” Campos said. “That’s the way he was on the field. He was here every single day, coming to learn, coming to work.
“I guess he took that same approach to getting into school and it paid off.”
Rosado said he was excited to receive a call from Douglas to continue playing football.
“I love the sport. This was my dream,” he added. “I just wanted a shot. It was unreal, I was so happy.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.