LebCo Male Athletes of the Week: Steven Rosado & Jozef Shkreli (Week Ending September 8, 2024)

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Steven Rosado

Under the Friday night lights of Lancaster Catholic’s home field on September 6th, the ELCO Raiders found themselves trailing 14-0 in the 1st half. Quarterback Steven Rosado remained determined to help his team find victory. He began by throwing a 28-yard touchdown strike to Justin Smucker. Then, as ELCO shifted their offensive scheme to the veer, Rosado ran wild in the 2nd half as they went on to win 28-22. Rosado finished the game with 16 carries that went for 214 yards and three touchdowns. This effort caught the attention of many, and Rosado was voted as a LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

Rosado reflected on the performance by saying, “It was a great team win on the road. It all starts with the offensive line, and we did a good job adjusting in the 2nd half. Everyone was on the same page.”

The team victory was much-needed for ELCO as they had started the season with two straight losses and were preparing to take on a tough Section 4 schedule that now includes Twin Valley.

Rosado’s performance was indicative of how the senior, now in his second season as ELCO’s starting quarterback, views his role on the team. He is intent on being a strong leader and making the most of his senior season after helping to guide them during his junior year to a District 3 Playoff appearance, which included a win over Big Spring.

Rosado dives for yardage against Catholic

Seeing him as a leader is something that Coach Bob Miller highlighted when talking about his quarterback. ELCO’s head coach said, “While we are impressed with his improvement at QB as a second-year starter, we’ve really enjoyed seeing his growth as a leader. He’s genuinely excited for his teammates when they have success, and he’s there to pick them up when they struggle.”

Regarding how Rosado has performed through the early part of the season, Miller said, “Through the first two games, he showcased his improved passing ability, and against Lancaster Catholic, he showed he still has command of the option offense. He made some terrific checks at the line and reads in the veer.”

This past Friday night, ELCO opened Section play against Twin Valley, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season. Despite the large point deficit ELCO faced late in the game, they kept fighting, led by Rosado. This effort paid off when ELCO got on the scoreboard for the first time in the 3rd quarter, with Rosado breaking the plane for the touchdown.

This type of never-quit attitude that Rosado has displayed during his playing career will be exciting to watch the rest of this season and will serve Rosado well in his next steps of life. On the personal front, Rosado enjoys playing Madden when he’s not on the actual football field. He also spends time working at Justino’s Pizza in Newmanstown.

For now, we wish Rosado and his Raider teammates all the best the rest of the 2024 season and beyond.

Photo Credit: Heather Daub

Jozef Shkreli

On September 7th, the Cedar Crest Boys Soccer Team defeated Solanco on the road by a score of 5-0. In the match, senior Jozef Shkreli scored a hat trick. For the Falcons, this was the fourth win in the first four games, with Shkreli’s strong effort aiding the offensive attack. In total, Shkreli had 5 goals and 2 assists during that early stretch of the season. As a result of his outstanding performance, Shkreli was voted as a LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

Throughout his high school career, Shkreli has dealt with injuries. So far this season, and especially in the game against Solanco, he said he felt good in striking twice early and then adding another goal in the 2nd half. His role as a striker for the upstart Falcons is not one he takes lightly, and he takes pride in the fact that he has the ability to help his team succeed.

First-year head coach Joe Spade said of Shkreli, “Jo is the one guy we look to on our team to score when we need a goal. The players respect him not just because of his play on the field but also because he is a mentor and leader off the field. It is every coach’s dream to be able to have a player like that on their roster. He is playing at an elite level and already has gained respect from teams all over the league. I know there is a lot more greatness to come with him.”

Coach Spade went on to say, “Jo is a four-year varsity starter and one of our leaders this year on our team. He has been a rock since day one of the preseason and is dedicated to helping turn this program around. Jo has been a part of several losing seasons at Cedar Crest and is motivated more than ever to turn things around and get us on the right path moving forward.”

This is something that Shkreli agrees with, stating, “Coach Spade has brought a new energy to our team and helps us succeed as individuals and as a team.”

One of the members of the team that Shkreli is honored to share the success with is fellow senior Matthew Golub, who is another offensive threat for Cedar Crest and assisted on two of the goals Shkreli scored against Solanco.

The two teammates are a solid group of upperclassmen who have developed together and are a large reason that Cedar Crest is ready for the challenge of the season after making the move into Lancaster Lebanon League’s Section 1 this season. The group consists of junior Malachi Raiger and sophomore Grant Long, who serve alongside Golub and help direct the team as its captains. However, Shkreli is right there with them in teams of leadership and is taking the challenge of the new level of competition head-on.

When asked about the move to Section 1, Coach Spade said, “In Section 1, any mistake you make can be costly, and they will learn from those mistakes and move forward. The team has a mission this season, and I cannot wait to ride that road with them and watch them succeed.” For Shkreli, his goal is to make the playoffs and for them to compete hard in Section 1.

While Shkreli takes soccer very seriously, he has also excelled in tennis, where he served as a key player for Cedar Crest Tennis. In fact, he made States last year in Doubles alongside teammate Isaac Wolfe. His brother, Rocco, was also a State qualifier in tennis before graduating in 2023. When not playing soccer, Shkreli is often working on his tennis skills or is in the weight room. Additionally, he is into cars and hanging out with his friends. While revving the engine of his car, Shkreli enjoys blasting Central Cee, a popular British rapper, through the speakers.

He is clearly an excellent athlete and loves to have fun, but Shkreli also takes school very seriously and intends to major in engineering in college. He is open to the idea of playing either soccer or tennis at the next level.

We wish Jozef the best of luck the rest of this season and beyond! We also wish the Falcons all the best as they continue to play hard in a challenging section as they hope to set a new course for Cedar Crest Soccer.

Note: In addition to the Varsity team having a strong start, where they are now 4-3, the JV team is also 4-0 with a strong group of young players coming up through the system.

Read about this week’s LebCo Female Athlete of the Week: Avery Lechleitner

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting:  September 2 – 8

Previous Winners

Myles Watson (Week of August 19th)

Isaiah Zimmerman (Week of August 19th)

Bryce Keller (Week of August 26th)