Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Student Athlete of the Week: Ryan Roller

STRASBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Ryan Roller is a standout athlete at Strasburg High School. As a senior, he is a star on the football field and in the classroom.

“I’ve been around it most of my life and I’ve just been looking forward to this moment,” said Roller, a quarterback and defensive back for the Rams.

In his final season at Strasburg, Roller has helped guide the Rams to an 8-1 record this fall. He is following in the footsteps of his father, a former quarterback at Strasburg who now serves as the head coach.

“It is a bit of pressure but it’s also pretty fun. I’ve got an inside source for any questions,” said Roller. “We try to leave most of it on the field.”

Rams head coach Mark Roller admitted that his son plays the quarterback position better than he did. Yet he also emphasized Ryan’s lifelong passion for a variety of sports.

“You can call him a gym rat. After football, he’d hang out in the gym playing basketball,” said Mark. “Ryan’s been able to gain a lot of knowledge.”

The younger Roller has also shined on the basketball court and the soccer field. In the classroom, he boasts a 3.91 GPA. Ryan also attends the Massanutten Regional Governors School and is a member of the National Honor Society.

“He’s very hard-working, he’s very motivated, but also very humble,” said Strasburg history teacher Ashley Margiotti. “He speaks his mind but he also sees all sides to an issue. I love his depth of knowledge as well as his connection with history,” she said.

Ryan hopes to attend Virginia Tech to study science next fall.

“Keep working hard,” he said. “People think hard classes will be really hard but it actually helps with a lot of things in life.”

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.