Norwalk's Rothhaar heads to Rutgers with 14 letters

NORWALK — The emotions were unique. At the start of the current school year, four-sport Norwalk standout Ben Rothhaar had his eyes on the chase for 16 varsity letters in high school. On top of football and basketball, Rothhaar also excels in track and field and baseball. But on Jan. 4, he was being introduced before a boys basketball game against Port Clinton as part of senior recognition night. Except he was the only senior. Three nights later, he played the final athletic event of his high school career in Norwalk's SBC Lake Division game at Perkins. Rothhaar committed to Rutgers University on a football scholarship over the summer. A few weeks into the football season, he learned about the opportunity to enroll early at the Big Ten university. He will start classes toward a major in engineering at the New Brunswick, N.J., school next week. Rothhaar will miss track and field and baseball this spring for the Truckers. Months before the spring sports calendar starts, Rothhaar's high school career is over. That meant participating in a solo Senior Night without the rest of his classmates. His final day of high school classes was on Jan. 10. "It's hard to see it go, but I appreciate the support that everyone has given me throughout the years," Rothhaar said after his final home game. "And it made me really happy that a lot of people showed up tonight to see me play. That really means a lot to me." By reporting to Rutgers this month, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound three-star recruit will be able to start workouts with the football team. Though 16 varsity letters is no longer an option, Rothhaar still earned 14 letters — two more than a traditional three-sport athlete with four varsity letters in each sport. "It wasn't an easy decision," Rothhaar said. "I wasn't really aware of it as a possibility at the start of the school year. But once it was presented to me, it was something we started to look into. Ultimately, this is what I really want to do. "If it means sacrificing half of my senior year, then that's what it takes," he added. "I chose Rutgers because I love the coaching staff and what they are doing. Coach (Greg) Schiano is a super down to earth guy, and the teammates, too. I went there on my official visit, and everyone went out of their way and was excited to have me there." In four years of high school football, Rothhaar caught 107 passes for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns. On the basketball court, Rothhaar averaged 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds — just under a double-double every game — in 56 games over his final three seasons as a starter. He finished his career with 579 points and 499 rebounds in 79 career games. He averaged 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in his 10 games this season. In baseball, he hit .295 last spring with two doubles, 19 RBIs and 11 runs scored. In 2023, Rothhaar batted .353 with a double, a triple, nine RBIs, 11 runs scored and 11 stolen bases to earn SBC Lake second team. On the track, Rothhaar qualified for the Division I regional meet three times. He was an SBC Lake Division champion in sprints. As a sophomore, he reached the state championships in the 400-meter dash. Varsity basketball head coach Adam Kreischer said it's no secret Rothhaar is a huge loss moving forward. But he also noted how much he still got out of his high school experience. "Obviously we are going to miss Ben here," he said. "He has been a big part of what we do, so anytime you lose an athlete like that, it's tough. He's meant a lot to this school … in the hallways he's a good representative of what we like to see, and he gets it done in the classroom and on the playing fields. "Above all that, Ben is just a good, likable kid by both students and adults." Though it ended early, Rothhaar still had a memorable moment in his home finale. He scored the game's final point on a free throw in the 50-42 win over Port Clinton and was subbed out of the game with an ovation with 23.5 seconds left. "I didn't even realize that, I was just playing," Rothhaar said. "But I guess that's a pretty cool way to end it in this gym."