Della Rosa looks for redemption at Spring Fling
The last two Spring Fling AAA soccer tournaments have been memorable for Stefano Della Rosa. But not in the way he would likely have preferred.
In 2016, Della Rosa — then a sophomore — got about five minutes of playing time in a quarterfinal victory over Murfreesboro Oakland. It was coach David Wolff’s way of saying “job well done” after Della Rosa had completed nine months of rehab Tipton-Rosemark softball team’s run started with a players-only practice. following a knee injury.
Last season, the Christian Brothers University signee was healthy entering the championship match against Station Camp. But he didn’t finish healthy.
“First five minutes of the game — I don’t know — I think I jumped up for a ball and came down and extended my leg too far and I pulled my hamstring,” he said. “We taped it up and tried to go back in but I could not do it.”
Adding insult was what happened just prior to the injury. Della Rosa was brought down in the box with what looked like a clear penalty. But the only goal of the match went to Station Camp and as the final seconds ticked down Della Rosa lay face down behind the Mustangs bench, his head buried in the grass.
“I thought it changed the entire complexity of the game,” said Wolff. “I saw it on tape and I thought for sure it was a PK ... so we don’t get the PK and we lose him. It was kind of a two-for-one.”
Della Rosa will get a chance to write a happy ending to his high school career this week at Spring Fling.
He’ll once again be one of the main cogs in Houston’s attack when the Mustangs open state tournament play Tuesday at 4 p.m. against that same Station Camp team.
“It’s very tough to have done so well all year and then be out after the first five minutes of the championship game,” Della Rosa said. “But I’m really excited ... to pull out a state title senior year would be amazing.
“I think we have a really solid team. We were a little quaky at the beginning of the season but defenders are stepping up. The midfielders have been
State tournament schedule
amazing and we have Parker Allen back.”
Allen, also a senior, missed a good chunk of the season with a broken foot.
But he was terrific in last Saturday’s sub-state game, scoring a pair of goals as the Mustangs put six past a Clarksville team that it had tied with earlier in the season.
A healthy Allen definitely adds a different dynamic as the Mustangs go after their seventh title in school history. But don’t be surprised if when it’s all said and done, Della Rosa has made his mark on the proceedings like he did as a freshman in 2015, the last time Houston’s boys won the title.
“It’s great (for him to have another chance),” Wolff said. “He’s made a real effort to be part of the team. He’s made an effort to play disciplined. He’s not taking any plays off, tracking back on defense and those are things that we didn’t see.
“We’re getting the old Stef back and that’s a great thing to see. And it’s great for him. He feels much more accomplished as a person.”
Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.