Big shoulders bore burden
Cherian-ashe nearly quit football after dad’s death, chose to play on
Balancing football with rigid academic requirements can be a chore for any RPI player. Rohan Cherian-ashe bore the additional burden 21/2 years ago of losing his father.
John Ashe, an Antiguan diplomat and politician, left behind his wife and two sons. Finishing a football career seemed insignificant to Cherian-ashe, who had played six games as a freshman.
“When I first heard about it,” Cherian-ashe said of his father’s passing, “my first inclination was to want to go home as soon as possible, try to help them out any way I can.”
A native of Dobbs Ferry, he stayed in contact with the RPI football staff, in particular Jeff Dittman, who at the time was defensive line coach and is now the Engineers’ defensive coordinator.
“My mom and coach Dittman told me that the best option was to stay here, continue playing football, continue getting an education, and try to help out as much as possible when I graduate with a good degree,” said Cherian-ashe, a mechanical engineering major. “It’s been tough, but I have to thank my mom for always being there for me, for being the most supportive person that anyone could
really be, as well as coach Dittman.”
Because he stayed, Cherian-ashe is in the rare situation of playing football in December. RPI is one of only eight teams remaining in the Division III NCAA playoffs. The Engineers (11-1) will head to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins (12-1) at noon Saturday.
Cherian-ashe, 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, is one of six senior starters on a defensive unit that has shined in the postseason, holding two opponents that are in the top 25 of Division III for total offense to a combined three touchdowns.
Call it payback for a coaching staff that helped him through his personal trauma.
“We’ve always been there for him, and we’ve gotten him through some tough times,” Dittman said. “Some long talks in the office with the door closed, just talking through the challenges and helping him to get through it.”
“He’s part of the reason that I continued playing football,” Cherian-ashe said of Dittman, “and part of the reason that I’m still here at the school.”
“The way that we treat these young men, we make them feel comfortable,” Dittman said. “We’re their next parents. We’re their home away from home. With the relationship developing and going through some of those hard times throughout the season, it continued to build.”
Cherian-ashe is in the middle of a defense that has shined under the postseason spotlight.
The Engineers held Brockport, the nation’s third-ranked Division III team, to 13 points and 315 yards last week. The Golden Eagles were averaging 44.3 points and 599 yards per game.
In its opening-round NCA A game, RPI held Husson, averaging 40.7 points, to one offensive touchdown in a 38-14 triumph.
“I thought our defense had been playing well the entire year,” head coach Ralph Isernia said. “Maybe it’s just that it’s on a little different stage and there’s more of a spotlight on it.”
That defensive play has RPI playing a December game for the first time in 15 years.
It adds more to the plate for Cherian-ashe, who is on schedule to graduate in May, but four years at RPI have taught him all about time management.
“It hasn’t been easy, but I don’t think I’d want an easy degree,” said Cherian-ashe, both of whose parents got PH.D degrees. “The fact that it’s so challenging, they’ve been able to push me to try and be as successful as I can be.
“With my mom’s background and my dad’s background, it pushed me to be as successful in academics and athletics as possible. I definitely had their support in coming here. Part of the reason I came here was it was a good combination of athletics for me as well as academics. It gave me a great opportunity to continue playing football as well as get a great education.”