Sonny Rogers is the one who knocks.

The danger lurking on the other side of the line of scrimmage, ready to strike when called upon.

On Sept. 6, it didn’t take much for Rogers to deliver his message.

The Mesa Ridge wide receiver hauled in three receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns — all career highs — and helped the Grizzlies football squad improve to 2-0.

Rogers’ performance also earned him Peak Performer honors.

“That was the performance I’ve been waiting for,” Rogers said. “Now that I got that out of the way, I just want to keep putting on better performances.”

Rogers, who’s in his second season on varsity, missed a portion of his junior campaign with a high ankle sprain in his right foot.

In seven games in 2023, Rogers, then a junior, caught seven passes for 226 yards and had one touchdown.

When Rogers checked his stats after the 50-47 win against Northfield, the numbers shocked him.

“I was like, ‘Dang, I really did that,’” Rogers said. “It made me feel good and made me feel like I could put out even better stats.”

However, his coach, Jerimi Calip, wasn’t surprised by Rogers’ career night against the Nighthawks.

“I expected something like this to happen last year, but he had that high ankle sprain,” Calip said. “To see him come in and develop and play the way he has. I would like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not.”

The Grizzlies opened the year against Air Academy and earned a 48-0 win. Rogers finished with four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Solid numbers for anyone else, however, certainly not to Rogers’ liking.

“I told coach that I was going to come back and show him what I wanted to show him last season and my first performance was not it,” Rogers said. “(51) yards and four catches was not good enough for me. I told him that was a bad game and I’d come in the following week and show him what I’m really about.”

Calip said he was grateful to see Rogers take pride in his game and encouraged the wide out after the matchup with Air Academy.

“He apologized to me a couple of times after the game and I told him, ‘I’m not worried about it. You’re going to have a lot more big games,’” Calip said. “I was really excited for him to get out there and perform the way he did.”

Against the Nighthawks, the Grizzlies ran just 39 plays to Northfield’s 73. Of their 39 plays, the Grizzlies ran the ball 19 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns.

As the Nighthawks began to stack the box and made it difficult for Mesa Ridge runners to find openings, Bryce Riehl, Mesa Ridge quarterback, locked in and punished Northfield by finding Rogers.

“I know this means a lot to him, but it means a lot to me too,” Riehl said. “The road he’s had from last year to this year and seeing him overcome that and have over 200 yards in a game is a blessing.”

Riehl finished the game 9-of-13 for 310 yards and four touchdowns and completed one-third of his passes to Rogers.

“Him having that game was important for us,” Riehl said. “Having someone I can rely on more and having someone who, if I get the ball to him, I know he’s going to make a play, that helps a lot.”

Rogers’ performance moved him to sixth in the state in receiving yards and he knows defenses will eye him in future games.

He welcomes the challenge.

“Teams aren’t practicing on their field with someone as good as me,” Rogers said. “They can watch (film), but when it comes time to get on the field, their craft has to be as good as my craft. And if it isn’t, I’m going to win every time.”