Centennial's Dan LeRoy, a 119-pound junior who takes a 34-6 record into this weekend's state tournament, has been piling up wins and helping two worthwhile causes. Before the season, he asked family members, friends and neighbors to make a monetary pledge for each of his victories, with the money going to Habitat for Humanity and the Matt Watson scholarship fund. Watson, a close friend and Centennial graduate, was a sophomore at Maryland when he was killed by a drunken driver last spring. Last year, LeRoy raised $1,500 for Habitat for Humanity.

A three-year varsity starter, LeRoy captured his first county championship when, as the fourth seed, he came away with a 4-2 overtime victory against Glenelg's Brendan Conway in the final. On Saturday, he placed second at the Class 4A-3A East regional final.

LeRoy, who also plays soccer at Centennial, has a 3.4 grade point average and is considering business as a college major. His favorite TV show is Scrubs. He enjoys classic rock, with the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin topping his list. And when wrestling season is over and he can eat whatever he wants, chances are he will ask his mother to make pulled-pork sandwiches.

One of your best moments in wrestling came when you edged Conway for the county title. What were you thinking going into the match?

I knew I needed to keep the match to not too many points because that's when I usually get away from myself. Just control it. He's a very talented wrestler, but I knew I was a little bit bigger. I just wanted to try to get as much pressure as I could, wear him out and get it done. [In overtime], he shot in, I sprawled and clamped ahead and then spun around - just a snap and go. It was a great feeling.

Do you prefer soccer or wrestling?

I've been playing soccer since I was 4, but I'd have to say wrestling is my favorite. One of the things I love about wrestling is there's no excuses. It's all about you. In soccer, if we lose, it's like, "Well, he didn't do his job," or "He didn't take care of his position." But in wrestling it's, "Well, I didn't work hard enough."

How did you get started with Habitat for Humanity?

Some of my friends said it was fun, a great group of people, and they did really worthwhile work. I decided to go to a couple of meetings. I liked it and joined. Habitat for Humanity is an organization that goes out and helps build homes to get people situated for a new life.

How rewarding has that been?

It's a great feeling knowing that I'm out there helping people. In the spring and summer, I'm going to go help build houses. It's very important to me. I know there's people out there that are underprivileged, that just can't do some things. Their lives, they haven't had the opportunities like we have.

How did you come up with the idea of tying in the charities with wrestling?

I was thinking that I wanted to help people, and what is the one thing I love - wrestling. It just all came together. I try to get [my teammates] to go out there and get people to help sponsor and pledge. And I've gotten a lot of people for myself. I just go through the neighborhood and knock on doors. Tell you the truth, I'm not sure how many sponsors I have. We have a big book with all the records, and we give out forms that they fill out. And we come back at the end of the year to collect the money.

Who is your role model?

I'd have to say my dad. He's a very hard worker. He only wrestled for two years, but he played football throughout college and was an All-American. He always instilled in me that I have to go out there, work my hardest and always give it my all.