Siuslaw Vikings lineman Sean Rojas never dropped anyone in four years of competitive cheerleading.

Until he had to lift his sister, the Vikings' all-state cheerleader Victoria Rojas.

"It was her fault," he said, smiling. "But me holding her, somehow it was my fault.

"At least that's what she tells people."

Rojas was an eighth-grader at a charter school in Surprise, Ariz., at the time of the crime.

That was four years and 60 pounds ago.

"I started cheerleading to lose weight," Sean said. "I was 5-foot-5, 240 pounds in eighth-grade.

"We didn't have football, so I wound up doing cheerleading with my sister to lose weight."

Sean has developed into a 5-10, 180-pound force on both the offensive and defensive lines his senior year with the Vikings.

It is quite a turnaround from his sophomore season, when he suited up for the first time.

"My sophomore year, my very first day in pads, I got a concussion," Sean said. "It was my first time for wearing shoulder pads and a helmet and getting on the field.

"I was out for a week."

His junior year he injured his ankle in the opening game and was lost for the season.

"Sean played football as a sophomore because he thought that's what he needed to do," coach Tim Dodson said. "He wasn't going to play as a junior because it wasn't necessarily fun as a sophomore.

"Then he came out and got hurt right away."

Somehow all that did not dissuade Sean from joining 10 other seniors for the 2015 Viking team.

"He shows up and he starts and it's been absolutely awesome," Dodson said. "His attitude and his positiveness is beyond me. I'm very proud of him."

Sean believes much of that has to do with conditioning and staying healthy.

"Thank goodness I've been injury-free," Sean said. "We've all upped ourselves, like in the weight room and our well-being.

"Injuries aren't coming as easily. I can definitely say my senior year is the best shape I've ever been in."

Sean and Victoria remain close, despite a drop or two.

"Growing up, we were like every brother and sister," Sean said. "We went through that phase where we bickered a lot.

"Definitely now we've developed a bond. I've got her back, and she's got mine. She needs help, she asks me. I need help, I ask her."

Both siblings are considering a career in health care, Sean as either a paramedic or a nurse, Victoria as veterinarian.

"I've been the first-responder in two car accidents, one in Arizona and one here," Sean said. "In both accidents, a car was totaled and someone had to be carried out of their car.

"I noticed I have good on-the-spot reflexes, like instinct. I enjoy helping people, so I thought being a paramedic would be good."