Photography courtesy Raab family
This Easton High senior works hard toward his goals on and off the football field
Easton High senior Chase Raab is no stranger to adversity. For 10 months, Raab has rehabbed and worked out with the goal to play football again after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee.
The recovery became Raab’s obsession for two reasons: play his last year of high school football and get on a path to play the sport in college.
College football is the more important of the two. If it wasn’t for the injury that happened in a 7-on-7 tournament at Bowie State University in July of last year, Raab, who plays wide receiver and safety, might have committed to a college by now.
“Having a good sophomore year, I was excited to start getting recruited after my junior year, but I got hurt,” Raab says. “It pushed me back a lot. I couldn’t get any exposure because I was sitting all season. Film is pretty important for colleges.
“I am behind the eight ball,” he added. “But I keep a positive outlook on it. I have to really keep working hard to have a good season and get my name out there.”
Raab, who carries a 3.7 grade-point average, went through some grueling workouts to return to form. Yet, things started slowly.
Two weeks after surgery—which took place on August 23rd of 2023—he began doing knee strengthening exercises at home for an hour, four to five days a week and lifted weights for his upper body four days a week for two hours. Raab also did three hours of physical therapy per week, which ended in May.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Raab started lifting weights for his lower body, including squats, power cleans, leg presses, lunges, and running, in December for two hours a day until May. He noticed the difference in his body, adding 10 pounds.
“I am a better athlete now than before I got hurt,” Raab explains. “Mentally, I am stronger having to go through such a long and hard rehab.”
Easton Offensive Coordinator Matt Griffith adds, “He started rehabbing right away and was ahead of schedule. He worked extremely hard and came back bigger, stronger, and faster.”
Raab showed he is serious about playing college football. He attended camps at Villanova and Widner universities and the University of Delaware in June and July.
“It’s great to talk to the coaches and build a connection with them,” Raab says. “I learned a lot about technique during the drills that I can take back to our Easton practices.”
Griffith believes the time Raab spent at the camps will be beneficial. “He got the chance to compete against kids at that level and excel,” the coach says. “His ability to get in front of those coaches because he doesn’t have any film from last year was huge.”
Raab showed his potential to colleges early in his high school career, earning First-Team All-Bayside conference honors as a wide receiver and second-team honors as a defensive back. He plans to play wide receiver in college, and he caught 21 passes for 498 yards and three touchdowns in 2022.
“I think he is going to be a Division II college football player,” Griffith says. “He ability to make plays on both sides of the ball is tremendous. He doesn’t pass the eye test all the time. He is not the biggest or the fastest player. But he puts himself in great places to make plays and 90 percent of that is his work ethic when no one is watching.”
When it comes to sports, Raab is choosing a path fewer and fewer high school students have been doing—playing three sports. Raab is a baseball standout (hit .304 as a sophomore) and will run indoor track this winter for the first time.
“He is a tremendous athlete,” Griffith says. “He is a smart kid on the field and in the classroom.”
Want to nominate a local student? Email us at editor@whatsupmag.com
