Bridgeport's Jackson Cogar bound for Davis & Elkins soccer

And he’ll get to play against national-championship-caliber teams as the University of Charleston has won it all and several Mountain East Conference programs, including Davis & Elkins, have been nationally ranked recently.

“That was one of the big factors for me,” Cogar said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to compete for a national championship and I think that’s a definite possibility at Davis & Elkins.”

College soccer, especially at the Division II level, is very geographically diverse, another plus for Cogar.

“I’m really excited to see players from different cultures and different play styles,” Cogar said. “It’s not something I’m used to, so I’m excited to adapt and meet new people.”

Cogar’s played in midfield and up front for Bridgeport, a versatility that will come in handy as he fights for minutes in college.

“The biggest thing I have going for me is my athleticism and my work rate,” Cogar said. “I learned a lot from coach Dumas and my travel coaches. All of that coming together, I think, will translate to my performance at the college level.”

Cogar bagged 30 goals and passed out 18 assists as a senior, that work rate is paying off.

“He never wanted to come off the field,” Bridgeport coach Keith Dumas said. “He knew the times to put pressure on the other team and when not to. He would conserve his energy. That’s really important because when you play higher-level games, you can’t just exert yourself for 90 minutes. For him to figure that out early in his career and develop that is going to help him in college.”

Cogar excelled in whatever role he was given at Bridgeport.

“Jackson has developed over the years,” Dumas said. “As a freshman, he did play for us a good bit in the defensive midfield area and then started there as a sophomore. He held down the midfield the beginning of his junior year, but then we moved him up. We needed someone who could potentially put pressure on defenses and take shots on goal. He fit that mold. His senior year, he really excelled.”

Going through that development curve has Cogar ready to try to do it again at D&E.

“I’m excited to play against better players,” Cogar said. “I look back to when I started playing high school, when I was going from middle school, that transition was difficult and challenging. I’m looking forward to the challenge of pushing to play at the best level that I can.”

Cogar will major in business with a possible minor in entrepreneurship.

“I really love the campus. It’s a beautiful part of West Virginia,” Cogar said.