Anyone who has ever looked at a wrestler and thought 'How can all that dedication and discipline be used for something other than wrestling?' should take a look at Centennial senior Dan LeRoy.

LeRoy, a 125-pounder with a 19-5 record, is the founder of the Pin to Win campaign, which has raised almost $4,000 in its first two years. It is expected to have its most successful year yet in 2009.

As a 14-year-old, LeRoy ran in the 2005 Police Pace, an event that benefits the Howard County Police Foundation. That got him thinking about how he could get wrestling involved in raising money for a worthy cause.

Pin to Win started in 2006.

LeRoy, who says he has helped his father fix things around the house, worked on a Habitat for Humanity project and "thought it was fun."

So, Pin to Win originally benefited Habitat for Humanity of Howard County. Donors could pledge a set amount of money based on how many pins, wins, or both, any Centennial wrestler recorded. Now the fundraiser primarily takes monetary donations directly.

LeRoy's mother, Joan, and coaches, Todd DeCrispino and Dave Roogow, helped him fill out the paperwork required to start a fundraiser at Centennial.

DeCrispino is now the head coach at Mt. Hebron, and Roogow is the head coach at Centennial.

"I was very surprised that he wanted to do this without being poked and prodded," said Roogow, who added that aside from being helped with the paperwork, LeRoy has been in charge of the campaign.

That first year the campaign raised more than $1,500 that was used to build and renovate houses for needy families in Howard County.

Then in May of 2007, a tragedy struck that altered LeRoy's priorities. Matthew Watson, his longtime neighbor and friend, was killed in a car accident as a sophomore at the University of Maryland.

"(Matthew) was like a big brother to me. I would go over to their house to swim in their pool; we would have barbecues. We took trips to Hershey Park together," LeRoy said.

Since then, the Pin to Win campaign has equally benefited the Habitat for Humanity Howard County and The Matthew W. Watson Memorial Scholarship Fund, which benefits Centennial graduates going to the University of Maryland as well as a Centennial football player going to summer camp.

"It meant a huge amount, both that he was doing it for Matt and also for us," said Gavin Watson, Matthew's father. "It's a wonderful thing ... the scholarship fund keeps Matt's memory alive and helps us thank the local community for its incredible support when Matt died."

LeRoy was named Outstanding Wrestler at last year's county wrestling tournament, and went on to become a regional finalist with 35 wins. This year he hopes to end his high school wrestling campaign with a medal at the state tournament. But the Pin to Win campaign will not end. LeRoy is handing over the reins to his brother Jamie, a sophomore heavyweight at Centennial, and Tori and Shawna Hammers, members of the Centennial Drill team.

That trio has already started helping out by going door to door in the Centennial neighborhood, and selling bracelets at the recent Centennial Duals tournament, where LeRoy went 8-0 to become the tournament's all-time wins leader, at 31-1 over four years.

He still has no more than a month of wrestling left to rack up points for the Eagles and raise money for two worthy causes.

When LeRoy's on the mat, "I'm always thinking, how can I win for the team and the campaign?" he said.

For more information on Pin to Win, go to chspintowin.com.

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