HAMILTON — Dominating.
One word is all that is needed to describe Dominique Dobbs’ ability to impact a game on defense. Whether it was at tackle or end, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Dobbs was a load for Hamilton High School football opponents to contain or to keep away from their running backs and quarterbacks.
“He had a great season,” Hamilton High football coach Ray Weeks said. “He was the most valuable defensive player in our division. He is a leader on the offensive and defensive line and is very tough to block. He caused other teams a lot of problems.”
As good a season as Dobbs had leading Hamilton to the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A North State playoffs, college coaches didn’t flock to Monroe County in an effort to sign him. Instead, it took Hamilton High assistant football coach Vic Cunningham talking to the coaches at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead about Dobbs. The conversation led to the coaches watching tape of the versatile lineman and then asking Dobbs to attend a tryout last month at the school. After that, it didn’t take long for everything to fall into place.
On Wednesday, Dobbs made it official when he signed a scholarship to play for Mississippi Delta C.C.
“Ever since I was in junior high, all I wanted to do is play college football because I used to watch it on TV all of the time,” Dobbs said. “I wanted to be out there making the big hits and big plays.”
Dobbs believed he had a good chance to earn a scholarship even before he arrived in Moorhead for the tryout. He said he had received positive feedback from the coaches at the school, but he left the tryout without talking to any of the coaches. About 20 minutes later, Dobbs said he received a phone call from one of the coaches saying the team wanted to offer him a scholarship.
“I think I did pretty good (at the tryout),” Dobbs said. “I didn’t do good in the 40-yard dash. It was really wet and muddy, so I couldn’t run hard. (The coaches) liked how I moved.”
Woods said Dobbs is the first player to sign with Mississippi Delta in his tenure as the school’s head coach. He believes Dobbs will have a chance to contribute and play football at a four-year school if he gets into the weight room and gets stronger to help transition to the college game.
“I think he probably will end up on the defensive side of the ball,” Weeks said. “I think he can play both, but with his size and his speed I think he will be on the defense somewhere. I think for his size his speed is what caught their eye. He runs a 4.8 (time) in the 40(-yard dash). That is pretty good for that size.”
Dobbs believes his ability to shed blocks and be “unblockable” helped him attract attention. He said he enjoys making game-winning plays like he did in a 13-12 victory against Smithville in November. He said his tackle on the quarterback on fourth down helped preserve the victory. Unfortunately, Hamilton lost to St. Aloysius 13-12 in the second round of the Class 1A North State playoffs. From there, it was just a matter of Dobbs convincing coaches he could be as dominating in college as he was in high school.
“I am going to have to get stronger and faster and be more aggressive,” Dobbs said. “It was pretty easy for me in high school when I got to my 10th-grade year because I was big, probably bigger than most people we played. Even when we played some Class 4A schools, I beat them. I just have to get more aggressive and be smarter.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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