Dominguez brings 'relentless aggression' to tough Tiger D

Caruthersville High School senior Oscar Dominguez pulls for a block against Valle Catholic in a recent game in Ste. Genevieve.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

Only three of the 16 high school football teams within the SEMO Conference have been as stifling this fall as Class 2 No. 9-ranked Caruthersville (5-1, 3-0 SEMO Conference South Division), and the play of senior linebacker Oscar Dominguez has been a HUGE part of why that is the case.

“Oscar is relentlessly aggressive,” third-year Tiger coach Dom Guglielmo said. “That is hard-wired into a kid.”

In the Tigers’ impressive 28-0 beating of Scott City last week, Dominguez paced his team with nine tackles, which raised his season total to 79, which leads the SEMO Conference.

“You can teach a kid to hit,” Guglielmo said, “but you can’t teach a kid to be relentless, physical, and aggressive at all times.”

Dominguez will need to be at his best tonight, as Caruthersville visits rival Hayti (2-4, 1-2 SEMO Conference South Division) at 5:30 p.m.

The Indians are much improved from the past two seasons and have scored at least 28 points three different times.

“The big thing,” Guglielmo said of facing the potent Indians, “is that we’ll have to contain from our defensive ends. We can’t get too far upfield. Our outside linebackers have to be very smart about how they are playing.

“When (Hayti) options, we know who is responsible for what, and we’ll have to stay within those options.”

Dominguez, who also starts on the offensive line (left tackle) is part of a defense, which has allowed just 87 points (14.5 points per game) total this season. That number is nearly 10 points per game fewer than last year and 22.4 points less than when Dominguez was a sophomore.

“That is how Oscar has always played,” Guglielmo said of his player’s aggression. “That is his mindset.”

As a junior, Dominguez was an All-SEMO Conference First Team selection, and thus far, he is leading the league not just in tackles, but also in defensive rating (87.5).

The 5-foot-10, 240-pound Tiger has racked up five tackles for a loss this season, as well as recovered a fumble and picked off a pass.

“You can tell a stark difference on our defense when Oscar is on the sidelines,” Guglielmo explained. “The intensity that he plays with, and the physicality that he plays with, it brings up the level of our defensive play.”

Caruthersville can earn at least a share of the league title with a victory over the Indians, coupled with if Charleston wins at Scott City. Guglielmo’s kids will seize the outright title if the Bluejays lose to the Rams.

The Tigers have won two straight against Hayti by an average of 46 points after losing to their rival for four consecutive seasons.