Final loss doesn't diminish the impact of Tiger FB seniors

Caruthersville High School football seniors (from left) Kenyon Bogan, Oscar Dominguez, Jermonte Alexander, and Ryan Guest walk out to midfield prior to the Tigers' MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Playoff game at Valle Catholic on Friday in Ste. Genevieve.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

STE. GENEVIEVE – The small picture of what transpired on Friday in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Football Playoff championship game was that Valle Catholic dominated Caruthersville 63-21.

It was the second time this season that the Warriors had done so, having already beaten the Tigers 37-7 in September, and it was the 10th time in 11 games this season at Valle Catholic (10-1) had beaten an opponent by at least 22 points.

“There is a reason why Valle (Catholic) has 15 state championships,” third-year Caruthersville coach Dom Guglielmo said following the loss. “You are talking about a historically great football program.”

But if you are a Caruthersville football fan and focused on the scoreboard on this night, you missed the larger picture.

The Tigers (10-2) had nine seniors play their final game in the red-and-white, and those nine athletes (Ryan Guest, Terrance Jackson, Jermonte Alexander, Gavin Motton, Emaurion Truss, Evan Johnson, Oscar Dominguez, Kenyon Bogan, and Willie Campbell) will be leaving a very impactful legacy.

“The most important thing,” veteran Tiger assistant coach Brad Treece said following the game, “was that they showed leadership when they needed to.”

Treece made that comment because when Guglielmo was asked about the seniors, the tears began to well up in the big guy’s eyes and he couldn’t get any words out.

Twenty-four hours passed before Guglielmo could muster a text to discuss his love for those players.

“Those seniors left (Caruthersville football) better than they found it,” Guglielmo texted.

That may qualify as the understatement of the 21st century.

When these nine players were freshmen, their coach quit a couple of games into their first high school season, and the program was swirling.

Former Caruthersville coach Brad Gerling stepped in to fill the void, so that the school could field a team that season, and a few months later, Guglielmo drove into the Bootheel for the first time in his life with a monumental task staring him in the face.

“The seniors bought in,” Guglielmo continued. “They got coached hard and earned a SEMO Conference (South Division) championship.”

The class of 2025 climbed from two wins as freshman to 10 this season, which was the most since 2018, and no team since 2011 had more.

“I couldn’t be more proud of what they accomplished,” Guglielmo said.

For Alexander, he finished his storied career with a bang.

The Valle defense hadn’t allowed a TEAM to score more than 20 points against it all season, and Alexander had three scores on Friday by himself.

Early in the second quarter, Alexander returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown while adding a 38-yard scoring run late in the third quarter.

“When you take a job,” Guglielmo said, “you always wonder what the kids will be like (and) what the town will be like.

“Caruthersville exceeded all of my expectations.”

Alexander, a finalist for the Carr Trophy (the top offensive player in the SEMO Conference), added a 36-yard touchdown early in the final period.

“This fall was a great step forward,” Guglielmo said. “The roar (of Tiger football) was restored. Now it is time to get back to the whiteboards and gear up for 2025.”