Collins different person when he puts on pads

There is a common misconception that football players have to be 6-1 or 6-2 bruisers but watching MacArthur’s Dominic Collins will clearly prove that at the high school level there is room for anyone.

Sitting down to talk to the senior we quickly learned that he’s a quiet young man who is far from imposing at 5-8, 145 pounds.

But when he puts on the football pads his intensity changes and MacArthur coaches and fans are quick to praise the 3-year starter.

“He does a great job at safety getting our secondary in the right coverages,” Mac head coach Brett Manning said. “He’s very smart and just gets the job done.”

Collins also is on the field on offense at times as well as special teams.

“My first job at safety is to make sure we are in the right coverage and then read the receivers coming downfield,” he said. “If we read run then we have to swarm to the football and make sure the tackle is made.”

Collins and his mates on defense are undersized at several positions but they make up for it with aggressiveness and the safety is always willing to throw his body into the action.

The Mac safety is the veteran in the secondary along with juniors AJ Vaughn and Trey Williams and sophomore Adam Auston who helped turn the tide for the Highlanders with a Pick-6 interception late in Friday’s win over Eisenhower.

“We are a very close-knit group,” Collins said. “We spend a great deal of time together and even when we aren’t together we are on a group chat talking about our next game and what we need to be prepared to see come game time.”

Collins says that group can always improve.

“I think we need to be a little more disciplined,” he said. “Sometimes we get caught looking into the backfield, which is something we need to avoid. Otherwise the main thing is just focus on our jobs and be ready for everything our coaches have taught us during the week.”

As far as the future, Collins is eager to attend college and get a chance to play either football or run track.

“I run track in the distance races, so if I don’t get to keep playing football that is another option,” he said. “I want to major in sports management or something along those lines.”

Obviously, Collins isn’t one of the big eaters on the team but he has his moments.

“My favorite foods are ribs or steak that my dad grills for us,” he said, “He does a good job and they always come out great.”

In the classroom Collins likes all his classes but is especially interested in history and he doesn’t care what period, he just enjoys learning about United States history.

As far as the upcoming couple of weeks, the Highlanders will first face Lawton High School Friday at Cameron Stadium with a chance to nail down the city championship and grab the Commander’s Cup trophy.

“We just need to keep preparing hard and play with a good focus,” Collins said. “We have a bye week after that and then we get into the district (5A-1) games. We know those are all important but we have to practice well this week and then next and that is sometimes hard when you don’t have a game coming up.”

But Collins said this bunch set a high bar during the Summer Pride workouts and doesn’t see any issues with a lack of focus next week.

“Our Summer Pride went really well and I think it is showing on the field,” he said. “Our coaches do a good job running drills fast and that works as conditioning as well. We have been able to avoid cramping issues and that comes because of our summer work.”

The Highlanders will obviously be in the race for a 5A playoff berth and you can bet Collins will do his part and anything else the coaches throw at him.