For Fort Stockton’s Dominic Aguilar, it all came down to an attitude adjustment.
And, learning to share the load with his teammates.
Aguilar, the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the past two seasons, admittedly was tough on himself and not necessarily in a positive way when things weren’t going exactly to plan.
But part of being a quarterback is learning how to read the situations around you and Aguilar saw just how disruptive his behavior was becoming.
“My attitude was pretty bad,” he said. “I would take things out on myself and that would affect my teammates.
So, heading into the 2021 season, part of the growth that Aguilar wanted to see in his own game was becoming a leader. In order to do that, adjustments were in order.
Mission accomplished.
Already the linchpin for Coach Mike Peters and the Panthers, Aguilar elevated his game for his senior season.
He completed 54 of 101 passes for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns, while rushing 153 times for 1,636 yards and 21 scores during the regular season.
He added five two-point conversions and scored 136 points.
Defensively, he finished with 57 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and four passes defended.
He then led the Panthers to a program first in the postseason.
For his efforts, Aguilar has been named the Odessa American’s 2021 Utility Player of the Year.
“He’s been the bell cow,” Peters said. “I really thought, just his overall maturity, his leadership; since his sophomore year, his practice habits, offseason habits all got better.
“All those cliché things, he’s on par with all that.”
What those habits have done, especially the past two seasons, are help elevate the Panthers’ program into one of the best in Class 4A, especially in West Texas.
Fort Stockton had never advanced past the bi-district round of the playoffs entering Aguilar’s junior campaign (2020).
Aguilar and his teammates were able to get that monkey off their backs, albeit with an asterisk, when they won the District 2-4A Division I crown and then advanced by forfeit through the bi-district round due to COVID-19 restrictions on their opponent.
This season, after finishing second in the district, the Panthers erased the questions for good.
Aguilar and company soundly defeated Clint Mountain View, 47-8, in the bi-district round for the program’s first true playoff victory.
“We like to think that we would have had the same result last year, because we had a lot of the same players,” Peters said. “But it definitely felt good to be able to win the game on the field.
“Dom was in the seventh grade when we got here, so it’s in the first class to go all the way through middle school and high school with us. When I got here, our participation was terrible and we’ve increased that; every kid that has watched up knows that the Fort Stock Panthers have a chance to win every game we play.”
For Aguilar, it was just a matter of wanting to be better than last season, in helping the Panthers continuing laying building blocks to the foundation that Peters and his staff are constructing within the program.
Aguilar also hopes to take his on-the-field talents to the next level in order to help pursue a degree to work in the radiology or kinesiology fields.
“I have an offer from Sul Ross (State University in Alpine),” Aguilar said. “And one from a school in Chicago (Concordia).
“I feel like it went pretty good, had a good season. We did some pretty good things and I’m very proud of what we did. I feel like we made an impact.”
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
Dominic Aguilar, qb/db
Utility Player of the Year
Fort Stockton, 5-10, 185, sr.
>> Key Stats: Was 75-of-134 passing for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing 175 times for 1,756 yards and 22 touchdowns. Had 57 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, one force fumble and four pass breakups.
>> Fort Stockton coach Mike Peters says: “When you are in situations when it’s tough, on the field, if he’s involved in the situation, there is going to be a chance. Off the field, he’s the cornerstone, the foundation of everything that we do.”
