'Heart and soul': Mr. Football finalist Dominic Purcell leads Watterson to state final
Dominic Purcell’s prowess on the football field might be rivaled only by his ability to shift a conversation.
Almost without fail, the Watterson senior middle linebacker and strong safety followed up every “I” with a “we” when discussing a season that will culminate Friday in the Division III state final at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
If he were so inclined, Purcell would have plenty to brag about individually.
The Division III Central District Defensive Player of the Year enters Friday’s showdown against Toledo Central Catholic (15-0) with 179 tackles, 38.5 of which have been for loss, seven sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Purcell’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of last Friday’s state semifinal essentially sealed a 27-14 win over Celina, capping a game in which he had 17 tackles and a week in which he was named one of eight finalists for Ohio Mr. Football.
“I had lofty goals,” said Purcell, a Navy commit and fourth-year starter. “This is the position I wanted to be in. We worked all offseason to get here. This is where I wanted to be. As a team, a lot of people were saying this would be a down year and we weren’t supposed to be here in this position, but the guys in the locker room, we all bought in and believed in each other.”
Purcell has played a central role in Watterson (14-1) reaching its first state final since 2010, even as it had to replace first-team all-state safety Ryan Rudzinski — a preferred walk-on at Ohio State who had 10 interceptions a year ago — and Toledo-bound offensive tackle Cole Rhett.
Purcell became a starting cornerback halfway through his freshman season, then moved to safety as a sophomore and has played a mix of linebacker and safety the past two years.
“You could tell right away he was not intimidated,” coach Brian Kennedy said. “He’d practice with the older and bigger guys. His intensity with everything, you could just tell this dude was different. He’s the best football player I’ve seen at Watterson in my 20-plus years.
“By (his) junior year, we knew he was our best player. (So we decided) we’re going to put in the middle, put him at middle linebacker, and now teams can’t run away from him.”
Watterson has posted four shutouts and held five more teams to 10 points or fewer. Only a 27-24 loss to DeSales in Week 10, decided on a last-second field goal, separates the Eagles from an unbeaten record.
“He’s always shown the way,” senior linebacker Braxton Rundio said of Purcell. “He really plays with a lot of heart. He brings a lot of heart to the game. Even when we were little kids, he was firing us up before games. He still does. He’s a great leader.”
Purcell is the only defensive finalist for Mr. Football. The others, including Hilliard Bradley quarterback Bradyn Fleharty, are either quarterbacks or running backs.
“Mr. Football caught me off guard,” Purcell said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all. It’s super awesome, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t do it without any of the guys.”
Such selflessness only reinforces Kennedy’s impressions of Purcell, who committed to Navy in June.
“He’s 100% the heart and soul of this team, this football program,” Kennedy said. “The biggest compliment I can pay to Dom is he raises everybody else up. He sets a very high level of expectations for work ethic, energy and focus, and it raises everybody else to that level.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mr. Football finalist Purcell leads Watterson to D-III state final
