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Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the 22 best high school football players in Southern Arizona.

Name: Dominic Avant

The rundown: Avant is a senior offensive and defensive lineman at Sierra Vista Buena. He measures 6-foot-4-inches and weighs just over 300 pounds.

Who he is: Avant first tried out for football at the age of 10, only because he wanted to spend more time with one of his best friends.

“He told me if I played football with him, it’d mean we could hang out more,” Avant recalled.

The friendly gesture sparked what has become one of Avant’s biggest passions.

“I instantly fell in love with football,” he said. “I love the sport. I love everything about it.”

Now, the stout lineman is on the cusp of turning his passion into a collegiate career; he has offers from two small colleges, including Trine University in Indiana.

And while Avant is widely considered to be one of the best offensive linemen in the Southern Arizona region, the transformation from his first year at Buena until now is night and day.

“When he came in as a freshman, he was still very big, but he was slow,” Buena coach Joe Thomas said. “Over the years he’s gotten a lot stronger and he’s gotten a lot faster.”

Buena’s offensive line coach worked tirelessly with Avant in recent years to increase the 300-pounder’s mobility without sacrificing his immense frame and strength.

“I’d do drills every day: jump rope, the ladder, anything you could think of that would make your feet faster,” Avant said. “And eventually over time I got faster.”

Said Thomas: “I think the simple fact is that he always wants to get better.”

Avant’s specialty is on the offensive line — he said he loves run-blocking and pancaking defenders — but he plays defense too. Expect him to start on the defensive line, too.

Proof he’s good: Another factor why Buena’s top lineman has been as dominant as he has is a credit to his ability to understand the game.

Avant knows how to approach different types of defenders from an offensive lineman’s perspective. Because of his girth, many players in high school won’t have the same stature or strength to match him pound-for-pound. It’s a blessing and a curse.

“I know I’m bigger and stronger than them, but I know they’re probably faster,” Avant said. “So I adjust off that fact that they’re probably just going to have to outrun me.”

It’s one of the reasons why he was so intent on improving his speed. It’s paying off.

“He’s doing some really good things,” Thomas said. “He’s a senior and I’m excited that he gets an opportunity to play this year.”

He said it: “He doesn’t care if you weigh 20 pounds or 300 pounds. He’s going to come at you with the same force and aggressiveness to be that playmaker.” — Thomas

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