It was a brilliant season for the DVC Vikings who finished 8-2.
There were four-year prospects on both sides of the ball and Coach Darr’s team of coaches deployed them with tact and efficacy.
However, there was one player that particularly and incessantly impressed The Inquirer’s sports reporters; and that’s why Dozie Iwaugwu was unanimously selected as Player of the semester.
The only controversy that could have surfaced was over the mere fact that this Vikings team was seeping with talent.
Dozie Iwaugwu transferred to DVC after playing his first year with Sierra College.
After finding the environment to be lacking, he opted to come back to the east bay and play for the Vikings.
There is, indeed, an enchantment that comes with observing Iwaugwu run the football.
He is a rare breed of running back that can play any role asked of him.
During a weight room competition put on by the coaching staff, it was determined that Iwaugwu was pound-for-pound the strongest man on the team.
“We knew he was strong coming in this year, we could tell by his explosiveness in the weight room,” said Coach Darr. “But, I don’t know if anybody expected him to squat 500 pounds.”
Iwaugwu’s season numbers give clarity to his play. He was second in the Golden Gate Conference in scoring and all-purpose yardage and third in the conference in rushing.
Statistically, Dozie did more with the ball in his hands than any other back in the conference.
While squatting nearly a quarter-ton may not be a prerequisite for playing DVC football, it certainly paid off.
Part of the fun of watching Dozie Iwaugwu run is not just his speed, but the way he runs straight through tackles.
One might be led to believe that coach Darr has been spending late evenings in the Viking locker room coating Dozie’s pads with WD-40.
However, tradition and clout tell us differently about DVC sports.
Evidence shows that when Dozie is surrounded by predators, he effortlessly moves his feet with the speed and gyration of a bakery-grade egg beater which, in turn, allows him to scamper for larger gains.
This makes it important to not ever, under any circumstances, make the dreadful assumption that Dozie is down and the play is over.
He’s not that kind of player, and the Vikings aren’t that kind of team.
Iwaugwu has received offers from D-1 schools including Cal Poly and Sacramento State.
“I surprised myself at Sierra with the results I could get conditioning, and I just brought that same mentality to DVC hoping that it would carry over.” said Iwaugwu.
“And I think it will, I want to take football to the highest possible level I can,” he said.
Look out. He’s off to a fast start.