You’ve heard the saying “Behind every successful man, there is a good woman.” Well, the same is true in football because behind every bruising running back or gun-slinging quarterback, there are five guys in front of them that make their feats possible. Yep, it’s all about the guys in the trenches-the linemen- who toil without accolades most of the time. So, this story is about one of those guys in Dalton Dollar from Spiro.

A senior and three-year starter for the Bulldogs, Dalton has elevated the role of a lineman this year according to his coach Kyle Fowler.

“Dalton was voted team captain by his teammates this year and I think that speaks volumes about how the kids respect him. He’s here every day. He never takes a play off in practice or in a game. We’ve challenged him and his teammates on the offensive line from day one to let them know how much the success of our offense depends on them.”

Dollar is one of four returning starters on the O-line which is the heart of the Bulldog team this year and he also starts in the defensive line as well which he prefers to play.

“I like defense more because you get to hit people more than you do on offense,” he laughed. It might also be noted that two of his role models are former pro defensive standouts Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher who he admired for the intensity with which they played.

Fowler is the second new head coach for the Bulldogs in as many years and brings a different offensive philosophy to Spiro which Dollar likes.

“Last year we threw the ball a lot and so a lot of what we did was pass blocking, but coach Fowler is more of a run-oriented guy and so our blocking schemes are different this year which I like because most of my years of playing have been on run-first teams,” said Dollar who is also a part of the FFA chapter as a skeet shooter.

Dalton by his own admission is not a real vocal guy but shows that strong team captain-like leadership in other ways.

“I think a good leader is someone who shows up all the time to set an example and shows others how to do something.”

Down the line (no pun intended) Dalton would like to play college football and eventually go into coaching and has had one offer already from Hendrix College in Arkansas.