Dominique Lampkin’s high school football career is like a movie. We’ve all heard the saying “luck, is when opportunity meets preparedness” right? Well, that means Lampkin is one lucky guy and he does wear the number 7 too.
Serra was on a roll and has dominated their first seven games in 2019 with a roster full of future college players. Senior QB Daylin McLemore, a 3-star rated gunslinger was on pace to becoming the “Player of the Year” based on his performance leading the Padres to an undefeated run at that time. But a collarbone injury against Sacred Heart Cathedral in week #8 shifted the trajectory of the season and that is when then-sophomore Dominique stepped into the starting role and showed everyone that he’s ready for the moment. In fact, he was more than ready. Lampkin scored two touchdowns right from the get-go against Sacred Heart and helped lead the Padres’ offense all the way to the CIF Division 1-A State Championship. Along the way, he showed he belonged in the conversation of being an elite QB by beating Valley Christian twice, the second being for the CCS Open Division title and a loaded San Joaquin Memorial team for the NorCal championship. In the WCAL’s season finale, Serra was losing to St. Ignatius 14-7 with less than two minutes left in regulation, when Lampkin led his squad on a 14-play, 96-yard TD drive. The Padres then failed to score on the two-point conversion losing the game and ended up splitting the WCAL title with SI and Valley Christian.
Prior to the 2020-2021 football season which was delayed all the way well into the Spring of 2021 because of Covid-19, Lampkin received his first two offers, one from Fresno State and the other from Illinois State.
The Padres opened up the season against Valley Christian. Lampkin threw four touchdown passes in the game. And thanks to the offensive line, the 3-star national recruit, pilled up 14 touchdowns in five games and helped lead the Padres into an undefeated season.
“I never took time off, I kept working,” Lampkin stated.
It also helped to have the Bay Area’s number one defense and the number one player in Hassan “The Missil3” Mahasin, Lampkin’s long-time close friend and teammate.
This Fall of 2021 is Dominique Lampkin’s last season as a Padre. If you think his sophomore and junior seasons’ roster was loaded, well think again. There are at least 13+ future college players on the 2021 Serra Padres and about 7 of them are going to be on Dominique’s side of the ball. The growth that took place from his freshman year to his sophomore year prepared him to take advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself in week 8 of the 2019 season.
The hard work he put in the offseason and the grind he kept up during the delayed period of his junior season helped him lead his team into an undefeated, 5-0 record. And with two days left before the first game of his senior campaign, Lampkin’s luck is looking good. Three years of preparation is about to pay off this Friday when he’s given the opportunity to lead his Padres against the best opponent on their schedule.