Stewart Johnson
In the fall of 2007, members of the Carroll varsity football team came over to Durham Elementary School to help celebrate its Thanksgiving lunch party. Kindergartener Blake Dorman asked for an autograph of one of the team’s top players, quarterback Riley Dodge. After signing his ball and taking a quick picture, the two went their separate ways, unaware that one day they would work alongside each other.
“It’s kind of crazy,” now senior and former football team manager Blake Dorman says.
Blake took on the role of high school football manager in eighth grade. After suffering from a spinal cord injury in middle school, he knew that he could not play on the team in high school. But with a passion for sports and a drive to be a part of the program, Blake reached out to the football coaches and asked if they could use any help.
As a freshman, he was the freshman team manager. But toward the tail end of the year, coach Lineweaver approached Blake and asked if he would want to help up at varsity the next season. His responsibilities included putting away jerseys, staying on top of the equipment and helping fix helmets.
“I’ve always been kind of a helping person,” Blake says. “I get enjoyment out of that and being there to help out where I can. I can’t play, so it’s the next best opportunity.”
During the off-season of his sophomore year, Riley Dodge was announced as the new head coach of Dragon Football. After introducing himself to the former Dragon athlete, coach Dodge recognized Blake would be an asset to the team’s success.
“He made a big impression on me,” coach Dodge says. “I could already tell by the way he shook my hand and the way he introduced himself to me that he was a viable part of this program.”
Stewart Johnson
Starting his junior year, Blake took on more responsibility. Instead of focusing on the tasks that had to be done, Blake saw an opportunity to engage with new aspects of the team.
“I started getting a little more active when it came to practice,” Blake says. “I more so became an assistant to coach Dodge and our offensive coordinator. I would always come in and ask them, ‘Hey, do y’all need any help with anything?’”
Coach Dodge says that willingness helped not only him but also his coaching staff work on a higher level. In collegiate football, coaches have assistants and employees that can help ensure practices are successful. But high school is a different story.
“As coaches at a high school level, it’s a little different because you don’t have a lot of support staff. Blake was that for all 12 of us,” coach Dodge says.
But Blake did more than move a few balls or play the music during practice. He acted as an example for others to follow thanks to his dedication to the team and commitment to put his all into everything he did.
“A job is never too big or too small for him,” coach Dodge explains. “He is very selfless. The team is always first.”
Those efforts were not just noticed by those on staff. Wide receiver and fellow senior John Manero says people from the outside of the team might not see Blake playing on Friday nights but his attentiveness and attitude helped set an expectation for both any future team managers and active players.
“He created a standard for anyone who is in that role,” John says. “And it’s the standard that every player should have. It’s saying, ‘I’m not here for a thank you. I’m here to get to work and help you win state.’”
He was also a vital part of the team’s successes on Friday nights. On the sidelines, Blake was always on the move. Whether it be running balls to the line judge or pumping up his teammates before they went in, he was there and making an impact.
“When we would play, he would be the most encouraging, most ecstatic person on the sideline,” John says. “When you get everyone on board, when you have a team manager trying to encourage and make sure everyone is doing the right thing, it brings the whole team’s energy up.”
Stewart Johnson
Coach Dodge also saw Blake’s leadership come through during games.
“He’s a great encourager on the sidelines. He challenges the football players,” coach Dodge says. “He’s a fun-loving kid, such a hard worker.”
Blake says he wants to be remembered for his work ethic and his positive energy that helped move the team forward.
“When people see that you have good energy, they are going to feed off of that,” Blake says.
Though the season wrapped in December, Blake isn’t leaving football behind him. Blake is currently in discussions with Texas A&M to join its football program.
“Texas high school football is different than any other state because it’s so big,” Blake says. “It’s pretty much already college level with how operations are. And my next goal is to get to do this in college. I don’t think the transition would be that hard at all.”
Coach Dodge, for one, believes Blake has a bright future ahead in the sport, both on the collegiate level and professionally.
“You never have to ask him. You just have to tell him what you want the first time, and he just does it,” coach Dodge explains. “That’s what I look for with guys who work for me.”
There is no one currently slated to take on Blake’s responsibilities when he graduates in May, so coach Dodge says the team is sure to feel his absence while he is off working on his next steps.
“I don’t know what we are going to do at practice without Blake. He is absolutely a key piece of our program,” coach Dodge says. “We are losing a lot of football kids this year, but it’s going to hurt to lose Blake. He is going to be dearly missed not just by me but by the rest of the coaches.”
Blake says that outside of football, he will take away “that hard work pays off in the long run. It gives you a reason to wake up in the morning.”
But what he will miss most is the brotherhood that has formed over his tenure with the team.
“It’s being a part of the family,” Blake says.