Dominant Dom: Coyote CB Hampton Continues Strong Run

Dominique Hampton seems to fly under the radar a bit.

Despite holding offers from nearly every Pac-12 power, it seemed like his recruitment didn’t have as much buzz as a top-flight recruit like himself would have.

But when Hampton steps on the field, it’s hard not to notice him.

He stands at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and can run a sub-11 second 100-meter dash. That was on full display Friday night as Hampton helped lead the Coyotes to a 49-0 win over Desert Edge with two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

He is continuing a dominant run that began last postseason.

Centennial played Liberty, Desert Edge, Cienega and Williams Field, a few rosters with some very talented receivers, and Hampton was up for the challenge.

“It was a real confidence booster and it did a lot for my recruitment that I could lock down the best receivers that we had in Arizona,” Hampton said.

Centennial head football coach Richard Taylor saw the growth and helped garner it. Hampton said Taylor humbled him, which made him work harder.

 “He worked really hard this summer,” Taylor said. “I think that spurred him on to do more and he’s really ready to have a great season.

This offseason, Hampton committed to Washington. He joins Salpointe Catholic offensive tackle Matteo Mele in this year’s class, as well as former Saguaro defensive back Byron Murphy and former Paradise Valley quarterback Daniel Bridge-Gadd as Arizona Huskies.

“(I like) the fact that they are competing for a championship every year,” Hampton said. “They always have people going to the league like the three corners who were drafted last year.”

Taylor feels Washington will be pretty excited about the deal as well.

“They are getting a dominant cornerback,” Taylor said. “They are getting a guy who is a real competitor who plays hard and does his assignments all the time.”

Many are tabbing Centennial as an early favorite in a loaded 5A division with Hampton returning as well as running back and Boise State commit Zidane Thomas, running back Alex Escobar and quarterback Ruben Beltran, among other key members on the offensive and defensive line. Hampton’s sights are solely focused on one thing this senior season.

“State championship or bust, in my opinion,” Hampton said. “We got there last year and didn’t finish so hopefully this year we can finish the job.”

What’s Next

Centennial goes on the road to take on Apollo on August 25th.