Dokouslis becomes a two-way gridiron star
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Bill Dokouslis

Even though he became a star catching the football this fall, Bill Dokouslis remains first and foremost a defensive player in his heart and mentality.

The Manalapan senior raised quite a few eyebrows when, out of nowhere, he became a play-making tight end for the Braves. It came as a surprise to him and a nightmare for defenses.

With the graduation of Adam Hegel, Manalapan head coach Ed Gurrieri and his staff were left with a big hole to fill. Who could play tight end? When they thought about the requirements for the position — size, speed and strength — it naturally led them to Dokouslis. Although he was already a proven pass-rushing defensive end with strength and quickness, Gurrieri knew that Dokouslis was also flat-out one of the fastest players on the team. It seemed like a perfect match. There was only one hitch: Dokouslis had no prior experience catching a football.

“When they told me about it I was excited,” Dokouslis recalled. “I told them I think I can do it. I wanted to help the team.”

One thing that both Dokouslis and the coaching staff knew for sure was that Dokouslis would attack the challenge. He would put the same effort into being a pass-catching tight end that he put into becoming a ferocious defensive end.

Starting at the end of May, Dokouslis was working with quarterback Craig Peterson constantly, learning the offense and running pass routes until he and the quarterback were on the same page, thinking as one.

“It was a matter of mechanics,” he pointed out. “Catching the ball and then putting it away.”

The one change from playing defense, he noted, was that he had to play with a little more finesse.

The results were startling, to say the least. By mid-season, he was Manalapan’s big-play receiver.

“Who would have thought I would become his [Peterson’s] favorite target?” said Dokouslis.

He would end the season with 28 catches for 620 yards (an amazing 22 yards per catch, including a season-best 85-yard touchdown run against Colts Neck) and seven touchdowns. Having not scored a touchdown on defense during his career, Dokouslis found it contagious.

“I think my tight end numbers overshadowed my defense,” he said. “I think I played better defensively this year than last.”

The coaches in the Shore Conference Constitution Division agreed. They voted him the division’s Defensive Player of the Year. All he did was register 14 quarterback sacks and 65 total tackles, while constantly being double-teamed. If one thing stood out on defense, it was Dokouslis’ relentlessness. Despite being double-teamed, he never gave up on a play; even when teams ran away from him, he used his speed to get into the mix.

Playing tight end would have its rewards as Dokouslis got to see things through the eyes of a lineman.

“I learned how offensive linemen are supposed to play,” he said.

He brought those lessons with him to the defensive side of the ball and dismantled offenses. He was able to take whatever an offensive lineman tried to use against him and counter him. If a lineman tried to out-muscle him, he could use his speed, and if they went for speed, he could run them over. It was all about his technique.

Coach Gurrieri didn’t hesitate to say that Dokouslis was the only player in the Shore Conference who was the best at two positions.

The only numbers that matter to Dokouslis, however, are wins and losses, and for the second straight year, he helped get the Braves into the state playoffs. Their 6-4 season finished on a high note, winning their final game, the Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Marlboro.

“After the North Hunterdon game (a 31-7 loss in the state playoffs), it hit me that the end was near,” he said. “In my last game I wanted to leave a lasting imprint. I didn’t want to leave anything behind.”

He and the Braves went out with a 43-6 win in Marlboro.

The genesis of Dokouslis as a player, who is now mulling numerous college offers, began in earnest after his sophomore year. Although he was good enough to see action as a freshman and start as a sophomore, he didn’t know where football was going to take him. After his sophomore year, he decided to find out.

“I always knew I’d try my hardest,” he said. “That year [sophomore into junior] I made it my business to do everything I could.”

It started in the offseason, where he increased his work load in the weight room and went on the track and did his sprint work. The result was an absolutely dominant season on defense.

“He has a great, great work ethic,” said Gurrieri. “He really made himself into a great football player.

“When I talked to the coaches of the other teams, they agreed that he was the best player on the field, not just on our team, every game,” he added.

Dokouslis didn’t confine his hard work to the practice field or the weight room. He was just as persistent watching game film. He looked at every little detail of a play, looking for things to do better.

“It’s very, very important to know the mistakes you make,” he said. “I look for what I did wrong. You can always improve on something.”

Dokouslis’ value to the team was far beyond numbers. It was the example he set and how he made the rest of the Braves better.

“He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid who has talent,” said Gurrieri. “When you have someone with size, strength and speed who can play at the next level, it brings up everybody who plays around him.”

Dokouslis was just following the lead of those who had set the standard for success at Manalapan before him. He had his own role models in his underclassman days.

“Joe Kircher, I admired him,” he said. “He never said much, but he backed it up on the field. Kyle St. Angelo was an unbelievable athlete.”

His own advice to the Braves underclassmen is simple, but not always easy to follow.

“Never be lazy, never give up,” he pointed out.

Now that the football season is over, Dokouslis is tackling new challenges. He’s going to wrestle for the first time, at heavyweight. Why? His “Mat Rat” friends believe he can help the team. He would like to have the same impact on the mat that he did making the move to tight end on the gridiron.

“It’s my senior year and I want to have fun with my friends,” he pointed out.

In the spring, look for him at track and field meets for the first time. Don’t expect to find him exclusively in the shot put and discus circle, where most linemen can be found. Go to the starting blocks and look for him in the dashes. He figures some 100-meter dashes will help him on the gridiron.

In between tossing people on the mat and throwing the shot put or running a 100-meter dash, Dokouslis will be making the decision of what college he will be continuing his football career out. Right now, all options are open.