The “next man up” motto is one of the most common phrases in sports. Friday night at Collierville High School's Dragon Stadium at Landers SportsPlex, it became much more than a saying. It became reality.

Freshman quarterback Dominic Rocconi entered the 2026 season listed as QB3 on the Dragons’ preseason depth chart. Friday night, with his opportunity finally arriving, Rocconi showed he was more than ready for the moment.

The path to the starting quarterback position was created by injuries. Iowa commit Brayden Santibanez suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3, followed by an ankle injury to backup quarterback Colton Cordell in Week 4.

That left the freshman waiting in the wings as the next man up.

And when his number was called, Rocconi delivered.

Rocconi — the son of Collierville head football coach Joe Rocconi — made his first start Friday night and could hardly have made a better first impression. The freshman completed 7 of 11 passes for 190 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Dragons to a convincing 55-7 victory over Arlington as Collierville opened Region 7-6A play.

The freshman quarterback connected with Lucas Barksdale on touchdown passes of 51, 51 and 12 yards, found Oregon commit Tae Walden for a 56-yard score, and connected with Christian Coleman for an 11-yard touchdown.

Walden added a touchdown of his own, returning a fumble for a score, while Larry Johnson and Dillan Vaughn each added rushing touchdowns as the Dragons piled up 353 yards of offense.

For Rocconi, however, the statistics only tell part of the story.

He was a freshman stepping into a role he had spent the preseason preparing for, surrounded by teammates counting on him and playing for a program with high expectations.

He didn't look like a player overwhelmed by the moment.

He looked like the next man up. The next man up was ready.

Collieville improves to 2-3 overall, 1-0 in Region play, and will be back in action Friday at Bartlett.