Dominic James once told his mother that he wasn’t sure how far he would make it in international football. However, he was determined that the sport would at least take him through college.

That drive, and indeed passion for football, was characteristic of the 18-year-old who, according his mother, Denese James, did more thinking than speaking.

“I don’t know if he had any plans outside of football,” Denese James told the Jamaica Observer. “He said to me one day, ‘Mummy, I just want to see how far this thing will take me. Even if I don’t make it to the professional leagues it will see me through college and I will see where it takes me from there’.”

Unfortunately, the 18-year-old’s dream came to a tragic end last Tuesday as he died playing the game he so loved.

A mere two minutes into the Manning Cup fixture between St George’s College, which he captained, and Excelsior High School at Stadium East, Dominic collapsed. He was rushed to hospital by his father, David, but didn’t survive.

Reflecting on their son’s short life, Denese and David spoke of the teenager’s resilience and love for the game.

“Dominic is a very resilient person, he loves football, he was born a footballer, he died a footballer,” said David on Friday as St George’s College took to the field for the first time since his son’s death. It was against Greater Portmore High at Winchester Park. “He recognises, I believe, that the game is bigger than he is, he just wanted to be a part of it.”

St George’s College’s coach Neville Bell had pleaded with the organisers of the Manning Cup that the team wanted to play despite the fact that they were mourning the loss of young Dominic. That position was obviously shared by the boy’s parents.

“I think he would really want it to go on and especially given that it would be the last year of some of the other boys, they would like to make their mark. He would have wanted it to go on for them particularly,” said David James.

Both parents sat alongside the St George’s College bench and witnessed an emotional 4-1 triumph for the team in front of a packed venue. Despite being heartbroken, both parents had no dificulty attending the game, just three days after the tragedy.

“Actually no. We have built a bond with the boys and we felt that our presence would give them a lift and they would see Dominic through us. As you noticed we have on shirts with his name on it, so they really appreciated the gesture and the score is now 1-0, so perhaps it has lifted them somewhat,” said David James during the half-time interval.

Dominic was a born leader having led Jamaica College to the Under-14 and Under-16 titles and was a part of the ‘Dark Blues’ winning Manning Cup teams of 2013 and 2014. He switched schools in 2015 and joined St George’s College and in his second year with the ‘Light Blues’, he was named captain, his mother wasn’t surprised.

“Dominic, as most people know, was mainly a quiet person, he was a thinker, not a talker. He saw things that others didn’t see. He interpreted things on a level of maturity that was beyond his years. Even from he was very small, he was very observant, very intelligent boy and I believe because of that, he spent more time listening than speaking. He is a very emphatic person to his peers and even older persons, little children, people were just drawn to him,” his mother said.

Dominic had eight subjects at the CSEC level and eight more at the CAPE level.

“A humble guy and we have no regrets where he is concerned as having been our son. We can’t complain at all, he was a good kid,” said Denese James.

His father, who fought hard to contain the tears, said it has been difficult losing his only child.

“Untimely circumstances like these must be difficult. We are not used to situations like these, a very unfortunate situation, an unfamiliar situation. So it is difficult, but God is great and He is helping us through. Our friends, our relatives, our neighbours, school community, George’s, JC, everybody has been very, very supportive,” David James ended.