2019 Friday Night Drive Defensive Player of the Year: Warren's Willis Singleton

In a way, Willis Singleton ended up on varsity as a sophomore by accident.

During the summer, the Warren varsity and sophomore teams practice together. Warren coach Bryan McNulty remembers running nine-on-seven drills to work on the inside run game.

The drill “can be a pretty physical thing,” McNulty said.

Singleton, a rising sophomore defensive lineman two years ago, inserted himself into the drill with the varsity players. At the time, McNulty had little intention of pulling him up to varsity.

“At first we were going to pull him out, and then we didn’t,” McNulty said. “You know what, let’s just see what happens.”

What happened was Singleton never left the varsity lineup again. He started three years on the Warren defensive line and was a catalyst for one of the most dominant defensive teams in recent years.

Warren allowed 52 points in 14 games this season, including the gauntlet of the IHSA Class 8A state playoffs. Not until a 12-0 loss against Lincoln-Way East in the Class 8A state championship game did Warren allow more than seven points in a game.

Warren had play makers all over the defense, and Singleton was the catalyst up front. For his performance, he has been named the 2019 Friday Night Drive Defensive Player of the Year.

“We put Warren Township, that name, in that bowl with all the other big-name teams in the state of Illinois,” Singleton said. “I think that’s what expectations are now.”

The 6-foot-2, 285-pound senior will play college football at Iowa State next year.

Like he said, Warren football is firmly on the map now, if it wasn’t already. The Blue Devils were a quarterfinalist in 2018 before this year’s run to the state championship game.

It’s hard to quantify what Singleton meant to the Warren defense, but spectators could see it in the way he barreled through offensive lines.

Singleton started playing football when he was 8, and right away he was drawn to the physical game in the trenches.

“I would always want to be the guy in the middle trying to tackle everybody,” Singleton said. “I was always pretty good at being able to chase guys down and tackle them. I knew right then that this is what I loved.”

McNulty saw Singleton play as a youth player, but didn’t really notice him until that day Singleton inserted himself in with the varsity players. It was the first day of camp in June 2017 prior to Singleton’s sophomore season.

“That’s what surprised me about him,” McNulty said. “He had that kind of confidence as a young kid. You’re talking about a 15-year-old kid here who just went and put himself in the most physical drill we have. He went out there and proved himself.”

In a 2018 season-opening loss to Barrington, Singleton chased down Barrington quarterback Tommy Fitzpatrick on one play. Fitzpatrick, weighing in at about 175 pounds, ran for more than 600 yards that season.

McNulty remembers Fitzpatrick changing directions numerous times, and still the 285-pound Singleton bore down on him. Fitzpatrick threw the ball away before Singleton could take him down, but his point was made.

“This kid’s a little bit different,” McNulty said.

Singleton rarely missed a day of workouts during the offseason, and when he did it was for a scouting combine or a college visit. He has the size and the strength (he squats 550 pounds) that earned him more than a dozen Division I college offers.

Iowa State was the first to offer, and Singleton officially signed his letter of intent this week during the early signing period.

“He’s so dynamic,” McNulty said. “He’s every bit of that division I athlete. He’s big, he’s strong, he can move and when he does that, when you have such a disruptive kid, people are going to try to double him. He’s so disruptive that it’s not even that he splits the doubles, he’s just a little quicker than they are.”

There’s no secret to Singleton’s success. Well, maybe one: ping pong.

It’s really just a way to kill time. There’s the ping pong table at the gym that he’ll play at after lifting, or the table at a buddy’s house.

“Honestly, I really think it’s helped with my hand-eye coordination,” Singleton said. “Swatting away offensive linemen hands.”

He’s no slouch at the table, either. He can create some spin, utilize some misdirection. He’ll hit the ball off a wall just to get some practice in.

“I didn’t just pick up the paddle and was just off the charts,” Singleton said.

So ping pong players of Ames, Iowa, beware. Not to mention offensive linemen of the Big 12.