2023 Herald-News Defensive Football Player of the Year: Joliet Catholic’s Dillan Johnson

In the hours before Joliet Catholic was to play Morris in the quarterfinal round of this year’s playoffs, Hilltoppers head coach Jake Jaworski noticed the grand majority of his roster going through various forms of pregame routines with varying levels of value to the task at hand.

Jaworski’s standout defensive lineman Dillan Johnson was not part of that horde, and when located, Jaworski wasn’t at all surprised to find out what Johnsbon was up to.

“We were there two hours before the game, and of course we get off the bus and everybody goes to the field, and everybody wants to go out there and dress cool and run around the field and this and that,” Jaworski said. “And behind the building by our locker room is a practice field, and I think it is where the Morris Warriors play, and there’s a blocking sled out there. And we’re an hour and a half before the game and he’s got his headphones, and he’s zeroed in, and he’s going to town on that thing.

“He’s not doing that for attention. He’s getting himself in the zone, and he’s working on perfecting his craft to go out there and kick some butt.”

The relentless work ethic coupled with his fantastic blend of size, speed and strength made Johnson a more than worthy selection as the 2023 Herald-News Football Defensive Player of the Year.

Johnson finished the season with 82 total tackles and 10 quarterback sacks. Both are somewhat uncommon numbers for an interior defensive lineman, but even more impressive when considering those numbers often came with two and sometimes three opposing blockers trying to slow his progress.

“It’s frustrating because, we’re out there playing football, we all want to make a tackle and all that, but I just accept it like it’s part of the game, and in order to make that tackle I just have to get used to and overcome double teams,” Johnson said. ”It does help make you a better player. It forces you to work on things instead of just getting used to having to beat one guy. You’ve got to get used to beating one, two or three guys. You’ve got to run harder this way or do something to gain a different advantage. It just it forces you to be better and constantly work at getting better.”

In reality, Johnson is likely causing a lot more frustration for those charged with trying to keep him in check. And there’s absolutely no chance Johnson’s taking time off to let the opposition try to catch its breath or gain even the slightest advantage over him in the interim.

Johnson’s been working since Day 1, and he’s got no plans to stop any time soon. Following the guidance of his coaches, which includes his father, Eric, Johnson set about putting all of his focus on refining his game, and although he felt he made a lot of gains, he knows he’s still a work in progress.

“I appreciate [the coaches]. I feel like they really helped me from Week 1 to Week 14 improve as a player, which was the biggest goal. I wanted to have a great senior year while having fun,” Johnson said. “But I also wanted to kind of clean it up a bit because I am going to go to college next year.”

Johnson will attend Wisconsin next year and will continue to perform as a dual-sport athlete in football and wrestling. Johnson is the two-time defending state champion at the 285-pound weight division. He has not lost a match as a high school wrestler. Wrestling was not contested in Johnson’s freshman season because of COVID-19 concerns.

When Johnson began at Joliet Catholic, his primary goal was to get a college opportunity anywhere. As Johnson’s athletic prowess grew in both sports, he quickly realized not only was an opportunity definitely coming, but he’d pretty much have his choice of anywhere he wanted to be. Originally choosing Northwestern, Johnson switched to Wisconsin in the spring, and getting his ultimate destination settled before his senior season was a primary focus.

And when Johnson focuses on something, odds are it is probably going to get done.

“We committed a little later in the summer,” Johnson said. “But we wanted to get it done and put it behind us before the fall season began.”

Johnson doesn’t like splitting focus, and it is why whatever sport he’s currently playing is where his attention lies. But that doesn’t mean he’s not reaping noticeable benefits from his excellence in two sports as some skills translate.

“One of the biggest benefit is just like balance and coordination,” Johnson said. “In wrestling you have to get used to having to move multiple parts of your body a specific way, quickly. You’ve got to move your head, your hands, rotate them a certain way. Just knowing like how your body is and kind of like that awareness of where your parts are. It does help, especially on long plays,” Johnson said. “When you’re dealing with a double team. You kind of feel like you know your legs have to feel that pressure to kind of keep yourself balanced and have more coordination.”

Johnson knows an even higher level of dedication is going to be required for him to excel at the next level and while problems may develop, odds are work ethic isn’t going to be one of them.

“I’m looking at college like mentally I’m getting prepared. Just being like, high school is over, and I’m starting at the bottom of the bowl. I’m starting at zero. High school doesn’t matter anymore. It’s gone. It’s away,” Johnson said. “I’m just getting ready for it. It’s going to be a battle. You start at the bottom. And I just have to start over again and work my way back up.”

His coach has little doubt that he’ll do just that.

“He just has a unique perspective on things. He’s very grounded, very humble. And and again, it’s just work ethic,” Jaworski said. “You hope to have as many kids like him not from a talent standpoint, but just from that mindset, because again, it’s the day in, day out just taking care of his business sense. He’s never involved in drama, never involved in stuff outside of school in trouble, nothing like that.

“He’s just straight business, even in his academics. He’s an all-academic all-state kid, too. He takes the same approach with everything he does, and having a leader that is just so even keel in good times and in the tough times is special. You know people will rally around him and that’s even without him saying much. You know what you’re going to get from him each and every single day.”