Defense making a difference for Dixon

DIXON – The old adage in sports says that defense travels. Dixon is ready to take its act on the road in the Class 4A quarterfinals this weekend.

The Dukes (10-1) will play at Coal City (9-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the third trip to the quarterfinals in DHS program history. It will be a battle between two physical football teams, and Dixon’s defense wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We like to be real physical. We just like hitting people, then repeating that every play,” senior linebacker Devon Wallace said. “We knew from the start that our team was going to be really good and had the potential to make it to state. Now we’re getting that chance, and we want to keep going.”

As potent as Dixon’s offense has been all season – the Dukes have scored 530 points, an average of 48.2 per game – the defense has gotten somewhat overlooked at times. But it’s been stellar in its own right, allowing just 111 points in 11 games (10.1 per game) and less than 2,000 yards on the season.

The Dukes gave up more than 14 points in a game just once – a 29-28 loss to Byron in Week 8 – and has allowed just 1,902 total yards on the year, an average of 172.9 per game. They have 53 tackles for loss, nine sacks, eight interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries. Linebackers Eli Davidson (senior) and Jake Whelan (junior) both have more than 100 tackles, and there are 10 Dukes with more than 25 tackles and four with at least five TFLs.

“It’s been amazing. Everyone’s playing good this year. I feel like everyone’s understanding what they’re doing and it’s all come together really well,” senior lineman Aidan Hoggard said. “It’s been phenomenal to have so many playmakers out there. If you’re not doing your job on a play, you’ve got somebody behind you to make the play, and it makes you want to come back strong on the next one.”

Before the season, Davidson talked about how many familiar faces he saw when he looked around him on defense; Dixon brought back eight of 11 starters from last season. That experience, combined with the quickness, toughness and football IQ the Dukes have at every level of the defense, has made for one stingy unit.

“We just have a lot of experience, and that helps us have a great defense. We’re a very strong defense because we’ve got a lot of guys who have played before this season. They’ve been in every situation before, especially last year in the playoffs,” Whelan said. “It’s really fun, especially when you play your best on defense and you look that good. It’s fun to go out there and show people just how good we really are.”

Wallace said this year’s juniors and seniors have been looking forward to this since they were underclassmen, and the familiarity the players have with each other on the defensive side of the ball is just as valuable as all that experience.

“It feels like a family coming together,” Wallace said. “Having that talent and team spirit, plus knowing you’re out there playing with people who you’ve grown up and played with from a younger age, we have such good communication and teamwork. You’re out there and you look around and think, ‘Wow, we’re doing this.’ ”

That experience and familiarity breeds a lot of confidence.

“We 100% feel like our defense gives us a chance to win every game, and it’s the same way with our offense,” Hoggard said. “We play with a lot of confidence. Every day in practice we all work hard, so we know on game day, that’s the time when we all bring it up another notch.”

This week will be a stiff test for Dixon, as Coal City boasts a 464-100 scoring edge on the season and has losses to only playoff teams Morris (31-12 in Week 1) and undefeated Wilmington (21-14 in Week 7). Landin Benson is the Coalers’ go-to guy. He’s the school’s all-time leading rusher, and has scored five touchdowns in each of Coal City’s first two playoff games.

“At this point in the year, everybody who’s remaining is a good football team, but the similarities between us and them are just eerie,” Dixon coach Jared Shaner said. “They’re big and physical on both sides of the ball, and they’ve made some plays in the special teams game, too – just like our kids have. It should just be a good high school football game. I think the matchup is going to be intriguing. Something’s got to give.”

But just as they’ve done all season, the Dukes are locking in on the task at hand. There’s no talk of the rarified air of the quarterfinals, or that a win will put them in the Final Four in Class 4A. It’s just a single-minded determination to do the little things right in Saturday’s game that will lead to the bigger picture taking care of itself.

“We’ve got to stay focused, watch extra film and keep our mindset straight, don’t think about anything but the game,” Whelan said.

“It’s the same exact thing every week, just play like we know how and don’t worry about anything else,” Hoggard added. “If we play like we have all season, hopefully we’ll come out on top.”