Boys wrestling: JCA’s Dillan Johnson ranked No. 1 in country at 285

JOLIET – The Joliet Catholic Academy wrestling team has burst onto the national scene this season, moving into the national rankings at No. 49.

The Hilltoppers’ lineup is loaded from top to bottom, with several of their wrestlers ranked on illinoismatmen.com. One, however, has gone beyond that.

Junior Dillan Johnson, JCA’s 285-pound wrestler, currently is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country in his weight class, according to flowrestling.org.

“It’s a good feeling,” Johnson said about being No. 1. “I have worked hard and I am blessed to have the success that I’ve had.”

Last season, Johnson went undefeated and won the Class 2A individual 285-pound championship and then led JCA to its first dual team title, again in Class 2A. Not only was he 34-0 and pinned all his opponents at the state finals, he did not allow a takedown by an opponent all season.

He still hasn’t.

That’s right. In a season and a half of high school wrestling, Johnson has not been taken down by anybody.

That’s by design.

“I like to stay on the offensive,” he said. “I keep my feet and hands moving and I react quickly to what the other guy is doing. I would say the strength of my wrestling is on my feet.

“I don’t really have a go-to takedown move. I just watch and see what the other guy is doing. If he has one leg closer to me, I will go for a single-leg takedown. If he is standing still, I will go for a double-leg. It all depends on what the situation is. I just take what they’re giving me.”

Johnson chose to attend JCA because he wanted to go to a private school. He said that athletics played a part in the decision.

“I saw the success that [three-time state champion] DJ [Hamiti] had at JCA,” Johnson said. “I knew the program was starting to become something really good, and I wanted to be a part of that. The guys that were there when I got there passed down the knowledge they had, and now we are passing it down the younger guys coming in. It feels good to be a part of building something like this.

“When they see how good our program is, a lot of good kids have decided to come here.”

JCA coach Ryan Cumbee keeps his practices short, lasting only 90 minutes or so. That’s right up Johnson’s alley.

“Personally, I like the shorter practices,” he said. “We go 45 minutes or so working on technique, then 20 minutes or so of conditioning, and we are done. We get in, get our work done and get out. We’re able to focus and remember what we learned a lot easier that way.

“The team concept is really big with us. The individual championship last year was great, but the team title was more important to me. It’s the same way this year. We want to bring home that big trophy again.”