CHAMPAIGN — Those fortunate enough Saturday night to be at the State Farm Center witnessed one of the most dominant athletes in Illinois high school sports history in his ultimate moment of greatness.
None of Joliet Catholic senior Dillan Johnson’s four opponents at heavyweight in the Class 3A individual state meet could make it through one period without getting pinned.
After wrapping up his fourth state championship by pinning Hinsdale Central’s Marko Ivanisevic in the final seconds of the first period, Johnson let out a jubilant roar and leaped into the arms of Joliet Catholic coach Ryan Cumbee.
That moment made me smile.
Johnson is one of the most stoic, reserved athletes I’ve ever covered.
It was great to see him enjoy the moment because I’ve sure enjoyed watching him compete. He’s the most dominant athlete I’ve seen in 16-plus years of covering high school sports.
On the football field as a defensive tackle, the Wisconsin recruit consistently drew double-teams and even triple-teams from opposing offensive lines but was still nearly impossible to keep out of the backfield. He’s good enough to follow his older brother, Eric, to the NFL.
What Johnson has done on the wrestling mat, though, has been truly special.
Johnson still has matches ahead of him as the Hilltoppers, who will take on Lincoln-Way East in Tuesday’s sectional at Downers Grove South, are still alive in the dual team state series. He’s 143-1 in his high school career.
His only loss came in December at the Donnybrook tourney in Iowa, where he dropped a 5-4 decision in the championship match to Wisconsin’s Cole Mirasola, another of the nation’s top wrestlers who earned fame a couple weeks later when he beat reigning NCAA champion Max Dean of Penn State in an Olympic Trials qualifying event.
Johnson avenged that defeat in January by beating Mirasola 9-5 at the Cheesehead Invitational.
When you watch Dillan wrestle in Illinois, the only question is how fast the pin will come.
That’s why it’s sad to think this could be the last week of his wrestling career.
Johnson is still considering an attempt at competing in both football and wrestling at Wisconsin, but doing two sports in successive seasons at the Big Ten level seems nearly impossible.
If anyone could do it, it’s Johnson. But he seems to know this may be the end with wrestling.
“I’m trying to ignore it a little bit,” he said when asked if he’s thinking about the possibility of these being his last wrestling matches. “I’m trying to stay focused, but it’s definitely creeping in.”
Johnson then took a moment to reflect on his legacy at Joliet Catholic.
“I was so focused on accomplishing my goal that it never even crossed my mind I’m also leaving something behind for other people,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing in general that incoming freshmen can look at what I’ve done and be like, ‘Let me try to do something like that.’”
Good luck, kids.
With that in mind, a tip of the cap to three wrestlers who did not come home with state titles but have plenty to be proud of — Marist’s Michael Esteban, Ricky Ericksen and Donavon Allen.
The all-Southland state championship matches at 126 and 175 pounds turned out to be a bit anticlimactic.
Esteban and Ericksen ran into opponents they know all too well, and the results were basically the same as they have been in the past. Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza beat Esteban with a 13-5 major decision and Colin Kelly, Mendoza’s teammate, won by technical fall over Ericksen.
Both Marist runners-up, though, accomplished a ton by getting to that point. Ericksen had 11 losses and wasn’t on anyone’s radar to make the finals before he stunned top-seeded Luke Zook of Yorkville 8-5 in the quarterfinals.
Esteban has dealt with a plethora of injuries, including one to his ankle that forced him to default last season at state.
Allen, meanwhile, lost a heartbreaker in Friday night’s semifinals, when Lockport’s Justin Wardlow scored a last-second takedown to force overtime and then pulled out a 4-3 win.
Allen battled back to win his final two matches Saturday, turning the tables with a 5-4 overtime win over Sandburg’s Ryan Hinger in the third-place match.
That’s one tough trio.
