Emporia High linebackers coach Jay Adkins did some apologizing Monday morning.
As it turns out, Adkins and the Emporia High football coaches made a mistake in their evaluation of senior linebacker Dillon Cox following the Spartans’ 14-7 victory over Washburn Rural on Friday.
“He (Adkins) came up to me in the locker room after the game and said ‘You need to play better at linebacker next week,’” Cox said. “All I said was ‘all right.’ That kind of hurt my feelings, because I thought I played a pretty good game.”
Then Adkins watched the game film, and what he saw was one heck of a performance from his senior linebacker. Cox was credited with 18 tackles and had a fumble recovery that set up a touchdown in the Spartans’ first home victory in three seasons.
So on Monday, Adkins approached Cox with his mea culpa.
“I told him after the game that he needed to play better. We watched the film and realized we were wrong,” Adkins said. “He played a great game. He had a much better game than we realized. So I apologized to him.”
So far this season, there has been little reason to apologize for Cox’s play.
A physically-imposing force at 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, Cox has been everywhere for the Spartans (2-1), as he has yet to have a game in which he did not have at least 11 tackles.
The high-water mark through three games came on Friday.
Not only was he constantly disrupting plays in the backfield and making tackle after tackle, Cox’s fumble recovery came at one of the critical stages of the game, as Washburn Rural was driving midway through the second quarter of a scoreless game.
With the Junior Blues at the Spartan 25-yard line, Rural quarterback Jordan Ochsner hit tight end TJ Leonard with a pass down the middle of the field.
Emporia safety Robert Keisler caught up with Leonard at the 6-yard line and laid a hit on the 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end that popped the ball out of his hands and up into the air.
And there was Cox.
“I was just dropping back in pass coverage, and I saw the ball get thrown, and I was just trying to run to the ball,” Cox said. “Robert had a good hit on him (Leonard) and jarred the ball loose, and he tried to tip it back to himself, and I just kind of grabbed it and took off.”
Cox was brought down 13 yards later at the 19, and the Spartans capitalized on the turnover with an 81-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Edd Noonan touchdown run that swung the game in Emporia’s favor.
That one play typified the type of player Cox has become, Adkins said.
“He’s just got a nose for the football,” Adkins said. “We always teach our players to run to the ball, wherever it is, and that’s what he did. He was right there to make the play.”
Being wherever the ball goes is exactly the style of play Cox wants to be known for, as he describes his mindset during a play as always thinking “I can make that play.”
“I like it when teams run right up the middle to where I can bust up plays,” Cox said, “but I also like sweeping out to the side and running down a running back or something like that. Once I see a ball go outside, I always think I can get there and make the play.
Junior linebacker Ryan Bass has lined up next to Cox all season long, and says the Spartans have no one who can match the level of play Cox brings to the Emporia defense.
“He absolutely never stops and never gives up,” Bass said. “He has no fear. He does what it takes to make a play. You really can’t replace him.”
The fact that Cox has stamped himself as the leader of the Spartan defense could be termed remarkable when it is considered that he hadn’t played football for a year when Emporia High began its 2006 season.
Cox was injured in a car accident prior to the start of the 2005 season that killed his friend and fellow teammate, Greg Longbine, and also injured passenger Brandon Little.
Cox suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion that caused him to drift in and out of consciousness for several days.
While he returned to practice late in the season, Cox did not play a down, and instead watched the Spartans’ dismal season from the sideline as Emporia High limped to a 1-8 record.
“I couldn’t stand it,” Cox said. “I hated being over on the sidelines just watching, knowing that I could probably make some plays. Not being able to do anything was frustrating.”
Said Adkins of the difference Cox would have made last year: “We would have been a better defense with him out there. He would have made some plays for us.”
Over the offseason and into preseason practice this year, Cox made it a point to come back stronger than ever. What Cox went through last season has served as motivation to have an unforgettable senior season.
“I’m just trying to prove myself again because I missed last season,” Cox said. “I wanted to come back better than I was before. Everything is working out really well, and I’m playing well. I’m really happy with the way I’ve been playing.”
Adkins has another theory as to why Cox is having a standout season heading into this Friday’s matchup with Topeka West.
“He’s always been coachable and a kid that you can always count on to do the right thing when you need him to,” he said. “I think it’s part of the kid’s upbringing. I think his parents have done a really good job with him, and they’ve got him focused on what’s right. He’s got a good, strong family, plus, he’s got something to prove. This is his chance to prove that he’s a good football player, and he’s proven that so far.”
Cox’s play this year already has turned heads at the next level, as he says he receives occasional text messages from coach Ron Prince’s staff at Kansas State and has talked frequently with Emporia State coach Dave Wiemers about playing football for the Hornets next year.
While he has no favorite, the chance for early playing time could factor heavily into his decision.
“I just want to go somewhere where I could probably start playing my freshman year and not have to redshirt,” he said.
Adkins is adamant that as good as Cox has been this season, he still can be better. Adkins said he believes there is always an aspect of the game a player can improve upon, and in Cox’s case, that can only mean good things for Emporia.
“Quite frankly, he made 18 tackles Friday night, and he can be better — a lot better,” Adkins said. “It’s fun watching him play, it really is, and I’m proud to coach him. He’s just a great athlete with a lot of speed.
“We’ve had a lot of good linebackers at Emporia High, and I don’t know that we’ve had a better athlete play that position than Dillon Cox.”
While 18 tackles in a game might be tough to top, Cox said he looks forward to trying to best that figure, just as long as he’s helping the Spartans win.
“That game was probably one of a kind. I don’t know if it will ever happen again,” Cox said. “I’ll try, but that’s a lot.
“We’re winning right now, and that’s the most important thing.”