When Emporia High senior Dillon Cox was just a sophomore, he made it a goal to break 100 tackles and get selected to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl game his senior year.
Cox checked off one of those goals back in November when he finished the season with a team-high 107 tackles for the 6-3 Spartans. On Saturday, Cox got the news that he could scratch the other goal off the to-do list, as he was named to the East squad for the 2007 Shrine Bowl to be played July 28 in Hays.
“That’s a big honor. I’ve been happy ever since Saturday when I found out,” Cox said. “I’m still excited about it.”
A defensive stalwart for the Spartans this past season and a big reason why EHS went from a 1-8 record in 2005 to its 6-3 campaign in 2006, Cox provided plenty of bone-crushing hits and game-changing tackles for the Spartans in his best season as a prep.
His 55-yard interception return for a touchdown against Topeka West was one of the highlights of the year for the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, who also spent some time at fullback late in the year.
For his efforts, Cox was named first-team All-State, first-team All-Centennial League and first-team All-Area following the season. And now, he can add Shrine Bowl participant to that list.
The only downside of the nomination, Cox said, was that two of his teammates, defensive lineman James Sparks and defensive back Robert Keisler, did not make the roster.
“There are a couple people who I think should be there with me,” Cox said. “Of course, I feel that way because they’re my teammates and everything, but I wish some others could have come with me.”
Since the season ended back in November, football has not completely left Cox’s consciousness, even though he is a member of the Spartans’ basketball team. He is now in the middle of the football recruiting process.
While he has narrowed his top three schools down to Emporia State, Pittsburg State and Southern Illinois, a I-AA school in Carbondale, Ill., Cox said he would not rush to make a decision much earlier than signing day in early February.
“I have trouble making up my mind anyway,” Cox said, “so I’ll probably wait until the last minute before I decide. I’m pretty much undecided.”