Shawnee’s Dillon Simmons
By Bryce McKinnis
Numerous setbacks have shaped Dillon Simmons into the football player — and young man — he has become.
“It happened on my birthday,” Simmons, a Shawnee High School senior, said, recalling his ACL tear. “It was a non-contact injury, and what made it so challenging was the mental aspect of it. Physically, I knew I was going to be OK, but mentally not being able to do what I love to do and physically not being able to walk or run was depressing.”
It was the people in Simmons’ life who embraced him during such a difficult stage.
“I had my brothers, mother and girlfriend in my corner making sure everything was OK,” Simmons said.
The first thing you should know about Simmons, in his own words, is that he loves his family. The second of four athletic siblings, Simmons’ younger brother plays soccer while his younger sister plays basketball and runs track. Also a newcomer to the Wolves team, the receiver and defensive back played previously at Del City High School, where he was a member of National Honor Society and Student Council.
Though he describes himself as “chill” and generally laidback, Simmons has fierce determination when it comes to the gridiron. Throughout his life as a football player and, this spring, a track runner at Shawnee, Simmons has felt like the underdog.
“I feel like I am one of the best in the state. I just really haven’t had the chance to prove it,” Simmons said. “I love the fact that, now, I’m able to show people they are not better than me.”
This year is also Simmons’ chance to prove to college coaches why they should recruit him.
“I plan on playing at the next level,” Simmons said. “What I look for in a college is somewhere where there are no politics and everybody has a fair shot to prove what they can do, somewhere that fits me well and will give me the best shot to be bigger and better.”
