Tanksley, Dillon Shut Down Fox Creek

DILLON | [player_tooltip player_id='1823080' first='Dontavius' last='Tanksley'] knew his defense was facing an opponent that wanted to win the line of scrimmage.    The senior defensive lineman also knew the Wildcats were up to the task.   “Once we all do our job, we all work as a team, we're going to come out with a victory every time,” said Tanksley. “The scoreboard shows it.”   The scoreboard did indeed tell the story as perennial power Dillon flexed its muscles in the opening round of the 3A playoffs, rolling over Fox Creek 49-8 on Friday night behind a suffocating effort from the Dillon defense.   The Wildcats forced the Predators into four punts and two failed fourth-down conversions on their first six drives, allowing just one first down and holding Fox Creek's pass yardage total in the negatives until late in the second quarter.   Dillon wasted no time seizing the momentum as it capped an eight-play opening drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass from [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1820510' first='Rike' last='Niyongabo'] with 8:54 left in the first quarter.   Dillon stretched the lead to 14-0 with 2:54 to go in the opening stanza. After taking over at the Predator six-yard line thanks to a deflected punt, [player_tooltip player_id='1025778' first='Domanick' last='Felton'] found the end zone on a six-yard scamper to give the Wildcats a two-touchdown advantage.    As the Dillon defense stymied Fox Creek, allowing just 17 yards in the first quarter, the Wildcat offense continued its onslaught on the opening play of the second quarter when Sam Fong-Talia raced around left tackle on a quarterback keeper. Dillon's signal-caller stiff-armed a defender, picked up a great downfield block from [player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'], and raced 51 yards untouched down the Wildcat sideline to make the score 21-0 with 11:50 left in the first half.    Dillon struck on another one-play drive on its ensuing possession as Sam Fong-Talia rifled a slant to [player_tooltip player_id='1881788' first='Nibras' last='Harrison'], who made a safety miss and strode into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown as the Wildcats extended their lead to 28-0 at the 9:54 mark of the second quarter.    Felton capped the first-half scoring with his second touchdown run, this time from four yards out, with 5:33 left in the half as Dillon took a 35-0 lead into the locker room. The Wildcats outgained Fox Creek 212-65 in the first half and Dillon's defense did not allow a single successful third-down conversion.   The Wildcat defense joined in the scoring on Fox Creek's first drive of the second half when [player_tooltip player_id='1821487' first='D'rontae' last='McClam'] intercepted a screen pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, making the score 42-0 Dillon with 10:05 to go in the third quarter.   [player_tooltip player_id='1823085' first='Noah' last='Singletary'] recorded Dillon's fourth rushing touchdown of the night when he streaked 83 yards with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter, putting the Wildcats up 49-0.   Fox Creek ended Dillon's shutout bid on a [player_tooltip player_id='1824044' first='Bryson' last='Crawford'] three-yard touchdown run with 9:17 to go in the game. The Predators added a two-point conversion to end the scoring as the Wildcats punched their ticket to the second round.   While Dillon's defensive starters sat out nearly the entire second half, their first-half productivity jumped off the stat sheet. The Wildcats held Fox Creek to 36 rushing yards before halftime and Tanskley led the way with a game-high six tackles and two tackles for loss.    Dillon head coach Kelvin Roller couldn't help but be impressed with the unit's performance.   “[Our defense] pretty much shut them down throughout the game,” said Roller. “When we had most of our first groups in there, I don't think they did much on the offensive side of the ball. Your defensive line's got to set the tone and they did.”   Dillon extended its streak of consecutive years with a playoff win to 33, a run that began in the 1993 postseason. Tanksley credited the week of prep for his success and his team's dominating effort.   “I just did what coaches taught me all week,” Tanksley said. “I practiced hard and you practice how you play. We came out, gave it all we had, and came out with a W.”   DILLON NOTABLES   Jaylen Bacote DL, 2028 – Against a Fox Creek team determined to establish the run, Bacote clogged up the interior and kept Fox Creek off schedule as the Predators found themselves in long-yardage situations throughout the night.    [player_tooltip player_id='1267317' first='Daniel' last='Capehart'] LB, 2026 – Capehart was a menace on special teams, getting his hand on Fox Creek's first punt of the night and nearly blocking two more. Defensively, Capehart finished with four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a pass breakup while doling out several massive hits from his linebacker position.   [player_tooltip player_id='1824413' first='Malachi' last='Nelson'] DL, 2028 – Nelson kept the Predator passing attack under pressure all game, tallying a sack while playing almost exclusively in the first half. He prevented several Fox Creek rushing plays from getting to the outside as the Wildcat defense bottled up the Predators.    [player_tooltip player_id='1732582' first='Kiele' last='Pompey'] OL, 2026 – Pompey protected the blindside of Sam Fong-Talia all night long and also sealed the edge to allow his quarterback to get outside on his 51-yard touchdown run. The left tackle was part of a Wildcat offensive line that paved the way for 210 rushing yards and four rushing scores while allowing a sack.   FOX CREEK NOTABLES   [player_tooltip player_id='1822485' first='Mikah' last='Quiller'] KR, 2028 – Quiller flashed some explosive ability in the kick return game, outrunning multiple Wildcats to the edge and giving Fox Creek some life in the first half.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822476' first='Mekhi' last='Quiller'] DB, 2027 – Quiller finished with two tackles and a pass breakup in the secondary. He helped the Predators limit Dillon's passing game to just 106 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1648430' first='Riley' last='Howell'] DB, 2026 – Howell's patrolled the back of Fox Creek's secondary effectively and was a key in the Predators not allowing a deep strike through the air. Howell helped Fox Creek limit Robertson, a Mr. Football finalist, to just 17 yards on two catches while only letting the Wildcats complete 46.7 percent of their passes    [player_tooltip player_id='1855210' first='RJ' last='Johnson'] WR, 2029 – Johnson was Fox Creek's top receiving target and proved effective in the screen game, taking a pair of short passes for sizeable chunks of yardage against an aggressive and athletic Dillon defense.   UP NEXT FOR DILLON:   vs. Silver Bluff

DILLON | Dontavius Tanksley Dontavius Tanksley 6'0" Dillon | 2026 SC knew his defense was facing an opponent that wanted to win the line of scrimmage.