Prep's DeIuliis making a name for himself

THE WEIGHT of carrying a last name with some measure of accomplishment can be a difficult burden to bear. Not all are equipped to handle the pressure, sometimes self-imposed, but once freed and unfettered, individual abilities can emerge.

Football success has been the DeIuliis family business. And for St. Joseph's Prep junior Dillon DeIuliis, business is doing just fine.

After Prep, the Catholic League AAAA champ, outlasted Frankford, the Public League AAAA king, 10-7, on Saturday at Northeast High for its first city championship since 1977, a muted celebration followed.

"Yeah, I saw that in the paper," DeIuliis, a 5-10, 195-pound fullback/defensive back, said of the '77 mark. "But honestly, that doesn't mean anything to us because that wasn't us. This is us now. And right now, the next step, the next day is what matters to us. So, yeah, we had a great win, but overall we just have to keep taking the next step."

Heady stuff for a 16-year-old junior, but growing up, that perspective eluded him. Eventually, however, he learned to separate the past from the future and not define one by the other.

His father, Dino, played football at Middle Tennesee State. His father's two brothers, Paul at Lehigh, and Frank at Clemson, also played college football.

"I guess as a kid I was kind of nervous about filling his shoes," Dillon said of his father. "He's never been one to really get in my face like some dads get in your face and say, 'Why did you do this, why didn't you do that?'

"My whole life he's always kind of been in the background. So, he's always kind of let me do my thing and he's always trusted me, and that's been really helpful."

Love for hoops came first. Dillon played the point in freshman ball at the Prep. But, perhaps hearing familial pigskin exploits from the past made him yearn for similar glory.

"I guess I always wanted to make him proud, and talk about me, or at least let him hear me be talked about the way he was talked about when he was younger," Dillon said.

On Saturday, DeIuliis was part of the Hawks' defense that held a Frankford squad averaging 30.8 points through its last seven games - all wins - to just one touchdown.

He contributed eight tackles, and his interception on fourth-and-15 with 2:14 remaining in the game helped salt away precious seconds that Frankford could have used on its final drive.

"The way we played tonight was not the way we expected to play so we have to get back to work," DeIuliis said.

Frankford's defense was led by seniors Kadar Jones [seven tackles, a pair for losses] and Christian Santiago [interception]. Damion "Jawzy" Samuels also recovered a fumble.

Ultimately, the Hawks' D held the fort. Senior John Reid and junior Jake Strain each had picks, while senior Ryan McNulty (12 tackles, six solo) and sophomore Shawn Harris (eight tackles) were 'round the rock all night.

On offense, junior Olamide Zaccheaus totaled 88 yards on 15 carries, including one late when a quick cut turned a defender like a phrase and sprung him for 23.

But the DeIuliis efforts are doubly impressive considering the injuries he has overcome this season. Two fractured vertebrae in his lower back forced him out of Week 1 and half of Week 2. Then, a first-quarter concussion knocked him from Week 7 and also cost him Week 8.

"Yeah, it's been a rough season," he said.

The concussion also cost him a week of school, for which he is still making up assignments. His schedule includes senior-level courses in physics and calculus, and he still manages around a 3.5 GPA.

Academically, he fancies architecture or engineering, in part, because an aunt and uncle on his mother Kathy's side work for Lockheed Martin. Paul, who played at Lehigh, is also an engineer.

So, it seems one way or another, Dillon could follow in some manner of family footsteps.

"I guess just as a kid, I didn't want me and my brother [Dawson, 13] to not have the kind of legacy that our dad left," he said.

"At first I didn't know too much about my dad, he never really told me too much about that stuff because I guess he wanted me to be my own person, and that's helped me a lot. And as I've evolved and grown, I guess it just let me be myself and do my own thing."

One last thing . . .

"I'm exceptionally proud of Dillon," Dino DeIuliis said over the phone. "I'm more proud of him as my son, who I can say is a good man . . . And if athletics provides an opportunity to open doors, it's great. But to me the most important thing is my son is going to be a good man. I can see it in him already."