Jan. 20--Dalton Wagner let out a hearty chuckle upon remembering the play.
It was such a cherished play for him that he placed it at the start of his Hudl.com highlight video.
At 6-foot-9 and 294 pounds, Wagner is not an ordinary-sized person. A run-of-the-mill play to open his highlight video was out of the question.
In Richmond-Burton's Week 8 game against North Boone, Wagner recalls, opposing coaches tried to test Wagner by lining up a smaller defensive lineman in front of him. Perhaps the idea was that speed could beat Wagner's size. Instead, Wagner produced the opening scene of his highlight tape.
"I drove him back 10 yards and pancaked him," Wagner said. "I thought the coaching staff threw him in there to get speed on me, so I thought, 'Okay, let's take him for a ride.' He was some little kid, really short and fast and quick. He didn't fire off the ball, though."
Wagner would be considered a massive tackle in most regions of the country, but his size is particularly unique at Richmond-Burton, which has a modest enrollment of 752 students. He has offers from Louisville and Miami (Ohio). His brother, 6-8, 339-pounder Bryce Wagner, is a sophomore offensive lineman at Southern Illinois.
"Dalton has been physically blessed with a lot of gifts that are pretty valuable in the football world. Not only does he have good size, but he moves pretty well," Richmond-Burton coach Patrick Elder said. "He's a very motivated young man on and off the football field. He's constantly striving to be better. Dalton is getting a lot of attention because he's growing into his body fast."
Elder said he prefers to play Wagner at right tackle because of the Rockets' Wing-T offense. A two-year starter, Wagner is occasionally asked to pull on some plays, which often is a scary situation for defenders.
"In our system, right tackle is the most valuable position," Elder said. "We run right more than left. We run the ball more than we throw it, so we put our tackle on the right. We pull Dalton on some plays and get him out in space running at people, and that just shows his footwork. That's a lot of guy out in space running at somebody. It's not normal for a guy that size to be able to do those kinds of things. He's always been considerably bigger than the people that he plays against, but the thing that separates himself besides his size is his movement, and he has a good understanding of the game."
Wagner's height often prompts inquiries about his abilities in another sport.
"I've been asked if I play basketball a ton of times," he said. "I'm decent at basketball. I play it recreationally with friends, but I'm very bad at basketball on a competitive level."
Wagner was one of 600 players selected to the U.S. Army All-American Combine in San Antonio earlier this month. Dalton said the four-day experience motived him to improve his skill set.
"I learned my footwork still needs to be improved even more," he said. "I also know I have to improve my 40-yard dash. There's some untapped potential in that. I'm looking forward this offseason to working on my footwork and speed and getting better in all aspects."
Wagner and senior left tackle Fred Bush (6-6, 305) formed a formidable combination for opponents the last two seasons. Wagner said his plans include taking the ACT in February in hopes that more schools -- such as Wisconsin, Northwestern and Indiana -- will start recruiting him heavily.
"I'm very excited about my future," he said. "My goal is to keep improving and do the best that I can, and hopefully more colleges become involved in my recruiting. I plan to work really hard."
Kramer flips to Illinois: Hinsdale Central senior offensive lineman Doug Kramer flipped his commitment to Illinois last week. The 6-2, 275-pound Kramer had orally committed to Florida Atlantic during an official visit Dec. 5.
Kramer said Illinois was always an option, especially after coach Bill Cubit offered him.
"Illinois offered me about two weeks ago, and then coach Bill Cubit did a home visit, and I was very impressed with where the program is headed," Kramer said. "My whole family went there. We are an Illini-oriented family. Growing up, everything was Illinois for me. I'm so excited for this opportunity."
Tidbits: Glenbard West senior running back Sam Brodner received an offer from Wisconsin on Sunday. ... DeKalb senior offensive lineman Hayden LaPointe pledged a commitment to Southern Illinois on Monday. ...Oswego senior quarterback Steven Frank, who orally committed to Florida Atlantic on Dec. 5, received an offer from Southern Mississippi on Monday. ... Naperville Central senior safety Jon Barker announced his commitment to Dayton via Twitter on Monday.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
