Granada Hills’ Dijon Stanley won’t be slept on for much longer
GRANADA HILLS, Calif. (BVM) – When Dijon Stanley began his high school football career, he did so under the impression that he would play the same position he did throughout his youth. But when he arrived at Grace Brethren High School as a freshman, Stanley’s slight build was deemed to be more useful on the defensive side of the ball.
“They told me I was too small to play running back so I was playing corner,” Stanley said. “That’s one of the reasons why I left.”
Stanley’s decision to bet on himself and transfer elsewhere proved to be the right one. Not only was Grace Brethren down to just 18 healthy players and unable to play its three scheduled games during an abbreviated spring season, but Stanley starred at his new location.
In his debut for Granada Hills High School on April 9, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Stanley was dominant at the position he was told he was too small for, rushing for 233 yards and three touchdowns.
First game of sophomore szn❗️ 226 yards and 3tds more to come pic.twitter.com/JP5zAx7V3v
— Dijon “Doodie” Stanley (@dijon_stanley4) April 10, 2021
Two weeks later, he amassed another 307 yards and four scores on the ground in a win over El Camino Real.
Game 3 vs El Camino
12 carries, 307 yards, 4 tds@Tarek_Fattal @_formulasports @GregBiggins @latsondheimer @RyanWrightRNG pic.twitter.com/ufCTkZ9gXS— Dijon “Doodie” Stanley (@dijon_stanley4) April 25, 2021
But Stanley saved the best for last, totaling 341 rushing yards and five touchdowns on just six carries in a win over Taft in the season finale. The three-star running back wrapped up his sophomore campaign, and first varsity football season, with 1,009 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in just four games.
“I was hoping to prove that I was good enough to play the position I’ve been playing my whole life; it’s nothing new,” Stanley said of his sophomore season. “I had to do everything I could do with the time that I had. I’m blessed to have gotten 1,000 yards.”
Stanley not only hit the ground running at Granada Hills on the gridiron, but the track as well. He earned a triple crown at the CIF Los Angeles Boys Track and Field Championships last month, taking first place in the 200m (22.13), 400m (48.54) and the 4x100m relay.
Reporting for @MilesplitCA at the @CIFLACS Boys Track and Field Championships at Birmingham Charter High in Van Nuys: @dijon_stanley4 of Granada Hills gets his 3rd win of the night as he runs a PR in the 200m—22.13, adding to his 1st places in the 400m and in the 4x100m relay pic.twitter.com/AapkGtnoVK
— Josh Barber Sports Photojournalist (@joshbarbersport) June 17, 2021
The speedster is a football-first athlete, but Stanley won’t rule out the possibility of track and field playing a part in his future.
“Every football player should run track because it’s a 1-on-1 translation from track to football,” Stanley said. “I feel like I could do both (football and track) at the collegiate level so I’m going to keep my options open.”
Stanley will have plenty of suitors for his collegiate journey when the time comes, even if that isn’t the case right now. Colorado has already offered the two-sport standout and Stanley said he’s been in talks with in-state UCLA and Cal. Someone who will certainly aid in Stanley’s efforts to reach Division I athletics and beyond is the Highlanders’ head coach.
Bucky Brooks was a second-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft who went on to have a five-year NFL career, primarily as a kick returner. He played for five different NFL teams and was a part of the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI win.
Now as an analyst for NFL Network and NFL.com, Brooks has doubled as Granada Hills’ head coach since 2019, and has made a profound impact on Stanley.
“Bucky Brooks has had a big impact on me; he was my coach in sixth grade when I was playing Pop Warner,” Stanley said. “I look up to him, he’s like a mentor and teaches me a lot about the long-term game, not just the now.”
With just one varsity season of film and one offer currently under his belt, Stanley said he feels a bit overlooked when it comes to his recruiting. But with two seasons of high school football left to play with a program and coach who believe in him, the rising Class of 2023 prospect doesn’t expect the phrase “slept on” to be associated with his name much longer.
“With the season coming up, I’m not going to be slept on anymore,” Stanley said. “I feel like people just started figuring out about me so it’s alright. I’m hoping to prove that I’m a dominant player who can do it at all levels, all divisions and that I really am what they say I am.
“Some people think it’s just the competition or ‘he’s not this, he’s not big enough, he’s fast but he’s not big enough and needs to play receiver.’ I’m going to show them that what I’m doing is what I’m doing.”
Sophomore year highlights!!
4 games
1009 yards, 15 tds, 63 carries
3.0 gpa
– https://t.co/zI4Wa45HFr— Dijon “Doodie” Stanley (@dijon_stanley4) May 3, 2021
