Winona Christian School’s Dalton Wiggins may be one of the most versatile athletes in the MAIS this year.
Wiggins is a four-sport starter for Winona Christian, where he plays football, baseball, basketball and runs track.
On the football field, Wiggins could line up at receiver, running back, quarterback, cornerback or safety.
“He has really good ball skills,” veteran coach Junior Graham said. “I think his upside is on defense. He has the ability because of his hips and he strength. I think his strength is tracking the ball. He does a really good job of tracking the ball once it’s in the air. You can see that in basketball and in baseball. He had about four interceptions last year and you put him on the best receiver a lot of times so the other team went to the other guy. He didn’t get thrown at a lot last year. He had more pass breakups than interceptions.”
Wiggins is the 11th and final member of the Winona Times/The Conservative Eleven To Watch for 2019. Already named to the list are An’Darius Coffey, Blake Cooper, Anthony Richardson, and Dorian Curry of Winona High School; Cory Clay and Deriaun Townsend of J.Z. George; Reese Fulton and Morgan Mims of Carroll Academy; and Thomas Costilow and Hayden Self of Winona Christian.
While Wiggins will play all over the field, Graham said he thinks cornerback is Wiggins’ best position and where he can play on the next level.
“He has really good hips and an outstanding vertical jump for a 5-10 guy,” Graham said. “He can dunk a basketball and can really run. I do think he can play on the college level. I hope he is going to grow taller. It’s just something about height, it’s a marketable tool. If he continues to get better and work hard, I think he will get the chance to play somewhere because of his ball skills. He will have his grades and with his natural ability, I think it give him a chance.”
On offense, Wiggins will be all over the field. He will primarily be a wide receiver but could like up at quarterback or even running back.
“He is a guy that is capable of scoring anytime he touches the football,” Graham said. “He had a 70-yard run last year, a kickoff return against Park Place and a long run in the playoffs. He caught a long touchdown. He’s capable of scoring from anywhere on the field, that’s why we are moving him around. Plus he is smart enough to be moved around.”
Wiggins said he understands that he will have to play multiple positions for the Stars this year.
“I know I have to play a lot of different positions this year,” Wiggins said. “It might be running back, wide receiver or quarterback. I may play cornerback or safety on defense. I have a lot of roles but I will do anything I can to help the team. I have been around football my whole life so it’s been pretty easy.”
Wiggins, who is 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, recently ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at the Southern Miss camp. In track, he runs the 100, 200 and 400-yard sprints for the WCS track team. Wiggins finished fourth in Class 2A in the 400-yard dash last year.
“I want to go play football in college,” Wiggins said. “I haven’t had anybody talking to me so far but I want to go play. I’m looking to have a good season and build on what I didn’t last year and show the coaches I can play. I had a good season last year and want to be better this year and have another good season.”
In baseball, Wiggins plays centerfield for Coach Shannon Self.
“He has exceptional speed,” Self said. “His hitting really picked up last year and he will be one of our starters in the outfield this year. He tracks the ball really well and uses his speed on the bases. I think he could have a really big year for us.”
Self said even though baseball isn’t Wiggins’ No. 1 sport, he thinks it’s something he can excel at.
“Dalton’s ceiling is really high because of his speed,” Self said. “From the first part of the year to the end last year, he improved as much as anybody on the team. He was a part-time starter to begin the year. He needs to be in the top two hitters in the order. If we could have him leading off, it would give those other guys a chance to drive in some runs. He works hard and is a good kid. He will have a big role in all of our athletics.”
In basketball, Wiggins started at point guard and was named the defensive MVP for the Stars.
Wiggins said he makes A’s and B’s in the classroom and has made a 17 on the ACT. He said if he didn’t play college football, he would like to go to dental school. When he’s not playing football, Wiggins said he likes to play Fortnite where he has more than 400 wins.
“He is a jokester,” Graham said of his senior all-purpose player. “He always has something going on. He’s a pleasant kid and a solid student. His parents aren’t going to tolerate anything else than him being a respectful kid.”
