'I like hitting' is the motto for Mukwonago standout Dalton Gillette, who holds Division I offers and hopes to lead a playoff push this fall
Prior to the 2018 prep football season, the Journal Sentinel and Now News Group will reveal the Area Sweet 16 players to watch. Each day between the first day of practice on Aug. 1 to the first day of games on Aug. 16, one player will be revealed online. View the entire list of athletes here.
Dalton Gillette didn’t need much time to consider his answer to the question at hand.
A standout on both sides of the ball for the Mukwonago football team, how would he define his style of play?
“I would just say physical,” Gillette said, not thinking twice about it. “I like hitting.”
The senior tight end/defensive end’s style should fit perfectly into first-year head coach Mike Gnewuch’s plan of attack.
“What we’ve been trying to do is establish a physical brand of football right away on both sides,” Gnewuch said. “We want guys flying to the ball on defense and firing right off the ball on offense.”
Committed to the weight room
What stuck out most to Gnewuch in his opening months after taking over for previous head coach Clay Iverson was Gillette’s refusal to miss any off-season workouts.
“With Dalton, what I’ve loved is that he never missed a single day this summer,” Gnewuch said. “He was there every single day, working hard. With his attitude, he’s a coachable kid. He’s an ideal young man, really.”
Considering that physicality and accountability are the first two frameworks Gnewuch wants to build around at Mukwonago, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Gillette is off to a good start in setting the tone.
“You can’t take days off,” Gillette said. “You just have to stay consistent.”
So far, Gillette has received two reported scholarship offers from Division I schools: Northern Iowa and North Dakota. Big Ten schools, including Wisconsin, have shown interest, as well.
Gillette noted colleges are looking at him primarily as a defensive player.
"Right now, I’m going to stay open with all the options until the season starts and see what happens," he said.
New year, new look for the Indians
For a variety of reasons, Gillette and Mukwonago will look different than they did in 2017.
First, Gillette doesn’t have to deal with the broken hand that bothered him last fall. The injury didn’t keep him off the field, but it severely limited his effectiveness in the Indians’ passing attack.
“I couldn’t really get any receptions on offense,” Gillette said. “I played on offense, but I was mainly a blocker.”
Gillette had just three receptions for 40 yards as a junior. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he surpassed that total in Mukwonago’s first game of the season against Catholic Memorial on August 17.
“I’m hoping he has a really special year for us with it being his senior year,” Gnewuch said. ‘He’s a kid that deserves it.”
There will be plenty of opportunities for Gillette and other skill position players, such as 6-foot-5 wide receiver Wesley Juszczak, with a new offensive system in place under Gnewuch.
“It’s completely 100% brand new,” Gnewuch said of his offense. “They’ve been Wing T in the past and now we’re more of a two-back, pro-style offense. The passing game will be plenty involved.”
Chasing the playoffs
What Mukwonago also hopes will look different this year is its figure in the win column.
After making 11 playoff appearances between 2000 and 2014, including a state title in 2004, the Indians have gone a combined 11-16 without a postseason qualification over the last three seasons.
If Mukwonago is to break through under Gnewuch, it will have to do so without Cory Broncatti, who was in line to be the starting quarterback before tearing his ACL in summer basketball.
“That’s going to be tough, but someone will have to step up and make adjustments,” Gillette said. “But we’ll be looking good this year.”
