Sifford ready to continue football career with Emory & Henry

Lineman Dillon Sifford helped pave the way for record-setting numbers from the Unicoi County offense, and it helped him pave the way to a college football career. But he had to pick a fork in the road out of Erwin. Sifford was impressed with Emory & Henry and Maryville College, and choosing one over the other surely cost him sleep. Ultimately, Emory & Henry made the grade. "It definitely wasn't an easy decision between Emory and Maryville," Sifford said. "It was very close. Both Maryville and Emory have beautiful campuses and even better programs which have truly put out some great players. Both coaching staffs really made me feel at home and took me in on my visits. But the main reason I chose Emory was because I needed to be closer to home right now, and with Emory only being an hour and 10 minutes, it just felt like the right choice. "But that's no shade to Maryville. Like I said, it was an extremely hard decision and I have nothing but respect for the coaches over there." Sifford made his decision prior to Unicoi County quarterback Kolby Jones opting to go to Maryville to play football instead of going to Walters State to play baseball. "I'm super excited for Kolby," Sifford said. "I know he's gonna do amazing things over there and I can't wait to watch his journey along with mine, and see where we both end up." Sifford said Unicoi County coach Drew Rice and assistant coach Nathan Arnold were invaluable during the recruitment process. "Both coaches have played college football," Sifford said. "So having those people who went before me made it just a little bit easier." A coaching future could be in store for Sifford, and Rice probably had an inadvertent hand in that. "Our coaching staff deserved more credit than it gets for sure," he said. "I truly believe that Unicoi County has the best high school coaching staff around. Coach Rice has been there for me ever since fifth grade when I played my first year of flag football and really took me in. He's someone who I want to model a lot of my coaching style on as I make my way there." A number of assistant coaches also continue to be a significant influence for Sifford. "I love all of my assistant coaches," he said. "I talk to all of them a lot still and they're just amazing role models for me. They all have affected my game in different ways majorly. "Coach (Mark) Peterson has an amazing strength program that really got me ready for the season. I owe a lot to him." Sifford was part of a class that went 34-12 in four seasons. "I was truly blessed to have played on all four of these teams who really set the standard of good football," Sifford said. "I had a lot of great players to look up to, people like Lucas Slagle and Esteban Mendoza." Rice said Sifford has set the example for future Blue Devils. "I couldn't be prouder of Dillon," Rice said. "I don't know if I've ever coached a kid who loved the game more than him. He poured himself into the weight room and ended up being our all-time leader in total weight across the four main lifts that we track. "I am excited for him to go play at a quality school like Emory and Henry. They play really good football there and do things the right way." Sifford has impressed his mentors off the field as much as he has on the field. "Dillon's a model young man and embodies everything you would want out of a student-athlete," Rice said. "He's an unbelievable mentor to his three younger brothers. He has represented us so, so well, and I know he will continue to do just that."