Canyon running back is a one-man bowl game

J.J. DiLuigi of Canyon Country Canyon resembles a bowling ball rolling down a football field, knocking over defenders as if they were mere pins.

Those who try to tackle him know he doesn’t go down without a fight, and even then, he refuses to cry “uncle.” He’ll get back up ready to do it again, leaving opponents exhausted and envious of his toughness.

“I run with my heart,” DiLuigi said. “I just have a will.... I’m not going to go down no matter how many people hit me or are on my back.”

No running back in Southern California has produced a two-season run quite like DiLuigi, who has 79 touchdowns in 26 games and will try to lead Canyon (10-2) to its second consecutive Southern Section title Saturday in the 4 p.m. Northern Division final against Moorpark (11-2) at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

DiLuigi, 5 feet 9 and 188 pounds, has deceptive speed, surprising leg strength -- he squats close to 500 pounds -- and knows when to accelerate at the blink of an eye.

“He’s unique,” Newhall Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. “He has his own style. He can stop on a dime and make a lateral cut and accelerate to full speed, and he steps out of tacklers.”

Those who dare to underestimate DiLuigi because of his small stature either don’t know football or don’t understand what a running back with strong upper- and lower-body strength can accomplish.

“I just look at them, ‘OK, you haven’t watched a lot of football,’ ” he said. “The greatest running backs have been small people ... Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.”

What motivates DiLuigi is competition.

“It’s the one thing that drives me even more,” he said. “Hey, you got somebody on me, let’s see if you can stop me.”

Saturday’s game against Moorpark matches DiLuigi, a senior who has rushed for 1,927 yards and scored 36 touchdowns this season, against another of the top junior running backs in the Southland, Darrell Scott, who has gained 3,076 yards and scored 45 touchdowns.

“He’s a great running back, and I want to see what we can do against him,” DiLuigi said. “He runs with the same will I do. He doesn’t like to go down. You can see it in every game.”

DiLuigi didn’t become a running back until his freshman year at Canyon. He had been a quarterback in youth football, but that experience helped him in his new position because he knows how to read defenses and has the vision to spot openings in the line.

“Nobody can tell a running back how to run,” he said. “You can tell them, ‘Run here,’ but it’s instinct.”

DiLuigi has committed to Brigham Young, and the Cougars might have uncovered the steal of the Southland. He’s also dangerous coming out of the backfield as a receiver because once he’s in the open field, his ability to slip through tacklers comes into play.

“They saw I was a playmaker, and you need a playmaker on your team,” he said.

Canyon Coach Harry Welch is tired of so-called experts judging DiLuigi’s future based on whether he meets the requirements on an index card.

“I try to evaluate people how they are, not how they fit into some computer program,” Welch said. “He combines good leg strength, low center of gravity, good vision and exceptional balance.”

Years ago, DiLuigi used to wrestle with an older cousin who threw him around, but it hardly bothered him.

Later, he discovered taking hits in football was part of the fun.

“A lot of people think they can lay one big hit and intimidate everyone,” he said. “I don’t buy that.”

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.