Stevenson’s Dizon, the ‘epitome of a leader’, is the 2026 Daily Herald Lake County All-Area soccer captain
The defensive midfielder is more widely known as No. 6 in the modern game of soccer.
A No. 6 is a deep-lying midfielder, who plays at the base of central midfield. Their in-possession and out-of possession responsibilities are ultra important to the success of their team, and the position requires an incredible work rate and willingness to go box-to-box for 80 minutes.
This best describes Joniel Dizon.
The Stevenson senior plays No. 6 like no other, and because of that he has been named the captain of the 2026 Daily Herald All-Area Lake County boys soccer team.
"I caught up with coach (PepeJon) Chavez after school, and that's when he told me I would be the All-Area captain, and all I could do was give him a big hug," said Dizon.
"(Three) great years playing for Chavez and Stevenson, and this is the best way for it to come to an end."
"I could share so many stories about battles in a game (Joniel) never should have won, yet he sneaks out with the ball, and a smile," began Chavez, who this season claimed his 100th career victory.
"The greatest gift for sure comes in a small yet explosive package, and that would be Joniel, our amazing No. 6, who is the epitome of a leader, loved by his teammates, the fan base and our soccer community."
The Stevenson captain provides a master-class effort in tempo setting, defensive range, high tackle and interception volume, relentless ground coverage, ball recovery, clean first touch under pressure and elite defensive anticipation.
And he does it all with unmatched tactical intelligence.
"Our coaching staff has provided me with the type of training I never received in club soccer," said Dizon. "(It's) intense, the conditioning is at a high level, and I especially like the way (Chavez) encourages all of us to be connected and be like a family."
Part of the family is a stingy backline of seniors Cormac Byrne, Calvin Carafiol and the all state center-back, Jacob Goldstein, who together would concede just 14 goals during a magnificent 14-3-3 season.
In addition to being named all-state, Dizon recently earned North Suburban Conference sportsmanship honors, NSC defensive player of the year, and a fourth gold honor roll.
Dizon plans on a career as a physical therapist, with UIC, Marquette, St. Louis University and Carroll College in Wisconsin his top four choices.
While academic success — he has a 4.44 GPA — is important to Dizon, so is time spent as an executive board member of the freshmen mentor program (FMP) and the FASA (Filipino American Student Association).
"About (200) freshmen get together with the FMP during their lunch, and we have food for them, we talk, play games, and just bring the group together just like our soccer team,“ Dizon said. ”It's great fun and a yearlong program that brings freshmen together with upperclassmen to help them become more comfortable and connected at Stevenson."
"Joniel has been a coach on the field, implementing my instructions for three years," said Chavez. "Love, leadership and sacrifice are on his shirt and in his heart, and I am truly grateful for all the hard work, commitment, respect and friendship."