Desmond Neylon Jr.’s roots in Griffith run deep.
Neylon Jr. went to school in Griffith until fourth grade and then switched to the Lake Central district in middle school. But after his stepfather Kenny Skinner died on May 11, 2025 — which was Mother’s Day — Neylon Jr. returned to Griffith for his junior year.
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“After my dad passed away, everyone just thought it would be better to change,” he said. “It was just a better fit.”
Neylon Jr.’s primary residence became his father Desmond Neylon Sr.’s home in Griffith. Skinner, a Griffith graduate, was just 38 years old.
“He was like a real father to me, too, with my real dad,” Neylon Jr. said. “He coached me in Pop Warner. He really taught me a lot about football for real. He taught me footwork. He taught me stability. He taught me how to see the hole, how to watch the hole develop. We would be in the backyard until 2 a.m., hitting on everything until I learned.”
Neylon Jr. learned his lessons well. The 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior running back has posted astonishing numbers for the high-powered Panthers (4-0), rushing for 956 yards and 18 touchdowns on 99 carries. He also returned a kickoff 89 yards for a score.
Neylon Jr., who has three younger sisters and two younger brothers and also has three cousins on the Panthers, was quick to credit those around him, including a massive and experienced offensive line.
“I can’t do it without my team,” he said. “I can’t do it without my O-line. We have the biggest O-line in the Region, and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.
“And the receivers, they’re amazing at blocking. Can’t say enough about them either.”
Senior offensive lineman Gavin Edwards, a Northern Illinois recruit, reciprocated the praise for Neylon Jr., who also can line up as a slot receiver.
“He’s a great senior leader,” Edwards said. “He brings a lot of energy to the group. Every skill position player’s a character, and he brings a lot of energy. He moves around a lot, and having him is a great difference-maker.
“You can always tell when he’s in. Just the way people run, they have to run farther when they’re blocking for him because he’s so fast. He’s just really fast. He just brings a lot of energy to practice, to games, and just gets the job done.”
Phil Mason, who is in his fourth season at Griffith and 26th overall as a coach, also appreciates what Neylon Jr. brings to the table.
“Desmond’s a special little back,” Mason said. “In my career, I’ve been very fortunate to coach some great running backs and some great linebackers on both sides of the ball. I think back even to my days at Wheeler when I had Andrew Patten, and Kyle Kovach at Andrean along with Mason Zurek, and then going over to Michigan City and having Aryuan Cain-Veasey, who had a great career at Grand Valley, and some other kids over the years.
“So getting a kid like Des, you just see how special he is. We’ve usually been a gap-scheme team where we’re running a lot of power and counter, and he’s really become kind of an inside-zone guy, and we just get our big guys to get hats on hats and let him find his way. He’s really good at that. It’s just special to have him.”
At Lake Central, Neylon Jr. played on the freshman team and spent most of his sophomore season on the junior varsity team. Then he broke out in his first full varsity season at Griffith, rushing for 1,637 yards and 17 TDs on 129 carries and making eight catches for 81 yards and two TDs.
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“I had to adjust to the culture of Griffith, get used to the plays, get used to my teammates,” he said. “We all grew up together, but I had to get back used to it.”
Neylon Jr., who also runs sprints on the track team, has become even more comfortable this season. As productive as he was last year, he wasn’t satisfied, so he continued to work in the offseason and gained 15 pounds.
“I was in the weight room my junior year, but I definitely got in the weight room more with my team,” he said. “I got a lot stronger, a lot faster. My balance is way better. My IQ for the game is better. I’ve put in the work, putting a lot of weight on and then also working so I wouldn’t lose my speed. I’ve just been a lot more consistent this year than last year.”
Neylon Jr. and the Panthers, who open their defense of the Greater South Shore Conference South title at River Forest on Friday, have set a high bar. A tradition-laden program that won the Class 4A state title in 1997 under Russ Radtke, who coached the team for 19 seasons, Griffith hasn’t won a sectional title since 2008.
The Panthers know their path this season almost assuredly includes a matchup with Andrean, which won the 2A state title last year and has moved up to 3A.
“Goals? Beat Andrean,” Neylon Jr. said. “Get past sectionals, regionals, go off to state. That’s our goal. That’s our point right there. We have to beat Andrean.”
Even Mason made no bones about it, generally eschewing game-at-a-time cliches for straight talk. He coached the 59ers for eight seasons, a tenure that included the 3A state title in 2013 and second place in 3A in 2014.
“We’re just grinding, man,” Mason said. “We’re trying to get better. We know what’s ahead of us. They’re probably the favorite to win the state championship. If not them, then Gibson Southern. So that’s what’s in our face. We have to get ready for them.
“I coached at that place for 10 years, and I know what it’s all about, and if we don’t understand, if we don’t figure out how to become the Griffith of old, they’ll take you to the woodshed. So it’s just continuing to grind and get better every day. It’s not pretty, it’s not fun, but it’s the only way I know how to do it.”
Neylon Jr., who hopes to play football in college at the Division II level, has confidence in this group.
“We got a team,” he said. “I think we’re the best in the Region for real. We work too hard to put ourselves down and get shot in the foot like that. We’ve been doing a lot. We’ve improved a lot since last year.
“We all hold each other accountable for our actions. We don’t let each other down. If one of us messes up, we’re not going to yell at each other. We’re going to hold each other up. This team is a family.”