201 Frontier Football Preview: Frontier littered with star backers

If there is one thing that Carroll College has proven in the Frontier Conference, it’s that stopping the run is a good way to win football games. Stuffing the ground game isn’t the only ingredient that’s needed to put together a winning formula but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

When it comes to building a great run defense, a big key is having quality players at the linebacker position, which is something the Montana State Northern-Lights have come to expect. For seven years running, the Lights have had a linebacker rank in the top five in the conference in tackles.

Last season, the impact linebacker was Jordan Van Voast, who had an outstanding season with 57 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions. The former Light, who also starred for the Havre Blue Ponies, was a two-time All-Conference selection, who produced at a level which will be difficult to replace.

Yet, the Lights have some solid options returning at linebacker, highlighted by Kaimi Kanehailua, a 6-1, 235-pound senior that served in a backup role last season but saw snaps at linebacker and contributed on special teams.

In 2014, Kanehailua will be counted on to play a starting role on a Northern defense that surrendered just 120.6 rushing yards per game last season, good enough for second in the conference behind Carroll, which allowed 117.4 per game.

In addition to the return of Kanehailua, the Lights are looking forward to seeing transfer Tucker Dunn get on the field. Dunn, who is a 6-2, 202-pound linebacker who transferred to Northern from the University of Colorado Mesa, should have an immediate impact this season and could end up starting as an outside linebacker.

"Kaimi has some experience, and he has the chance to have a good season,” Northern head coach Mark Samson said. “We lack depth (at linebacker) right now, but we do have some guys coming in that will help us. We have a transfer, Tucker Dunn, I think he has a chance to be a really, really good player in this league."

Here’s a look at the rest of the top returning linebackers in the Frontier Conference

When it comes to linebackers in the Frontier Conference, the conversation begins and ends with Carroll standout Sean Blomquist, a 5-11, 232-pound playmaker that has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons.

Last season, Blomquist dominated play, putting up an extremely impressive season with 124 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception and one defensive touchdown, earning NAIA All-American honors along the way. His career numbers are also staggering with 253 tackles, 11 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.

Blomquist is a great defensive player but is such a good athlete that he also sees time on offense as an H-back. In that role, he has six career receptions for 58 yards and four touchdowns. He also has four rushes for 12 yards and a touchdown.

As good as Blomquist is, he is not the only reason why Carroll’s defense has the potential to dominate. Fellow linebacker Dawson Osborn is another standout that racked up 72 tackles, five sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss last season. He and Blomquist will try to help the Saints finish with the top run defense in the Frontier for the fifth consecutive season.

Like Northern, Montana Tech will also have some big shoes to fill at linebacker after the loss of Ryan Jones, who finished his college career with 127 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Jones signed with the Baltimore Ravens back in May and received a $1,000 signing bonus but was later released due to injury.

However, the Diggers are still bringing back one of the top linebackers in the Frontier in Mike Touzinsky, a 6-2, 212-pound senior that earned second-team All-Conference honors after finishing with 88 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks a year ago.

Outside of Carroll, the only other team returning multiple players that were named All-Conference is Eastern Oregon and one of those defenders is Ryan Watson, a 6-0, 220-pound linebacker. Watson, a senior, will be considered one of the top defenders in the Frontier after notching 110 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and five interceptions in his junior season.

Gary Posten, 6-1, 210-pound junior also returns to Eastern Oregon for his junior season after wrapping up 2013 with 119 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

Other top linebackers competing in the Frontier Conference this season include Montana-Western’s Joe Coker, who had 91 tackles, Josh Johnson of Rocky Mountain College, who totaled 102 tackles, and Laurence Calcagno of Southern Oregon, who had 94 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2014.

Note: This is the sixth installment in the Havre Daily News' series on the top returning players in the Frontier Conference. For a look at the top wide receivers and tight ends in the Frontier, see Monday's HDN. For a look at the top special team's players, see Wednesday's HDN.