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Dawgs, Lights, others still loaded at linebacker
Montana State University-Northern's Dylan Wampler, left and Joel Hadley make a tackle during a spring Frontier Conference game against Eastern Oregon in April in Havre. Both Wampler, who was All-Conference last season, and Hadley, are considered among the best returning linebackers in the Frontier, which kicks off later this month. The Lights also start fall camp this week.
For years, the Frontier Conference has produced some of the very best linebackers in all of NAIA football. And that trend continued back in 2019 when Montana Western's Jason Ferris won the defensive player of the year.
Fast forward to this fall, and the league will certainly have some really good linebackers playing again, including at Montana State University-Northern, where Dylan Wampler, a junior returns after earning All-Conference and NAIA All-American honors in last spring's four-game season. Wampler is also flanked by sophomore Joel Hadley, who was second in the league in tackles in the spring, and together, that duo gives the Lights, and new defensive coordinator Mike Van Diest, a very formidable defense.
Of course, there will be plenty of strong defenses in the league this fall. League favorite Eastern Oregon returns a pair of First-Team linebackers in Zak Donato and Solo Taylor, while College of Idaho brings back Dylan Martinez and Joey Calzaretta, two more All-Conference performers from last spring.
Defending league champion Carroll College has a stellar returner as well in junior Rex Irby, who was one of the top tacklers in the league, and a two-time All-Conference standout, while Rocky Mountain College's Nolan McCafferty is one to watch as well. Montana Tech, which opted out of the spring season, will be anchored at the LB position by Bridger Johnson and Spencer Shock.
But, as good as all the aforementioned linebackers are, Western still has perhaps the best crew in the league, even after the departure of Ferris.
Both Joe Ciacedo and Kyle Schulte return for the Dawgs after they each earned All-Conference honors in 2019 playing alongside Ferris. The duo is perhaps the best LB tandem in all of the NAIA, and it stands to reason that, Western will have a very stout defense once again this season.
Editor's Note: This is the fifth in the Havre Daily News' series of the top returning players in the Frontier Conference. Next up will be the defensive backs in Thursday's HDN.
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