Football Friday (6/9): A look at 61 havoc

(KMAland) -- It's Football Friday, and it's time for another look at some of the top-returning players in the area for this upcoming fall.

The complete list of previous Football Fridays is linked below.

PREVIOUS FOOTBALL FRIDAY PREVIEWS

4/14: Top-returning passers

4/21: Week-by-week look at the 2023 schedule

4/28: Top-returning rushers

5/19: Top-returning receivers

5/26: Top-returning tacklers

6/2: Top-returning offensive linemen

As for today, it's time for a look at the biggest havoc wreakers on the defensive side of the ball. In Bound, I sorted by tackles for loss and have a list of 61 athletes that had at least 7.0 tackles for loss last season. On the list below, you’ll see linebackers, defensive linemen and even some defensive backs that got busy in opponent's backfields.

As always, the athletes included here are those that play for schools from the Hawkeye Ten, Corner, Western Iowa, Pride of Iowa, Rolling Valley, Missouri River and Bluegrass Conferences. Enjoy:

1. Nolan Birdsall, Junior, West Harrison — Birdsall had a monster season on the other side of Koleson Evans (23.5 TFL), finishing with 23.0 TFLs and 17.5 sacks among 47.5 total tackles.

2. Braxton Blackburn, Senior, Fremont-Mills — Another 8-Player star, Blackburn continued his success last year with 18.0 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks while posting 49.0 total tackles.

3. Silas Walston, Senior, Bedford — The Bedford defensive end finished last year with 17.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks and 46.5 total tackles.

4. Brayden McClain, Senior, Sioux City North — The top non-8-Player athlete on this list, McClain had 15.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks last season while posting 72.0 total tackles at linebacker.

5. Alonso Cota, Junior, Sioux City West — The Sioux City West linebacker had 14.0 tackles for loss last season. He also posted 2.5 sacks while finishing with 39.5 total tackles.

5. Gavin Kelley, Senior, Woodbine — Back to the 8-Player world with Kelley finishing the season with 14.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks among 42.0 total tackles for the Tigers.

7. Matthew Haley, Junior, East Mills — Haley posted 13.5 tackles for loss and added 6.0 sacks while finishing with 24.5 total tackles for the Wolverines in a big sophomore season.

7. Dalton Kitzman, Senior, Lenox — Kitzman had 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack for the state semifinalists last season. He also posted 82.5 total tackles.

7. Jax Pryor, Sophomore, Woodbine — Another Woodbine defensive lineman, Pryor is the top sophomore on the list. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks among 28.0 total tackles in 2022.

7. Owen Thomas, Senior, Lewis Central — Thomas is getting some Division I looks, and you can tell why by his numbers — 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and 67.0 total tackles.

11. Graham Jensen, Senior, Underwood — Jensen was everywhere last year for the Eagles, finishing the season with 13.0 tackles for loss among 79.0 total tackles. He was credited with half of a sack.

11. Jacob Martin, Junior, Stanton — Stanton's Martin was all over the field and often in opponent's backfields with 13.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. He had 43.5 total tackles on the season.

11. Max Tiarks, Senior, Underwood — Working in front of Jensen along the defensive line, Tiarks had 13.0 tackles for loss among 32.0 total tackles for one of KMAland's best teams.

14. Jaxson Bowlin, Senior, Martensdale-St. Marys — Bowlin worked off the edge for the Blue Devils and posted a big season with 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks among 34.0 total tackles.

14. Dillon Inman, Senior, Southwest Valley — Inman is yet another versatile lineman for the Timberwolves that blew up play after play, finishing with 12.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack among 24.5 total tackles.

16. Evan Adams, Senior, Kuemper Catholic — An absolute monster that will only be better in 2023, Adams had 12.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks among 38.5 total tackles in 2022.

16. Adam Baier, Junior, Red Oak — This is the first defensive back on the list, and Baier was outstanding all season with 12.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and 84.0 total tackles.

16. Matthew McDanel, Senior, Moravia — The standout Moravia defensive lineman, McDanel had 12.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks among 64.5 total tackles.

16. Maddox Nelson, Senior, Underwood — Nelson is another key defensive piece returning for the Eagles, and he had 12.0 tackles for loss among 35.0 total tackles.

16. Trenton Patton, Senior, Glenwood — Another monster on the defensive line last year, Patton had 12.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks among 43.0 total tackles.

16. Kale Rockhold, Senior, Central Decatur — Rockhold had a big season at linebacker with 12.0 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks while posting 63.0 total tackles.

22. Alex Allen, Senior, LeMars — Allen had 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks along the LeMars defensive line last season.

22. Nate Curry, Senior, Twin Cedars — Curry flew in from his linebacker position to finish with 11.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while posting 59.5 total tackles.

22. Landon Fitchhorn, Senior, Woodbine — Woodbine is looking to have a pretty fierce defense, and Fitchhorn will be a part of that again this year. He had 11.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack among 65.5 total tackles from his linebacker spot.

25. Titus Barber, Senior, Murray — Barber played along the defensive line for the Mustangs last year and posted 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and 40.0 total tackles.

25. Blaine Brodsky, Senior, Denison-Schleswig — The alliterative linebacker had 10.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack among 39.0 total tackles for the Monarchs last fall.

25. Tate Dierking, Senior, Southeast Warren — Dierking was a big piece on the Southeast Warren defensive line with 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks among 27.5 total tackles in 2022.

25. Tyler Martin, Junior, Mount Ayr — Martin was big for the Raiders all year with 10.5 tackles for loss of his own, posting 2.0 sacks among 39.5 total tackles.

25. Cooper Marvel, Senior, Fremont-Mills — Marvel was a real…marvel along the defensive line for the Knights last season. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks with 35.5 total tackles on the season.

25. Jack Vanfossan, Senior, Underwood — Another Underwood Eagle in the linebacking corps, Vanfossan had 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks among 55.0 total tackles.

25. Jase Wilmes, Senior, Clarinda — Wilmes was fantastic last season on both sides of the ball, and he had 10.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks for the Cardinals. He finished with 50.5 total tackles.

32. Ben Ramsey, Sophomore, IKM-Manning — The top-returning sophomore in KMAland 11-player on this list, Ramsey had 10.0 tackles for loss among 57.5 total tackles.

32. Matthew Sorfonden, Senior, Harlan — Sorfonden went for 10.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks while posting 70.5 total tackles for the state champion Cyclones.

The next 30ish:

34. Mike Cooley, Senior, East Union (9.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 44.5 tackles)

35. Logan Carrell, Junior, Sioux City West (9.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 16.0 tackles)

35. Daniel Durio, Senior, Sioux City East (9.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 38.5 tackles)

35. Alex Hansen, Junior, Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton (9.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 44.5 tackles)

35. Chris Lugo, Junior, Sioux City West (9.0 TFL, 25.5 tackles)

35. Austin Williams, Senior, CAM (9.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 59.5 tackles)

40. Max Chapman, Senior, Creston (8.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 33.0 tackles)

40. Devon Ehlers, Sophomore, Ar-We-Va (8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 40.0 tackles)

40. Nolan Kerkhoff, Senior, IKM-Manning (8.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 44.5 tackles)

40. Zack Robbins, Junior, Treynor (8.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 24.5 tackles)

40. Kellen Scott, Senior, Glenwood (8.5 TFL, 46.5 tackles)

40. Kyle Sundrup, Senior, Kuemper Catholic (8.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 31.0 tackles)

46. Austin Evans, Senior, Creston (8.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 47.5 tackles)

47. Dakota Exline, Senior, Seymour (7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 45.0 tackles)

47. Jordan Martin-England, Junior, Lenox (7.5 TFL, 6.0 sacks, 20.5 tackles)

47. Conner Nally, Senior, Bedford (7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 38.0 tackles)

47. Franz Reisz, Senior, Harlan (7.5 TFL, 23.5 tackles)

47. Tyson VonGlan, Sophomore, Ar-We-Va (7.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 33.5 tackles)

52. Cutler Buban, Junior, Wayne (7.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 50.0 tackles)

52. Caden Dorr, Senior, Abraham Lincoln (7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 47.5 tackles)

52. Izaak Dukes, Senior, Bedford (7.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 23.5 tackles)

52. Shane Helmick, Senior, Moravia (7.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 66.5 tackles)

52. Matt Larson, Senior, Mount Ayr (7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 33.0 tackles)

52. Kendrick Mastin, Senior, Murray (7.0 TFL, 29.5 tackles)

52. Wade Ragaller, Junior, Ar-We-Va (7.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 47.0 tackles)

52. Reagan Skarnulis, Senior, Glenwood (7.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 19.5 tackles)

52. Bradley Stock, Junior, Treynor (7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 46.5 tackles)

52. Trenton Warner, Junior, Nodaway Valley (7.0 TFL, 38.0 tackles)

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing [email protected].

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.