Western talent to watch

Brian Jerzak February 22, 2022 @ 08:07 PM

My last story highlighted some of northeast Minnesota's best returning football talent. This week, my gaze heads to the south and west of the Iron Range to focus on more regional talent to look out for heading into the 2022 football season. Thanks to the work by the writers at the <a href="https://www.wctrib.com/">West Central Tribune</a>, I was able to come up with some of the top talent from the area and find out what made them stand out to the staff at the WCT. With any luck – they will stand out to opponents next season and beyond. Brycen Christensen WR/DB New London-Spicer Christensen has length and a great catch radius. He uses both to his advantage when running deep routes. He is a tough one-on-one match-up for any corner under six feet tall. He uses his body well on shorter routes – shielding defenders to make the play. An effective runner in the open field, his skills with the ball in his hands make him effective on jet sweeps as well. He also uses his size to his advantage as a defensive back – high pointing the ball to come up with picks and deflections. Thomas Dineen RB/DE Benson Dineen's balance shows up right away, watching his highlights. He is tough to knock off his feet and is not easily brought down without wrapping him up. In small spaces, he gets his pad level low, allowing him to not only break arm tackles but fall forward after contact, finishing runs the right way. Holt Larson RB/LB Dawson-Boyd Larson runs with a low pad level – especially between the tackles. Effective between those tackles, the sophomore has a physical running style that often requires more than one man to bring him down. Although his physical build doesn't make him look like he has the speed to do it, he also has the speed to get the corner and turn up runs to the outside. Noah Gullickson OL/DL Renville County West Gullickson rarely gives up on and play; he plays to the echo of the whistle. He has a naturally low center of gravity, keeping under his opponent's pad level even if he comes off the line of scrimmage a little high. The junior has a good combination of power and quick feet. He quickly flips his hips towards the hole, squaring him against defenders. His feet also allow him to get to the second level and stay with more undersized linebackers. As an interior pass rusher, Gullickson is explosive and is tough to block one on one. Isaac Rudningen TE/LB Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sundburg Another two-way player, Rudningen, is an athletic tight end who is just as comfortable in the traditional tight end position as well as split out wide. He has a big catch radius and can make plays on both over and under-thrown balls. His hands and athletic ability make him tough to defend even when well covered. As a linebacker/safety hybrid, Rudningen has solid range and has the skill to tackle in the running game while having good coverage instincts and technique.