Bison Football Places Three on ECAC DIII South Regional All-Star Teams
Dec. 18 - DANBURRY, Conn. – A trio of Bethany College football standouts have been recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, as seniors Eric Blinn and Nadim Raddar, as well as junior Aaron Frye, have been selected to the ECAC DIII Football South Regional All-Star Teams, announced the ECAC on Friday. Blinn and Raddar were chosen as first-team selections, while Frye earned second-team laurels.
For Blinn (Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver), the senior wideout earned a pair of First-Team All-Star selections, garnering the honor as both a wide receiver and a return specialist. The awards also go along with his two All-PAC First-Team honors, as well as his second-team all-region selection.
The senior led the PAC in receptions with 93 total catches, 28 more than any other player in the conference. He totaled 1,136 yards receiving, ranking third in the league in receiving yards per game (113.6). He also led the conference in touchdown catches (14), something he had not done in his previous three seasons.
Over the course of the regular season, Blinn posted eight games with at least 100-yards receiving and a touchdown. He scored a trio of touchdowns on three separate occasions, posting at least one score in each of his last seven games.
Along with his receiving numbers, Blinn was also solid in the return game, returning 20 kicks (eight kickoffs, 12 punts) for a total of 384 yards and a touchdown (average of 19.2 yards per return). With his return numbers, the senior finished with 1,570 all-purpose yards, the second most of his career.
Blinn left his mark on the Bethany record books, finishing his four-year career with 5,518 all-purpose yards, the most of any Bison in school history. He also holds every major receiving record, including career touchdown receptions (37) and receiving yards (4,261).
Raddar (Laurel, Md./Old Mill) earned his second-straight ECAC First-Team All-Star selection after being selected as the Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season. The senior defensive end totaled 62 tackles, including 18.5 for loss and 12.0 sacks. His sack total was just .5 short of his total from last season in which he was named an AFCA All-American.
Raddar closed out the season strong for the Green & White, notching eight total sacks over the team's final four games (Bison went 3-1 in that stretch). He also completed the season with seven games of at least 1.5 tackles for loss, including a career-high five in a win over Geneva on October 24.
Frye (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) earned his first-ever ECAC laurel, as he was selected as a Second-Team All-Star for his work as a punter on the Bison's special teams unit. In his first season as the anchor of the special teams, Frye was also given the nod as a First-Team All-PAC selection.
The junior showed off his ability to consistently get the best out of his kicking game, averaging a conference-best 41.3 yards per punt. Frye punted the ball 56 times for 2,313 yards, totaling seven punts of 50 yards or more. He also placed five kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
The Bison's four ECAC All-Star selections (two for Blinn) match their total from last season, giving the Green & White eight total in the last two years. Bethany has made themselves ECAC bowl eligible in each of the last two campaigns, including a trip to the ECAC Southeast Bowl in 2014.
